Many people experience anxiety when it comes to the subject of weight. Their current habits have caused them to feel fatigued all the time and too hungry to control how much they eat. In turn, they end up craving the same foods that started the problem in the first place. This perpetual cycle is hard to break and makes losing weight seem overwhelming. Not only are you feeling overwhelmed, you‘re constantly thinking “I need to lose weight.” Is it possible you’re looking at weight loss from the wrong perspective?
The more you obsess about the weight you want to lose, the more you will resist losing it. You will start to feel stressed that you’re not doing enough to lose weight or that the weight is not coming off fast enough. I want to challenge you to stop thinking about weight loss and start thinking about your health and how you feel. Envision how eating a healthy, balanced diet paired with exercise will help you feel better, sleep better, think more clearly, and function at your best. Weight loss will follow.
The next time you are tempted to binge on fast food or skip your daily walk, don’t think about how it will affect your weight. Think about how it will affect your health. Think about how good you will feel if you stay on track and how bad you may feel if you don’t. Consider all the health benefits you’ll gain by going for that walk or choosing the healthy meal.
Remember, health is the ultimate goal here! Weight loss is just a pleasant side effect.
-Crysta Baldwin, MS, RD, LD
