5 not-so-obvious reasons you can’t lose weight
One of the most common things I hear clients say is ‘I just can’t seem to lose weight’. It’s something almost all of us struggle with, and there are a myriad of reasons – both physical and psychological – why you shake the weight.
Today I want to focus on some of the less obvious roadblocks that may be standing in the way of you losing weight.
1. You’ve developed bad habits
Habits shape our lives. Whether it be eating, drinking, exercising or sleeping, we rely on habits to get through the day. But how do you tackle a bad habit?
First, identify the habit you want to break, then try to understand the triggers for that habit. Eg. You eat lollies on the reception desk because you’re hungry and bored.
Once you can identify the habit and the trigger, think of ways to replace the bad habit with a good one – like bringing carrot sticks to snack on at work, or avoiding the reception area.
2. You’re not getting enough sleep at the right times
If you’re the kind of person that stays up late and only gets 5-6 hours sleep, you could be sabotaging your own weight loss without realising. Sleep deprivation actually causes the release of cortisol, a hormone which encourages fat storage.
Quick fix: Get to bed before 11pm and get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep a night to allow the production of fat-burning growth hormones.
3. You’re stuck on the same thing that worked years ago
If you’ve lost weight and kept it off before, you’ll more than likely try that method again to shed the kilos. But as is so often the case in life, something that has worked before isn’t always guaranteed to work again. Sticking with a method of weight loss even if it is no longer serving you can be extremely counterproductive, and even harmful to you.
4. You give it ‘all or nothing’
If you’re the kind of person who will eat 100 per cent clean and exercise all week then blow out on the weekends, your attitude is definitely sabotaging your weight loss goal.
This all or nothing mentality leads to longer down periods, because you feel unable to tackle the huge challenge that is eating and exercising perfectly.
Instead you put it off and put it off until you have the time/energy/willpower to start again.
How can you change this outlook though? Forgive yourself immediately for your mistakes and move on. Rather than think ‘I’ve eaten badly today, I may as well keep going’, STOP! Ask yourself what you want – something tasty right now, or something nourishing which will put you one step closer to your ultimate goal of weight loss? Once you’ve made the decision, stick with it and don’t look back. Tomorrow is a new day.
5. You’re telling yourself a story
When you look in the mirror, what do you tell yourself?
Do you believe you can lose weight? Or are you telling yourself you can’t do it? If you don’t believe you have the ability to reach your goal weight, you may be subconsciously sabotaging your own weight loss. One way to challenge this is to verbalise your self-talk about weight loss. Next time you stand in front of the mirror, say out loud what you’re thinking. Are you being kind to yourself?
Yours in health,
Peter
Struggling to drop those extra kilos?
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