Weight loss is one of the biggest health topics of our time. The weight loss industry in 2018 was worth a whopping $70 billion, and climbing well above that in 2019. You just have to stand in the checkout isle at the grocery store and scan the covers of magazines to read titles like “Drop 16 lb is 72 hours” (you just have to know there’s something wrong with that statement). About 60% of my clients come to me because they want to (or have to) lose weight.
But here’s the kicker: your body will not let go of weight long term if it doesn’t believe that it is safe to do so. This is especially true if you have a history of dieting and severe food restrictions. You body doesn’t care if you weigh 100 lbs, 200 lbs or more. It only cares about your survival and will hold onto weight to protect you. Yup, read that again if you need to.
Does your body think you’re constantly running for your life (high stress fight or flight response)? It will hold onto the weight because that’s it’s “safety net”. Is your body bombarded by toxins from food and the environment, including personal care products? It will hold onto body fat because, to the cells of your body and your immune system, the world out there is a very dangerous place and it needs its Michelin Man covering to keep you safe.
People often gain back all the weight they lost and MORE after completing a diet. So HOW do you drop the weight and KEEP it off. It starts with a shift in your mindset, one in which you’re not hating on your body but loving on it so hard that you’re willing to give it what it needs, even if it’s hard or going to take a long time. You feed it healthy, whole, real food. You keep it hydrated. You get it off the couch and move it. You put it to bed at a decent time so that it can rest and repair. You thank it for being the vessel through which you experience this amazing life, for always doing the best it can within in the environment in which you are asking it to thrive (ask yourself: what environment have I been providing for it?)
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