6 Things No One Tells You About Losing Weight

If you’re one of our many Bodyrockers on a weight loss journey, you’ve likely read all the tips on eating more vegetables, drinking more water and cutting out refined sugars. Have you ever felt though, despite all the hard work and clean eating, at some point the weight comes back?  Like you’ve hit a wall and you don’t know what to do?

The truth is that weight loss and fitness is a journey and one hell of a bumpy ride. Sometimes it gets misconstrued as being a very black and white “this is right, this is wrong” sort of trip – but it’s not. Here are 6 things no one tells you about losing weight:

The road to a slimmer frame is not a straight line 

Weight loss is not linear. You will lose weight, gain some weight back, lose some more – this may happen several times until you reach your goal, because of how physiology works. Your weight will  fluctuate over time because via hormones and other delightful mechanisms, our body protects us against weight loss a whole lot more than it protects us against weight gain. This is generally the cause of plateaus and why you have the impression you are no longer making progress.

Setbacks happen

Weight loss is not as simple as eating less and exercising more. Life will happen and you will experience some emotionally and psychologically blows. You just need to remember that you are not broken and you don’t have to feel bad about yourself. You don’t have to feel guilty about gaining a few pounds back. Check your inner critic, get back on the horse and go. You’ve got this.

Be compassionate towards yourself – not critical

We can put ourselves through some serious psychological abuse, when we’re trying to lose weight. Criticism and negative self-talk can lead to over-restrictive dieting, then self-punishment when you “fail”. Also, you may feel guilty about almost everything you eat. Don’t. This journey is a slow and bumpy one. You are never failing- only learning more about yourself.

Other people will try to sabotage you

Not always in a malicious way either. Some people just sincerely want to help. They say things like  “you just need to eat less, move more” and eat “everything in moderation” – not realizing that it isn’t always that simple. Everyone is different. One the other hand, once you’ve successfully lost some weight, people who feel threatened by your progress may start enticing you to eat more – “You’re so skinny! Cake won’t hurt you!” It can be really hard to stay consistent when people around you are not supportive, so be prepared to handle a variety of reactions.

Really ask yourself “what is my relationship with food?”

Forget calories and food choices for a minute. What is your relationship with food? When are you most prone to eat? What kind of foods? Maybe chocolate, chips and grease snacks are just your companion when you need to relax at the end of a rough day. You can’t diet your problems away. You need to take a look in to what drove to to compulsively eat in the first place.

Sleep is so important

Sleep deprivation hinders fat loss. Lack of sleep also leads to a loss of lean body mass (the good stuff!). Sleep deprivation can also lead to overeating. Making sure you get enough sleep can help lower cravings for calorie-dense foods in adults, making it easier for you to stick to your healthy diet.

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