So many of us started the New Year once again making resolutions. We vow to lose weight, exercise more, spend less money, spend more time with family and friends. We start with the best of intentions but we quickly lapse back into the old, familiar habits.

Why?…This time was going to be different!
 
I am going to use this newsletter to share some insight as to why the number one resolution, weight loss, has such a hold on so many and why it fades in intensity after a short time. Two weeks into the New Year, you still have time to keep that resolve…maybe some simple understanding will guide you to stick with it.

The first problem I see is the approach to weight loss. People try to lose weight by attacking it, seeing the extra weight as the enemy. This translates into being in a constant battle with food, a limiting and restrictive food plan that never gets you where you want to go, and a punishing exercise routine designed to make your body go away. We think that if we lose the weight we can feel better about ourselves and love ourselves more. How can we expect self-love when the strategies we use are all about self-hate? If the journey is filled with attack and lack of self worth, the destination will be one and the same. The answer lies in finding a way to eat that is both pleasurable and sustainable where food is nourishing, and a way to move that we find enjoyable.The old adage of “no pain, no gain” is outdated. Try practicing a little self-love and see how freeing that feels.

The second issue I want to address is about stress. Losing weight is often stressful and not a fun experience. Add the fact that we are living in a time where we are so busy with simply trying to keep the demands of our lives together. In weight loss, as in life, stressing about our stress will get us nowhere. The ongoing stress response diminishes our metabolic potential in terms of digestion, assimilation of nutrients and calorie burning. In such a state, it is easy to make poor decisions. Relaxation takes practice. Relaxing into stress is a practice. My experience shows that highly stressed people have less success losing weight. You can counter your anxiety with breathing exercises, yoga and the kind of exercise  that makes your body feel good.

Once we stop beating ourselves up about the diet, it becomes easier to stick to the diet. Sticking to a diet is about more than food. It is about how we live our lives. It is about letting go of the beliefs regarding being perfect and learning to embrace who we are, where we are. Perfectionism is only a perception…one that is usually not rooted in reality.

 
Stop fearing what food will do TO you…
Embrace what food can do FOR you!!

I can help you tap into your body’s wisdom…help you let go of the belief system that is keeping you stuck where you don’t want to be. I can help you let go of the toxic nutritional beliefs and those that are telling you to be perfect in order to be who you want to be and I can guide you through the process of questioning what is true for you as it relates to food and your feelings.

Schedule a Discovery session to learn how THE FREEDOM PROMISE can help you create the life you desire.

FINALLY STOP DIETING AND START LIVING!!!!