It’s so difficult. The infamous line, I’ll start on Monday, comes weekly. The embarrassing failure at the demise of a persuading french fry or an approving juicy burger resorts us shamefully back to the I’ll try again next Monday. I’ve been here several times. Succeeding once till Tuesday, and failing miserably at snack time. But I’ve finally come to the conclusion, that losing weight is 90% mental and 10% physical. And if you’re an emotional eater it may even involve a few therapy sessions. Losing “the weight” is rooted in a way of thinking. The flab and arm fat is essentially a physical manifestation of the issues that weigh your mind.
Embarking upon weight loss begins with a mental checklist. A plethora of pressing issues that engage the tempting aromas and taste buds to an end of no return. If it’s a bad relationship that makes Krispy Kreme doughnuts your nightcap, then there is clearly a food connection between what hurts & what helps. If he or she hurts your feelings, you turn to food for consolement. What if food is not an alternative? What if you had the courage to turn away from Krispy Kreme? Suppose you could use another strategy that doesn’t involve a high calorie intake and the aftermath of emotional guilt.
I suggest before adapting any weight loss program, to journal all feelings or issues that have contributed to your displeasing size and need to lose weight. If you’re trying to lose less than 10 pounds, you can simply bypass this suggestion and go straight for the gym aisle. But if you’ve reached a place where you have no idea how your past size (cough) ended in the current size (cough-cough). Then say goodbye to the dollar menu and hello to a renewed way of thinking.
We all have adapted to our lifestyles habitually and in some cases it’s even generational. This is how your parents coped. And now you find yourself snacking more and retreating to the comforts of your couch. Before you know it, exercise only comes in the form of the incline of steps at your home or workplace. Exercise is resisted and seems almost agonizing to schedule. But when food time comes or even sought after, a wicked smile creeps on your face. Your heart rate increases and you damn near bite your tongue off to get it down. Eating should never be a sport. But whatever drives the desire is the real problem. Do you find yourself eating when you’re not even hungry? Slowly but surely, you snack a little here, because…hey, there’s nothing else to do. An idle lifestyle can quickly resort our bodies to finding less active things to engage in, especially if it requires little effort. Fast food joints haven’t helped because our microwave mentality wants it quick, cheaper, and filling. Let’s face it, preparing home meals has become more expensive than affordable, fast, processed foods.
Take a little time to write down all the things that you feel before you eat and while you digest. Is it the food that comforts you or is it the issue that it quietly consoles. The loneliness becomes less lonely and the pain feels less hurtful. Have you become more comfortable in this new skin and have no idea how to get that old you back? Ask yourself all the questions that will reveal how heavy your mind has been and how carelessly you’ve reacted with food. In a nut shell, does food contribute to your weight gain, or does your mind prevent you from achieving your weight loss goal?
