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Theres no sugar-coating it: Losing weight and keeping it off is difficult.
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So, lots of people are trying to lose weight, and lots of people are gaining it back.
But we also all know someone (or several someones) who have lost weight and kept it off.
So, what gives?
And its just not true.
Theres a lot here.
Heres what they told us about losing weight in a healthy, effective, and sustainable way.
I work in a medical facility, she says.
I have access to peoples blood work.
you’ve got the option to be healthy or unhealthy at every size.
And beyond that, weight-loss efforts can take anemotional toll.
It can destroy your relationship with food.
It can lead you to feel obsessed and frustrated, Albers explains.
For some people, quitting dieting is better and healthier than continuing to take a stab at lose weight.
And whatever a persons weight-loss goal, the priority should be first and foremost on health.
Hormones, genetics, and, ultimately, metabolism are three big ones, he says.
Thyroid, cortisol, insulin, testosterone, and estrogen all influence how you metabolize and store energy.
In other words: The body fights back against caloric restriction.
And some of these factors can go pretty deep.
Albers says that people often dont realize how dramatically past experiences influence our relationships with ourselves and bodies.
Understanding your relationship to food is an important step in trying to change it.
Ah, the uber-popular know your why strategy.
I do this exercise with my clients.
Often, it starts with reasons like I will look better.
Under that, I ask them why that is important.
A patients best weight is therefore whatever weight they achieve while living the healthiest lifestyle they can truly enjoy.
So how can you figure out what weight is actually ideal for you?
If your initial gut reaction is no, then its time to rethink your approach and goal weight.
The very notion of going on or off a diet is self-sabotaging.
Do what works for you, Langer says.
And if something doesnt, change it.
Theres a million other ways to go about it.
There are no absolutes in nutrition.
[These tools] potential benefit is awareness, Fear says.
Seeing your weight rise doesn’t necessarily provide you with any action steps you’re able to take.
It’s just upsetting, like a fire alarm going off with no exit routes identified.
So, obviously, what is going to work for each person is different, and thats OK.
Many people keep doing the same monitoring even though it’s actually not helping them.
A sense of control and organization are not to be confused with efficacy.
Use this as an opportunity to try something else.
Its true that a caloric deficitburning more calories per day than you take inis a requisite of weight loss.
But creating a deficit doesnt have to (and shouldnt) involvedeprivation.
That goes for calories, carbs, sugar, fat, or any other commonly demonized nutrient.
There shouldn’t be anything in the world that they shouldn’t ever eat again.
Similarly, Albers recommends ditching the dont list entirely.
New habits crowd out the old without the struggle of trying to stop a behavior.
Mindful eating isnt a weight-loss diet, but it can help change your orientation to food and food rules.
Do what you could instead of quitting when you could’t be perfect, Fear says.
As if theres such a thing as perfect.
Researchers note that perfectionism can contribute to poor self-esteem, dietary restraint, and binge eating.
attitude that it’s crucial that you crush your goals.
Exercise should not be used to purge calories, Albers says.
Instead, to boost your mood to keep you motivated.
The thing is, exercise is great for you and can make you feel awesome.
And feeling good about yourself seems to be actually useful in weight-loss efforts.
Plus, someresearchhas shown that changes in exercise behavior can lead to changes in eating behavior.
In part, it is neurochemical.
So, yeah, long-term weight loss is challenging.
