Why Traditional Weight Loss Programs Don't Work
To all the people who have been struggling with weight loss… I wrote this for you. xo Vanessa
Most weight loss programs just do not work. Here are the insights I’ve gained working as a health coach for the past 12 years.
5 Weight Loss Myths That Keep You Stuck
Myth 1: Focus on Calories In vs. Calories Out
Calorie counting pushes the notion that less is always better. This one-size-fits-all mindset ignores a person's metabolic rate and nutritional needs. It is true, if you eat too many calories, you will gain weight, but if you flip that statement and say, eat less and you will lose weight - it is not true! The body and metabolism don’t work that way.
More importantly, calorie counting encourages habits such as drastic food restriction or compulsive exercise routines which are not sustainable long term. Just think about it - how long could you realistically keep up with a diet where your favorite foods are off-limits?
Why calorie counting doesn't work:
Our thyroid manages how we burn calories.
When you eat makes a difference on how you burn through those calories (lunch time is the best metabolized meal!)
Gut health and gut bacteria support digestion and calorie burn.
Each person burns calories at a different rate for many reasons, including how much muscle mass they have (more muscle, faster metabolism.)
Stress will tell your body it needs to hold energy in case it needs to run away or fight. This keeps weight on.
Insulin levels impact how we hold weight.
If you starve yourself by eating only little bits every day, your body will panic and get really efficient at burning calories keeping weight on. Because your body doesn't know when the next meal will be, it holds on tighter.
Toxins get stored in our fat cells, our body's way to keep the toxin from poisoning us elsewhere in the body. This keeps the weight on.
And there are so many more reasons why the body would hold onto weight instead of letting it go. Calories in vs. calories out as a weight loss program doesn't work or even make sense anymore.
Need more proof that counting calories doesn't work? Read this New York Times article about a woman is overweight AND anorexic. She is literally starving in a big body. That challenges everything we've been taught about weight loss, doesn't it?
Myth 2. You Just Need More Willpower
Losing weight involves so much more than sheer determination – emotional wellbeing plays a vital role too. According to the American Psychological Association, they cited that managing emotions was number 1 in determining in their client's weight loss success.
We are human. We have days when we feel down, frustrated, or stressed out which impacts our eating behaviors in one direction or another. It's startling but true; approximately 96-99% of people who lose weight through dieting gain it back within a year according to research from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). And worse, the study shows that the weight loss achieved did not impact participant's health. Weight loss doesn't automatically mean you will get healthier. Another mind-blowing thought.
We are brainwashed to believe we don't have the willpower to work towards our weight loss goals, when in reality, it is more about managing life, our time, and energy levels. Willpower doesn't have anything to do with weight loss success, though success has everything to do with self-care.
Myth 3. Forbidden Foods
Ever get a food list with the red - forbidden foods and green - all you can eat foods? My gosh, I get a stomachache thinking about it. Food is food. There are foods that make us feel great and some that don't, but sometimes we eat the not so great for us foods because they make us feel a certain way. Again... emotions showing up. A big ol'hamburger reminds me of home (NYC) and helps me to feel grounded. My body knows that, and it wants to bring me as quickly as it can to get that feeling.
Why forbidding foods don't work:
Forbidding a food creates anxiety. I see people hyper focus on the forbidden food and end up binging on it later in the weekend.
When we eat the forbidden food, we feel like we are a bad person with no self-control and end up feeling worse than ever and possibly eating more.
We start to not trust ourselves around that food.
Guilt and more guilt shows up.
The only time a forbidden food makes sense is when you have food intolerances or food allergy. And then it's great to work with someone like a coach or therapist to learn to let go and grieve the loss of that food in your diet.
Myth 4. Exercise More
Exercising more can make you even hungrier, and then you might eat more sweets to compensate. You will probably get more muscles, which weighs more increasing the amount on the scale. Even though you will look better, you will weigh more. This is tricky to understand and accept. Sometimes we exercise too much and create stress in the body, which makes us hold fat for future energy needs.
Myth 5. Be Harder on Yourself
We start with shame, not liking our body. The problem with this, is that we never truly accept ourselves exactly as we are :-(
And… shame doesn’t help us to move forward. It often holds us back.
A Holistic Approach to Weight Loss
This Health Coaching approach looks at the whole person including the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects. We look at lifestyle, who you spend time with, what habits you've been cultivating and why. There are good reasons for why we do the things we do. And it takes a bit of reflection and motivational questioning to unpack how we got here and how we really want to live our lives (which impacts our health and how we feel.)
Here are some of the aspects and concepts we look at. Each person is unique... so not all points apply.
1. Explore Your Relationship with Food
Our eating psychology is a study in how we choose the foods we eat, along with our eating behaviors. Have you ever thought about your relationship with food? Understanding how we feel about food and how we use it every day to support our lifestyle can help us to make significant strides towards effective weight management. When we understand the how and why, it enhances our ability to navigate food choices that much better. The result? Sustainable food and lifestyle changes.
2. Stop Chronic Dieting
Dieting is like being stuck on a treadmill – always moving but never really reaching your destination. Giving yourself flexibility instead of rigidity with food will lead you towards lasting change. Feeling safe around food allows us to take the anxiety away and let the pressure go of being perfect. This is already a big step towards feeling well. Note: Always consult health professionals before making major changes in diet or exercise habits.
