Our appetite is governed by more than a rumbling tummy reminding us that it is time to eat. It’s neurotransmitters known as neurons, nerve cells that communicate hunger and control appetite. Many aspects make us feel hungry; frequently, it is unrelated to needing food as fuel. Many people struggle to stick to a weight loss plan. Still, more people try to lose weight when they don't need to. Let's look at some aspects that hijack your weight loss plans.
1. How Lack of Sleep Impacts Weight Loss
2. Negative Thoughts and Emotional Eating
3. You Don't Have to go to the Gym to Lose Weight
4. You Don’t Have to Go on Fad Diets
1. How Lack of Sleep Impacts Weight Loss
The other day I had a conversation about how sleep affects weight loss. Of course, in my line of work, I have a strong understanding of the mind body connection and how the gut and brain are connected. But it made me realise that not many people know that lack of sleep really does cause weight loss disruption.
A lack of sleep impacts weight loss in several ways:
Having less sleep may disrupt your circadian rhythms. The circadian disruption caused by a lack of sleep impacts glucose-insulin metabolism, oxidative stress and metabolic disturbance. These precursors to diabetes seriously impact how our bodies utilise food. Those who work shifts, in particular, have to work to rebalance their circadian patterns through mindful routine resets.
In a report published in April 2022, the Sleep Foundation advised that lack of sleep also impacts food preferences. People who are sleep deprived are more likely to go for high calorie and high carbohydrate foods.
Another way disrupted sleep impacts weight loss is the longer you are awake, the more likely you are to eat more.
Emotional eating caused by worrying about not being able to sleep is a common situation.
1. Negative Thoughts and Emotional Eating
Your thought patterns can quickly and easily hijack your weight loss goals. Emotional eating is almost always coupled with eating starchy and sugary foods. Or craving them and finding that the healthier options don’t satisfy the craving.
Whichever emotions cause your overeating, the outcome is the same. After the temporary hit, your mood crashes and the original cause is still there, only now you have guilt to contend with as well. It’s not unusual to then reach for the snacks again for temporary satisfaction and it’s a rollercoaster ride you get stuck on that leads to poor self-esteem.
I could tell you so many stories of how my client's emotional state and in particular negative emotions impact on successful weight loss. People come to me guilt ridden with low self-esteem, believing that they are the only ones. It’s a situation exacerbated because friends and family don't understand that it is not just a case of willpower; there is more to it than that. Different emotions can impact eating desires and habits. Overcoming the emotional connection between negative thoughts and eating is a crucial step to successful weight loss.
People tend to eat more when experiencing negative thought patterns. They then get stressed because of their overeating, which will lead to the release of stress hormones, which in turn, has a negative impact on the digestive system. Stress hormones also use a lot of vitamins B and C, which we should replace through healthy choices. Instead, many reach for the instant gratification of high energy snack foods.
3. You Don't have to go to the Gym to Lose Weight
Taking out a gym membership to help with weight loss is a myth. While increasing exercise and reducing calories is a recognised way of losing weight, it is not necessary to go to the gym as part of a weight-loss regime. Actually, if you are not into the activities at the gym, you are likely setting yourself up to fail.
Forcing yourself to go to the gym may be counterproductive as your thoughts become negative around going.
Physical activity means moving about more. For many people, physical exercise helps improve mental health. Your physical activity does not have to be regular trips to the gym. Overstretching yourself by taking on too much physical activity too soon or doing things that you don’t enjoy is setting yourself up for failure. Far better to take it slowly, find ways to move more that you enjoy and gradually build up the activity levels. Increasing your physical activity is easier when you find something that you enjoy that works with your existing routines.
Activity and exercise of any type help burn calories. Remember, though, muscle is heavier than fat. Gym activities build muscle. If weight loss is your goal and motivation, gym membership could prove counterproductive.
4. You Don’t Have to Go on Fad Diets
It seems as though there is a new super diet every week. Yet, further down the line, many of these diets are proved to be ineffective, unsustainable and frequently unhealthy. Making healthy choices is the best option for most people. Making the right choices by reducing sugar and increasing fibre helps most people. Eating a wide range of fresh foods, choosing whole foods, and cutting back on highly processed options will go a long way to increasing health and helping you to lose weight.
Many fad diets rely on eradicating food groups or concentrating on a particular food. They are heavily marketed and give the impression that by going on the diet, your life will improve. The fact is that many people who go on a fad diet gain the weight back with interest later on. Yo-yo dieting is a common phenomenon for people trying to achieve or maintain an unrealistic body shape. When people go on a diet restrictive of calories or nutrients, the body slows their metabolism. You are also likely to lose muscle and your body will try and store fat. Yo-yo dieting can also contribute to low mood, depression and even anxiety.
Find a balance, don't beat yourself up if you eat something less healthy; just start again by selecting healthy options. Enjoying an ice cream or piece of cake occasionally is fine when it's part of an otherwise healthy diet. We all need a treat sometimes. The trick is not to beat yourself up about it or binge eat lots of sugary and high carbohydrate snacks.
There is a Method to Help with All of These
The good news is that solution-focussed hypnotherapy works to overcome all of the above. Sometimes, you are at a perfectly healthy weight but don't believe that is the case. We are supposed to carry a level of fat reserves and it is healthy to do so. When your body image is unrealistic, solution focussed hypnotherapy helps you raise your self-esteem and love the body you have. If you would like help with weight loss or any of the issues in the above click here>>>
