Weight loss tips
After a really stressful year, I have had numerous people express their desire to shed a few kilos. But what is the best way to go about that and what does that number on some scales mean anyway??
The answer is it is different for everybody and you can attack weight management from many different angles. Our calories in and out balance is effected by a number of things including:
Volume of food consumed
Genetics
Movement
Metabolism
Sleep
Stress
Age
Hydration
Medication etc.
Something that is very important to address, is WHY do you want to lose weight? How do you really currently FEEL and what do you want to really FEEL like? Attach as many emotions as you can when you think about your ‘why’ as emotions are very strong motivators. Try to really drill down to find those powerful motivators that you already have inside!
Let’s think about setting different sorts of goals…..but if you don’t set a weight goal, what do you set, I hear you ask? Ask yourself what are your anticipated benefits of weight loss and what do you want to achieve in your life?
Some examples to consider are as follows –
Comfort and mobility
Improved body image and self-esteem
Better clothing options
Work productivity and enthusiasm
Social life and desirability
Climb Mt Kilimanjaro
Reduce medication etc
Most people tend to set themselves HUGE weight loss goals. The first thing I recommend is to develop a positive relationship with both food and exercise. Deprivation and very strict rules based diets, where people take on too much change etc tends to end up in a cycle of weight regain, as it is just not sustainable. You are way better off setting a moderate weight goal (or focussing on the benefits of weight loss) and smashing it out of the park.
If focussing on weight loss feels like a huge task, or if you have a history of ‘failure’ or a dieting ‘career,’ are you ready to try something completely new? What about a non-dieting approach where your focus is not on the scales but rather simply focuses on your overall health and wellbeing. Get ready to travel up a gentle hill, rather than try and sprint!
Setting goals in a new way can result in lasting transformations and success with what really matters to you. So, I challenge you to break up with the scales, make peace with food, fall in love with movement, nurture your inner self and concentrate on creating lasting and healthy habits.
