Does your weight make you miserable? Are you discouraged, frustrated, maybe even in despair? Are you fed up with promises and programs that don’t work for you?
It’s not your fault! You haven’t failed if you couldn’t succeed in the first place!
Here of the top reasons weight loss programs fail:
• Hidden food sensitivities A majority of people have at least one, and these foods show up on “healthy eating” lists all the time. If you eliminate them, not only is it easier to lose weight, but your cravings melt away too.
• Eating too little That’s right: you may need to eat more to lose weight. Eat too little and your body compensates by conserving energy and going into starvation mode. Eat enough of the right foods and your metabolism starts to wake up again.
• Deprivation Anyone who feels deprived eventually caves. Fortunately, deprivation isn’t necessary to lose weight.
• Poor food choices Too many weight loss programs depend on junk food or packaged foods. Sure it goes down easy and fills you up for a bit, and it definitely fills their coffers, but it won’t work in the long run. You need to learn how to make good choices, of real food, in all circumstances: home, restaurants, parties, etc.
• You have to fix the gut. Ahhh, microbes: can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. But did you know that if you have the wrong kind in your intestines, they could make you crave carbs and keep you from losing weight?
Don’t believe you have a permanently slow metabolism! Metabolisms aren’t slow or fast. They’re damaged or healthy. If it’s harder for you to lose weight now than a few years ago, or it seems like it’s harder for you than it is for other people, then you have a damaged metabolism and you need to heal it to lose weight. That is do-able!
Don’t believe you have to spend hours in the gym! Exercise is great but a little of the right kind goes a long way. (and while I don’t recommend it, I have many clients who lose fat, gain muscle, and look great without ever exercising at all) Go for shorter time and more intensity.
Don’t believe you have to rely on your willpower! Cravings are a symptom, and don’t have to be a fact of life. When you eliminate food sensitivities and eat in balance – for you – they disappear, and you will no longer feel that you don’t have enough willpower.
This was published as my lifestyle column for The Hudson Valley Insider.
Fran Sussman Holistic Services 