Why Losing Weight is Difficult, and How to Make it Easier

Weight loss is without a doubt considered one of the hardest things to do in wellness. It’s either not attainable at all, or attainable but results vanish – the weight is gained back, or it often takes a tremendous effort paired with will power to sustain the results. This isn’t news for those of us who’d tried losing weight before.

Why is weight loss difficult? Because it is traditionally viewed and approached as a quick-fix effort attempted for a period of time with the use of harsh and restrictive unsustainable diets and exhaustive exercise. Weight loss and dieting is viewed in isolation, something that does not fit in regular normal way of living (we are either on a diet or we aren’t the latter often  associated with weight gain). As a result, once we do away with dieting and rigid restrictions, the results don’t stay for long.

How can we make weight loss more achievable and lasting? We must change the approach.

If you believe that the only way to lose weight is by significantly cutting calories, removing any and all high-calorie foods (usually the ones we are drawn to the most – think chocolate and pastries), engaging in vigorous physical activity for several hours on end – you have to start with changing the believe system. Since all the above mentioned actions are not sustainable and largely depend on your will power, they do not guarantee weigh loss results. Moreover, you may end up so deprived and exhausted, that you can easily sabotage all your hard efforts by getting off the rails and overeating forbidden foods, once will power lessens its grip on you. Instead, try changing habits in small increments, in a sustainable manner – start tracking calories, go on 20 min walks on most days, add a small salad or veggie side dish to your lunch, make it a rule to eat mindfully without distractions. You have to understand, that if what you do to achieve your weight loss goals is something you won’t be able to sustain for the rest of your life (weight maintenance requires just as much dedication and work as weight loss, if not more so), you will not succeed. The changes in your habits must come from a place of internalization of the need for these changes. If you need to lose weight to feel better, improve your health, be able to be more active, fit in smaller size clothes, be a health role model for your loved ones, and so on, then the changes you are attempting to implement are more likely to stick, as long as you are willing to welcome them into your life.

What’s more sustainable:

• 1). cut out sugar from your diet completely, or 2). add and track a favorite treat occasionally, factoring it into your calorie budget?
• 1). Set a goal of working out every day for at least an hour, or 2). gradually add activities you enjoy and listen to your body to determine its needs and abilities?

If you want to get lasting weight loss results, working too hard will eventually backfire – as humans we are wired to strive for comfort. However limiting yourself to minimum efforts won’t be yielding much either. Change comes from challenge.  Challenging ourselves in a way that does not leave us fatigued, physically and mentally, will eventually bring us up to the next level – whether it means consistently making meals at home, packing lunch to work and swapping sugary drinks for water, or being able to lift heavier at the gym, running longer and faster or striking a previously impossible yoga pose.

If weight loss is something you truly want to achieve, than change the believe from “fast, hard, and lots” to “slow, steady, and consistent”. From this new understanding comes new behavior, helping you to develop a sustainable system to last you a lifetime.

Stay nourished my friends!