Loving yourself and weight loss are the perfect match!

After losing weight successfully on a diet, why do so many of us regain the weight they lost? If this sounds like you then please know that it is quite common for people who are happier and healthier after shedding weight on a diet to let the weight slowly creep back on and sometimes end up heavier than when they first started.

But why? Well in my experience I have found that there are several reasons not just one. But I will leave the biggest cause of weight re-gain until last.

One of the reasons people regain weight is that they do not sustain the new healthy habits that they used to lose the weight, for examples, you started walking for 30 minutes per day to be part of your weight loss regime or if you had joined a gym and attendee 3 times a week and have stopped then that will result weight gain.

Your new healthier habits need to be part of a permanent change not a new habit you start just to lose weight.

When I work with clients, I always encourage them to schedule realistic new exercise habits, so they are not setting themselves up for failure.

Consistency always wins over time, so it may be more realistic to schedule walking four times a week or go the gym twice a week, and then you will feel a sense of achievement at meeting your goals and be more likely continue them long-term.

Or it could be that they restricted themselves of food too much, a diet low in calories and nutrients is simply not sustainable long term. Our bodies are machines that need fuel to function and therefore we require food for energy.

The types of food we eat are important to for long- term weight loss, for instance if we eat a high percentage of processed foods our gut bacteria will not recognise those as proper food and will never tell our brains we are full.

Ultra processed foods are also highly addictive so you may find that once you start eating them you cannot stop due to their addictive nature.

But in my experience the biggest reason that people regain weight is that they do not love themselves.

A diet is a logical eating plan that it is low on calories and therefore if, like me you are an emotional eater then you cannot permanently fix an emotional problem with a logical solution.

Permanent weight loss requires you to get to the root cause of our overeating, we must dig deep to work through and release the hidden negative thoughts and beliefs we have about ourselves.

By challenging our thoughts and reframing them we will gradually create a new subconscious, with a more positive belief about ourselves.

I find by helping clients “tune in” to their self-talk that most of them use negative language to describe themselves. We work together to improve that and help them become their very own “cheerleader” by celebrating small wins along their journey to improved health and not just celebrating the weight loss.

I have found by joining a gym and surrounding myself with likeminded people it keeps me motivated as they have brought a positive energy into my life, and it is contagious as we all lead a healthy lifestyle.,

I set myself short term challenges like monthly virtual walking challenges that have a medal as a reward to stop me from losing my motivation.

Do not get me wrong I still have days where I do criticise myself, but I am now by far quicker to recognise it and correct myself.

My new favourite quote to say to myself is “I love my imperfectly perfect body; it is an amazing machine that serves me well.”

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, connect with me on social media “step by step with Sarah-Jane” as you will be part of a positive community of people improving their physical and mental health. Step by step with Sarah-Jane has nothing to do with how you look, but everything to do with how you feel.