Weight loss is a tricky business. It should be simple. If you use up more calories in a day that you intake you should lose weight gradually over time.
However, body weight is not always the best indicator of your body transformation. Our bodies are complex and change in many ways, often intangible and subtle. I know myself. I have a long and detailed struggle with losing weight - yoyoing up and down, getting success and feeling failure, reaching targets and then ballooning. I am at the moment very focused on reaching a target.
Don't always think that just because the scales have not changed that progress has not been made. The important thing is to change habits, start a new routine, stick to it, don't expect instant results and set realistic targets - but if you don't reach them don't then collapse back into old ways.
I remember in losing weight that there are a few tricks to the trade:
- Feel satisfied after a meal: Find foods that you know are healthy. As we digest food, the gut sends signals to the brain about how much energy we have consumed to trigger satiation (the feeling that we are full). Processed food, with its extreme density and intense salty / sweet / fatty / crunchy / creamy tastes, tells our brain that we have hit the calorie jackpot and we need to keep cramming it in - zero satiation and little nutrition. Also drink some water before a meal - it will help you feel fuller.
- You feel tired all the time: I know that feeling - and it tricks you into snacking a lot. You feel you need a caffeine hit (plus a snack). Maybe your brain and body are getting too much processed food and too much sugar, or even borrowing energy from the future with stimulants. I can definitely say that I have done all of that in the past. You need to monitor your food intake, and when you have it. If you need a vitamin supplement take one. I will do a separate posting for different vitamins over the next couple of weeks.
- Improve your sleep: This is a tricky one - I have had issues with sleep for a long time, and you get the night time munchies!!! It's almost like an urge to eat and eat because you cant sleep. Poor sleep comes about for many reasons - stress, aging, hormonal changes, energy levels, alcohol intake, drug intake. Again, changing to a healthier diet can assist, and find ways to wind down an hour before bed - cutting out social media, putting down your phone etc. Watch when you eat too - as this affects your sugar levels.
Scales though can be misleading. If you are exercising you could be putting on muscle while replacing the fat. Muscle is heavier than fat so you would actually be putting weight on.
Think about your mood - do you actually feel happier and more energised. If so, you are improving. Any physical change can take time. If you lose half a stone for example, it is possible you cannot see it in the mirror. I have got moobs, a tummy overthrow, and maybe an extra chin at the moment. Losing half a stone will probably not change any of those. But if I give it two or three months, I will see a difference in my body shape. It's just a matter of staying focused.
Say things to yourself: I feel:
- more confident
- like change will happen
- better about my choices
- clearer about my goals
- happier and more positive
- motivated
- i want to try new things
Scales can be used as a guide obviously, and will show progress. But progress can also be made elsewhere, and be aware of that.
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