Digging Deep

Is weight loss/gain physiological, psychological or both? I have been pondering how to approach this topic because it can be a heart-breaking experience that may require some tough love to dig deep to the root of your being. You see I hear multiple versions of the same story, “I can’t lose weight because I do not have the willpower to do so” or “I lose weight but gain it back plus some when I quit dieting” or “I have tried several diets and not one of them has worked for me”.  Why do you think this is? Is it really the diet that causes the rebound weight? Is it really the lack of willpower or lack of a successful plan?

Often times, weight issues are viewed as a lack of control with regards to food, but this “lack of control” can be due to other areas of our lives. Have you ever felt like your life was spinning wildly out of control and you reach for food as comfort? Or maybe you received some not-so-good news and you reached for the Girl Scout cookies for comfort. Whatever the trigger may have been, looking back was it really the lack of control around food or something deeper that caused you to react the way you did? I once had a client tell me that she wanted to lose 20 lbs. When I asked her about her goals, she was very distant and mentioned that her husband said she should hire a trainer. I gently asked her if she wanted to lose weight and hire a trainer and she just stared back at me. She then said, “I just want my husband to love me again”. There was a deeper reasoning to everything she was about to do and until I urged her to discover that truth, she was dreading her visit and her journey towards health. She contacted me months later after I had left the gym and thanked me for helping her find the truth behind her journey.  There is much more to her story but the point is, sometimes when we understand WHY we are going to change our eating habits or WHY we eat the way we do, we can discover the deeper elements that drive and motivates us; providing the ultimate foundation for success.

The turning point for me came one day when I turned an unhealthy relationship with food and myself into a fitness journey that would lead me through 12 competitions, a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology, a love for helping others, and winning the ultimate prize…falling in love with my husband and myself. It is hard to confront those dark parts of ourselves that we keep hidden from others (often times even ourselves) that hinder the way we feel, the way we love, the way we live. Finding that deep root, the WHY, is not a quick fix. It is hard. But when we start to pull at that root, we reveal our deepest wants, needs, and desires… our raw, authentic self. And the authentic self will NOT be easily ignored!

With that being said, what works for you may be completely different for someone else and that is fantastic! Find what makes you happy and run with it. Whether you are looking to change exercise, nutritional, friendship, or relationship habits, it must work for you! For example, the best “diet” (I say in quotations because I do NOT like that word) is not always the diet that provides the quickest physical results but the diet that you can turn into a lifestyle. A lifestyle that allows you to enjoy the foods you like, lose fat, and keep it off. A lifestyle that is maintainable.  A lifestyle that you allows you to live!

Now a yummy little treat! I made these the other night and they are quite delightful :) 

Take care of you,

J