Last week, I wrote about why so many people yo-yo diet. If you haven’t read it yet, check it out here.
I was a yo-yo dieter for years, and it was totally exhausting and ultimately not good for anyone, let alone someone with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It messes up your metabolism and even worse, your relationship with your body.
This year, I decided that I was going to lose weight in a way that was healthy, self-loving, and in a way that I could maintain for the rest of my life.
I have been losing steadily and in a manner that feels good–mentally, emotionally, and physically.
I want to share what I’ve been doing with you!
Here are my top tips for losing weight and keeping it off for good!
1. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t be willing to do for the rest of your life.
I’m mainly referring to diet plans here. Falling into quick fixes that aren’t healthy long-term, will not allow for long-term results. So shoot for eating in a way that nourishes, fuels, and energizes your body! Before starting something, ask yourself, is this sustainable? Am I willing to do this until I’m 80 years old?
2. Learn how to allow and process your emotions.
I can’t encourage this skill enough. Not only will it help you with losing and maintaining your weight, but it will help you in every area of your life. We tend to overeat because it temporarily dulls our emotions. So the willingness to fully feel them means you won’t be seeking food every time you begin to feel something uncomfortable.
Processing emotions mean accepting and allowing them. It’s feeling them rather than resisting, pushing them away or trying to change them. When we allow our feelings, they pass through much quicker than when we resist them or try and suppress them with food.
3. Don’t focus on the number on the scale.
Instead, focus on keeping commitments to yourself. As a society, we don’t have a want problem; we have a commitment problem. We all know what we want, right? However, what about the commitment part? Do you give up the minute the number on the scale goes up? Do you stop once things get hard? Keeping commitments to yourself is one of the highest skills you can learn. It builds self-confidence, self-trust, and allows you to get to the finish line and reap the rewards!
4. Let go of food as your primary sense of joy.
In order to reduce your weight and maintain a natural, healthy figure, it’s essential to find other forms of joy than food. Going off of sugar and flour will help with this because these two foods bring a false sense of pleasure, giving our brains a huge dopamine hit. When you go off of them, you’ll find that the simple pleasures in life become even more joyful, like a walk with your kids or a Sunday afternoon in the backyard.
5. Simplify!
Don’t over-complicate your life, especially when you’re forming new habits. Keep your food, exercise, and self-care as simple as possible. We tend to go into paralysis when things feel overwhelming or complicated in the mind.
I keep it simple by doing the same exercises each week, at the same time of day, I eat the same lunch every day, and have about seven different dinners that I rotate. I don’t have to think about it.
Some might say this is boring, but I see it as the opposite. It actually allows for a lot more time to be creative in my business, to meet up with friends, be productive, and spend time with my family. Those are the area’s of my life where I’m willing to expend my energy.
When it comes down to it, losing weight and keeping it off for good is all about creating a healthy lifestyle rather than just going for a quick fix. Each of these tips have been the foundation for my success in healing PCOS and becoming the healthiest version of myself. Are you willing to give it a try?
In health & happiness,
Jamie
