I recently started reading a book written by a well-known life coach that took my breath away. Literally… I gasped out loud when I read the first page of the first chapter…
"We are overweight because we overeat. Period."
Gasp!
Come-on, coach. You know better than that.
Overeating may be a part of the equation, but becoming overweight doesn’t happen because we overeat.
- It happens when our metabolism isn’t working the way it’s supposed to work.
- It happens when our cells don't get the real-food nutrients they need.
- It happens when our hormones get out of whack.
- It happens when our brains get hijacked by addictive foods and behaviors.
- It happens when we have a low-grade current of stress continually running in the background of our everyday lives.
- It happens when emotional eating becomes our default mode of dealing with "stuff".
Let me explain.
Have you ever tried to lose weight by eating less? Of course you have. I have, too. We all have.
And it might work for a while, but unless you solve all the other underlying problems, you’ll simply be stuck on a yo-yo rollercoaster feeling miserable and believing that you are the problem.
And that's just not right.
Dieting is not a way of life. The more you diet, the less you live.
The more you diet, the more you yo-yo.That is not living.
The more you yo-yo, the more you feel like a failure.
The more embarrassed you feel.
The more shame you carry.
The more reclusive you become.
Dieting is not a way of life.
Please stop doing it. Ignore the life-coach-who-shall-not-be-named, and all the other "experts" telling you that the solution to your weight problem is simply to eat less and exercise more.
They’re wrong. On both accounts. (Don't get me started on the exercise myth! I'll save that for another time.)
What is the answer?
- Stop counting calories. Eat real food.
- Look in the mirror and love that you have a body. (If you didn’t, where would you be?)
- Start getting serious about fixing your metabolism.
- Learn how to process your emotional hang-ups and move forward.
- Surround yourself with people who see how beautiful you are (inside and out).
- Decide to change your thoughts. Change your thoughts about how fat is too fat. Change your thoughts about what is ugly and what is beautiful. Change your thoughts about what you can and can’t do.
Don’t wait to lose weight before you start living your fullest, most-inspired life.
Get out there. Go be amazing. Go be you.
PS. If you're struggling to find the underlying causes of your weight issues, you might find this guide to the Metabolic Roadblocks a good place to start.
Image: Doodling in Black and White by Cecile Dormeau