So, you’ve tried every diet known to humankind but are still overweight?
Or, you have been successful at losing weight (maybe more than once!), only to gain back what you lost, plus more?
You know that there must be something else to weight loss besides just diet and exercise, because if that were all it took, then everyone would be fit and trim!
Here at Fearless Fat Loss, you will find a mix of topics, all related to weight loss, health, weight maintenance, and overall fitness and well-being. Why do I have such a variety, instead of focusing only on diet reviews, or fast food? The reason is that I have lived (and still live 😉 ) what I am writing about.
I know from my own experience that weight loss and weight management are complex issues, and not as easily solved by giving one a healthy diet and exercise plan to follow. If it were this easy, then why are there millions of people who are repeat dieters?
You truly can pick almost any diet and exercise program and lose weight. Is the plan you choose healthy for you, and will you gain the best, long-term results? Well that is another story. However, if you exercise, reduce your portion sizes, drink at least 100 oz. of water a day, and eat healthy, whole foods (and take all of these actions consistently), you will lose weight.
Even though this is true, why are there so many people who lose weight, regain it, lose it again, or try to lose weight and give up? Why are there so many who struggle with weight loss? Well, this is where my thoughts and what I write about comes in. I propose that there can be several reasons that you find yourself unsuccessful in your weight loss endeavors. You may think that you are just plain lazy, however I would heartily disagree!
Following are just 5 reasons for you to consider in your own weight loss efforts as possible reasons why you have not been successful up to this point:
1. Food Addiction. The diet that you are following includes the ingredients sugar, flour, and fat, however you are addicted to these ingredients. You may not even be aware of this, and by continuing to eat foods with these ingredients, your cravings for more will continue, and it will be difficult to exercise portion control.
If you suspect that you might be addicted to sugar, you could read my post that contains 10 questions to help you determine whether or not you are.
2. Emotional Eating. If you only diet and exercise, you are attacking the symptom (overweight), and not the cause. Why do you have the habit of eating when you are not hungry? What emotions or thoughts are you trying to cover up with the food? Is there an emptiness that you are trying to fill with the food?
You can be successful for a time if you stick to your diet and exercise program, but if you never heal the core issues of what has been driving your overeating, then it is more than likely that you will return to the same habit of emotional eating.
I have written a few posts on this topic so far. You could refer to this one regarding eating when you are not hungry, or this one regarding food abuse and using food to solve your problems.
3. The fast and processed food industries. I believe 100% in taking responsibility for your own actions rather than blaming your overweight (or any issue) on something outside of yourself. Therefore, I am not encouraging you to blame your overweight on the fast food and processed food industries, however I am suggesting that if you are not fully informed on what you are eating, then you may not even be aware of the damage that you are doing to yourself by eating this food.
There are some popular diet programs that include eating anything you want as long as you moderate yourself. The problem with this is that if you continue to eat the processed and fast foods, they are high in sugar, fat, artificial sweeteners (that trigger the desire for more sweets), and flour.
When you are addicted to these ingredients, it is difficult to stop eating them and moderate yourself. The more informed you are on what these ingredients translate to in your body, the better choices you can make for yourself.
One of the most popular posts on my site so far is regarding the additive and sweetener crystalline fructose. You may also be interested in learning more about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Both of these additives are prevalent in processed and fast food and will not help you lose weight, and they can create other health related concerns.
4. Your head isn’t aligned with your body. I believe that there is a connection between the mind and the body and (putting aside addiction), that the mind is in control of the body, not the other way around. Therefore, if you do not believe that you can lose weight, or that you deserve to, it won’t matter how hard you workout or eat perfectly, for you will end up sabotaging yourself and your own best efforts.
You may also have unconscious negative beliefs about yourself that are affecting your ability to lose weight and keep it off. These unconscious beliefs are powerful and until they are brought to your consciousness and changed, you will have difficulties with your weight loss efforts.
You may want to check out my post on using your brain to lose weight by getting your subconscious mind on your side.
5. Because I say so. 🙂 Ok, so this might sound funny, but actually what I mean is that I have experienced all of these factors. I have experienced emotional eating as well as binging, food addiction (sugar, fat, flour, possibly corn), negative thoughts and beliefs, and misinformation about processed and fast food ingredients. I supposed it’s possible that I am an anomaly, but based on the stories that I have heard from others, I don’t think that I am all that odd.
Of course, no one else will have the exact same experience that I do, however I do believe that the majority of people have some other issue that keeps them from realizing their goal of a fit, healthy body that doesn’t have anything to do with their diet and exercise plan.
So what is the solution? How do you achieve your goal of weight loss, weight maintenance, and physical fitness? I have written on each of the above topics as well as others, and will continue to do so. I am happy to pass on to you both my experiences and what I learn through research so that you can apply what fits to your own situation.
In order to stay informed and discover exactly what is holding you back from not only achieving your goal of physical fitness and weight loss, but also maintaining it once you achieve it, go ahead and sign up for my RSS feed now. Or, if you prefer to subscribe through email, just enter your email address in the upper right hand corner of this page, and click the “Subscribe me!” button.
I believe that lasting weight loss and physical fitness takes a willingness to look at yourself, be open minded, and discover what “makes you tick” to heal the issue of overweight in your life. By subscribing to Fearless Fat Loss, you will discover what is driving you to take the actions that are keeping you overweight.
Whether your issue is a fear of success, a lack of motivation, or a lack of knowledge of the effect that heavily processed foods have on your health and weight, you will finally discover what has been holding you back from lasting weight loss. If you still haven’t done so, just click here to subscribe to my RSS feed. If you haven’t heard of RSS before, you can learn about it here.
