Lose weight without losing your mind

If you often feel depressed about your weight, find out how you can shake off the blues, lose weight and improve your mental health! 

Weight on the mind

Being overweight may increase anxieties about your health, and with good reason! According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and cancer are all diseases linked to being overweight. 

An Australian study on more than 1 200 volunteers revealed that middle-aged people carrying excess weight are more likely to be anxious and depressed than their healthy weight counterparts. 

Lose the weight, not your mind

Weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you consume. It sounds simple enough but in reality, losing weight is far more complex! 

Some of the obstacles that hinder weight loss include age (the older you get, the harder it is), lack of regular exercise and setting unrealistic expectations.

Here are three tips to help you lose weight without losing your mind… 

1. Set small realistic goals 

Let’s be honest, the weight didn’t appear overnight, but like so many, you’ve probably stepped on the scale after a week of healthy eating and working out with great expectations.

This is the fastest way to sabotage your efforts. If you want to lose weight for the sake of you mental and physical health, stop the insanity and step away from the scale! 

Set smaller, more realistic weight loss goals and celebrate small successes, even if it’s as simple as resisting sugary cooldrink in favour of water. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the benefit to setting smaller weight-loss goals is that weight lost gradually and steadily is more likely to stay off. 

2. Become a mindful eater 

Are you really eating because you’re hungry? Sharing a meal with friends and family is a social activity that should be enjoyed, but it doesn’t mean you have to match overweight friends bite for bite! 

Instead, only eat when you’re hungry and listen to your body for signs of fullness. According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (November 2012), mindful eating is as effective as a diet in terms of weight loss and lowering blood sugar levels. 

In the study, one group followed an established diabetes self-management education programme, with an emphasis on nutrition information. The other group was trained in meditation and a mindful approach to food selection and eating.

"We compared it to an intervention where mindful meditation was applied specifically to eating and food choices. This intervention group did not receive specific nutrition goals. We said we want you to really tune into your body before you eat. Take a few minutes to assess how hungry you are and make conscious choices about how much you're eating. Stop eating when you're full,” said Carla Miller, associate professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and lead author of the study, “"We studied two very different approaches, and we found they both worked…" 

3. Work it out 

Exercise helps you burn calories, tone muscles and as an extra bonus, your pituitary gland releases endorphins, mood boosting neurotransmitters which create a sense of well-being. 

Boost your weight loss efforts and your mood with regular exercise. And you don’t need an expensive gym membership either! Visit All4Women Fitness for inspiration or simply start walking every day. 

Walking is one of the most accessible forms of low-impact aerobic exercise and, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, aerobic training is the most effective and efficient fat-burning workout. 

If you're walking to lose weight, aim to walk for 45 – 60 minutes a day. Acccording to a study by Duke University this could help you lose 14 kilograms in a year! 

Click here for more healthy Weigh Loss Tips and read more Healthy Mind articles here.  

 

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