3. Manage Stress
Two reasons stress sabotages weight loss.
Overeating: It is natural to seek out the comfort of food when we are stressed. The chewing sensation of salty chips or crusty bread relieves stress in our clenched jaws and temples. The taste of sugar gives us the sensation of calm all over our body. A cold ice-cream gives the feeling of cooling off when angry or frustrated. Overeating makes us sleepy, when perhaps we were already tired to begin with.
A Stressed Body Holds Weight: Hormonally speaking, stress hormones will tell the body to save energy and keep the weight on. Why? Because the body doesn't know when the next meal will come, it is in fear, which means the sympathetic nervous system is turned on. The sympathetic nervous system is keeping your energy in the large muscles and brain getting ready to run from a threat or fight against it. It holds the weight as energy to escape a possible threat about to happen.
The trick is finding healthier ways to deal with that stress: A brisk walk around the block; a quick meditation session; even blasting some feel-good tunes could do the trick.
4. Get Enough Rest
Food gives us instant energy and the body knows that. When we are tired or dehydrated, we crave to eat something sweet or with carbs. Again 100% natural body reaction.
The best cure for a lack of energy is to get rest. Focus on getting enough sleep every night and add in active rest throughout your day including activities like meditation, walking, journaling, and light exercise.
Resting doesn't get enough respect. Try to oscillate between bursts of work with bursts of rest, you can actually go longer and be more productive. Learn more about how sleep impacts weight loss in this sleep and weight loss study review.
5. Learn to Nourish Your Body
In Health Coaching we like to focus on adding in the good stuff and letting the not so great stuff fall to the wayside. When you are taking good care of yourself, and fueling the body with the nutrition it needs, it may crave less sugar, less alcohol, and you won't feel like overeating.
Eating balanced meals helps keep blood sugar stable reducing energy dips and mood swings caused by fluctuations.
Incorporating protein at each meal (for some people) also helps control appetite keeping us fuller longer.
Mindful eating practices encourage savoring of food rather than mindless munching during stressful times.
From a holistic health perspective, we explore:
Blood sugar balance
Feeding and caring for gut bacteria
Eating for energy
Adding in more fruits and vegetables
Hydration
Sleep and rest patterns
Adding in joyful activities
Identifying what's sucking your life out and let it go.
Getting into nature
Discovering what you need to thrive.
6. Choose the Right Goals!
When choosing a health goal, weight loss is less than motivating, am I wrong? It is way more motivating to focus on goals that add a new healthy habit into your life that you can maintain easily. Sample health goals include:
Go to the gym once a week.
Eat 2 leafy greens every day.
Make a walking date on the weekend instead of brunch date.
Learn to cook a new heart healthy meal this weekend.
Practice journaling to reduce stress.
Boundary setting
Whatever you need to learn to manage your life!
7. Move appropriately for your body.
It is amazing when you can try different types of exercise to find out what works best for you and when. Don’t stop with just yoga. Try one of these for fun and stress release.
Kickboxing
Swimming
Hiking
Walking
Weightlifting
Dance
Barre
Houla hoops
Jumping
Playing with the kids
7 Tools & Techniques to Reconnect with the Body for Effective Weight Management
In holistic weight loss coaching, tuning into your body plays a pivotal role.
1. Motivational Coaching
Motivational coaching empowers you to use your internal drive. You set meaningful goals that help to overcome your obstacles. This way you have a personalized strategy that works for you to create long lasting positive change.
2. Yoga + Pattern Recognition
Through the practice of mindfulness in yoga, you learn how to bring attention to the present moment, observing thoughts and behaviors without judgment. This helps you to recognize your habit patterns and make conscious choices towards your goals.
3. Journaling to Embrace Physical Awareness
To start this journey, try focusing on mindful eating practices. Pay attention to how certain foods impact your energy levels or mood swings throughout the day. See what sets off those cravings – Is it work pressure? Relationship issues? Sleep deprivation?
4. Create Community - Your Support System
People can either bring you forward or hold you back. Remember, weight loss isn’t just about cutting calories – it’s about creating an environment where healthy choices are easier.
5. Actionable & Realistic Steps Forward
Taking small steps forward and practicing them until they become habits is the MOST IMPORTANT part of creating a healthy lifestyle forever.
6. Manage Stress
This link between stress and unhealthy eating habits is backed by science. When your body is stressed, cortisol - the "fight or flight" hormone - is released in higher quantities. And the body will tend to hold on fat as fuel to continue the “fight.”
7. The Role of Movement
Movement does wonders for both mental clarity and metabolic health. Movement doesn’t necessarily mean punishing gym sessions; it could be choosing stairs over elevators or enjoying nature walks more often.
Where are you at, right now?
If you made it to end of this article, BRAVO! There is so much to learn in the area of health when it comes to weight loss.
Take a moment to reflect:
How do you feel right now?
What things ring true for you?
What experiences have you had?
What makes you feel good in your skin?
Looking for support?
I would love to be on your support team inviting your towards fun, health, and a new way of living that feels good in your body. Book a 50CHF session with me below. It takes just 60 minutes and we can get to know each other to see if this is a right fit for you.
