Achieve Weight Loss – The Healthy Way
Are You Failing Your Diet, Or Is Your Diet Failing You?
Maintaining a healthy weight can be a life long battle for many people and can cause a great deal of distress and anxiety.
Thousands of people sign up for weight loss programmes and in the beginning, start to see weight reduction but then after time, regain the weight back.
This process repeats over and over, eventually becoming a vicious cycle – this is the yo-yo effect of dieting.
Why I Dislike The Term ‘Diet’!
Before the ‘diet’ industry got hold of the word ‘diet’, it was commonly thought of as the kind of food a person, animal or community habitually eats.
Nowadays the word ‘diet’ is associated with a programme designed to restrict food in order to lose weight.
Of course, some programmes are designed for medical reasons such as the DASH diet or the Gluten Free Diet but generally, we know diets to be eliminating big food groups in order to lose weight.
Restrictive commercial diet programmes can leave you feeling tired, nutrient deficient and constantly thinking of food.
‘Diet’s’ Don’t Make You Feel Good
Let’s talk about the emotional trauma attached to the diet culture.
Weight loss programmes encourage regular ‘weigh-in’s’ which can provide a huge amount of joy, IF your weight has come off….but if weight goes on, this can bring feelings of shame and failure.
This can sometimes trigger psychological trauma leading to a lack of confidence and rock bottom self-esteem 👎
‘95% of people who lose weight in a slimming club or weight loss programme will regain it in 1 to 5 years’
Here’s Why You Should Stay Away From Commercial Diets
- When you are constantly gaining and losing weight your body will think you are under stress and will release stress hormones in response. When the body is stressed it releases stored glycogen and goes into ‘fight or flight’ mode, not ‘rest and digest’ which won’t help weight loss.
- Food deprivation leads to an overeating / binge cycle and since your body is not designed to let itself starve, it’ll reduce its metabolic rate, making it harder to lose weight.
- YoYo dieting can lead to disordered eating habits and long-term struggles with weight which can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.
- You won’t just lose fat on calorie deficient diets but also muscle. When you gain weight back, most of it tends to be fat, not muscle.
- Restrictive diets can sometimes cause deficiency in essential nutrients. The focus tends to be on low calorie foods rather than nutritious foods that suit you and there’s certainly no education with healthy eating on a faddy diet.
- They take the joy out of eating – eating should be an enjoyable time, bringing family and friends together. On a calorie deficient diet every mouthful is scrutinised – there’s no fun in that.
- Weight on the scales is just one small part of the picture, there are multiple reasons why your body might be holding onto excess weight – if the body isn’t feeling safe to shed fat, then it is doing precisely what it should be doing to keep you safe.
- ‘Failing a diet’ can lead to and a feeling of self-loathing which is the opposite of what it is supposed to do.
Here’s Some Considerations
- Ditch calorie counting and focus on nutrient intake – some calories are nutritious, some are not, comparing like-for-like doesn’t support healthy choices eg. a handful of raw almonds is the same calorific intake as a handful of sugary gummy sweets.
- Change your mindset around the diet culture – look at abundance of nutrients rather than restriction. If a diet programme is telling you, you can eat as many ‘low fat’ yoghurts (full of artificial sweeteners) as you like and minimal nuts, seeds and avocados – stay away!
- Consider other factors that might be involved in weight gain – stress, low thyroid, insulin resistance, food sensitivities. Your body will increase fat as safety mechanism when it doesn’t feel safe to lose it.
- Look at your activity levels – are you engaging in exercise – walking, running, the gym, playing tennis or squash, dancing or whatever activity floats your boat. Movement is essential.
- Use the tape measure, not the scales – Weight naturally fluctuates throughout the month as a result of water retention or changes in hormone levels so ‘weigh-in’s’ really are an inaccurate measurement.
- Look at the bigger picture – weight loss is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Healthy weight loss should be a gradual process and not a quick fix. If you lose weight too quickly, you might not be able to keep it off.
Registered Nutritionists can help you to understand the mechanisms behind your weight gain and how to navigate the challenges you might face.
You will understand what foods are right for YOU – not a generic diet but one that is uniquely created to suit your needs.
Plus you will learn about health, nutrition and nourishment (no restrictions, just a healthy balance).
My 3 and 6 month packages are designed to help you to stay focused and motivated to make healthy, sustainable choices that gain results.
Download info on packages here
The Result
- Achievable weight loss
- No restrictions or elimination of big food groups
- Long term results
- A healthy relationship with food
- Enjoyment out of eating (not dread)
- Education on nutrition and healthy living
Ready to escape the scales?
Book a FREE 15-Minute Health Review Here