There are many different fad diets and famously paid spokespeople trying to convince you that you will lose weight successfully if you eat this and not that. Or, if you buy this specific gym equipment or sign up for a membership at a particular gym. Even a trip to the doctor can land you a prescription that may help you get closer to your goal.
While each one of these things may help you to lose weight, it is still only part of the equation.
How do you lose weight and keep it off? Here is the best way to make it happen.
Acknowledging Habits
Have you ever taken an honest look at your habits when it comes to your health? Do you buy healthy foods and order takeout rather than cook meals at home? Do you always have great intentions of exercising, but never quite get to it? Do you find yourself eating in private on purpose?
There are so many bad habits that we develop over the years when it comes to health. The sooner they are recognized and acknowledged, the better. This is necessary for change to happen. After all, how can you change a habit if you don’t realize it exists?
Take time to reflect on your behaviors toward food, fitness, and overall health. Be honest and transparent. Keeping a journal can help you see patterns in your behavior so that you may more easily recognize areas of concern.
Losing weight isn’t all about the scale — you have to dig deep and correct issues and habits before the progress can be maintained.
Gathering Encouragement and Support
Encouragement and support are all necessary when taking on a challenge. Just like getting a gold star from your 1st-grade teacher after a spelling test, you need someone on the sidelines to cheer you on. Instead of a sticker, though, a kind word or a listening ear can make all the difference.
Working with a nutrition coach or fitness coach can be one of the most effective ways to reach the right kind of support. Unlike friends and colleagues who may or may not understand the lifestyle changes you are trying to make, a coach has the expertise to help you learn and grow — while giving you fist bumps along the way.
As you go through your weight loss journey, find someone to help you feel supported on both the easy and the hard days.
Developing a Healthy Relationship With Food
Developing a healthy relationship with food involves undoing everything that you have believed about it for as long as you can remember. Sure, it sounds like a lot, but it is possible – and necessary – for long-term weight loss.
For instance, let go of the belief that there are ‘bad’ foods and ‘good’ foods. Food is food. And, if you want to sustain your weight loss, then you need to accept that you can eat all foods without restriction. Here’s why —
Restricting foods means denying yourself something you want. And, one day, you will cave and give in to the craving. When that happens, it can quickly become a slippery slope.
If you allow all foods in your diet and work on developing a healthy relationship with them, then you don’t have the cravings weighing you down, figuratively and literally. What’s more, adding foods to your plate can help to balance the not-so-healthy foods that you eat.
There is nothing wrong with a plate of lean meat and veggies for dinner followed by a warm chocolate chip cookie for dessert.
Celebrating Wins
Always celebrate your wins. This will boost your confidence and help you to remember why you put your health first and why you need to continue to do so.
Wins are more than just the number on the scale. A few of the many things worth celebrating include:
- Changed habits
- Boosted energy levels
- Improved sleep
- Thriving relationships — with other people, food, and your body
- Clear, healthy skin
- Crushing goals in the gym
- Walking up a flight of stairs
- Craving healthy foods
Make sure to acknowledge these wins in any positive way that feels good to you. The more you do this, the greater your chance of lifelong weight loss success.
The nutrition coaches of Beyond the Box Nutrition take you beyond dieting, helping you to create a balanced lifestyle and a healthy relationship with food with a plan designed to fit your life.
