Discomfort Of Weight Loss

Most people who desire to lose weight would like to do it without discomfort!

The Weight Loss industry is flooded with diets promising unrealistic results. The most significant misconception people have is that weight loss is possible without a degree of discomfort. Honestly, I don’t think there is anything comfortable in the weight loss journey. 

Our brains are desired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Change is very uncomfortable for us; therefore, if you have used food as an emotional buffer, this change process can be very discombobulating.

Take a moment to think about why you may overeat in the first place to get some comfort.

So I want you to understand the idea of no longer overeating and to lose weight should be uncomfortable. When you find a big enough “WHY” you want to lose weight, you can tolerate and manage the discomfort.

Your willingness to be uncomfortable is directly related to your desire to succeed.

When I ask my clients what they truly desire most, the answer is to feel comfortable in their bodies.

If you currently feel uncomfortable in your body, wouldn’t you prefer to feel uncomfortable to not overeat for some time to achieve the results of comfort?

If you are willing to feel the temporary discomfort, you will achieve the long-term comfort of being in a healthy body.

Take a moment to think about your mind being like a 2-year-old in a supermarket. We have all seen or experienced those children who chuck a tantrum to get a lolly-pop or treat. If the child wins the battle, they know bad behaviour will be rewarded each time they enter the shop. 

If the adult is willing to take on the battle and ignore the display, the first tantrum is loud and longwinded. However, each time the two-year-old enters the supermarket and no longer wins the war, the outburst becomes less until they eventually stop. The two-year-old no longer asks for the Lollie-pop as they know the answer.

Think about YOUR rituals of entering a “danger zone” or shopping complex. Do you habitual treat yourself to a coffee or snack? If so, breaking this habit will come with a level of discomfort. Like many pleasurable behaviours, including drugs and sex, eating can also trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain. When your dopamine levels immediately fall, the body sends signals to the brain that drive you to look for food and devour it. To go against your primitive brain is going to feel uncomfortable.

If you find yourself eating your emotions, the compound effect is often weight gain and a build-up of emotional baggage. If, alternatively, you were willing to experience whatever comes up for you and don’t eat, that’s when you truly establish a relationship with yourself. Your need to escape will disappear as you have the opportunity to feel into your suppressed emotion. When you learn how to be uncomfortable temporarily, you benefit from being comfortable long-term in your body.

What can help to reduce overeating?

• Learning to love yourself enough that you would not harm your body.
• Learn how to balance your hormones ghrelin and leptin with nutritious food. 
• The hormone ghrelin determines when you are hungry, and leptin indicates when you are full. Certain foods increase the hormone ghrelin artificially. Unfortunately, many people are resistant to the hormone leptin. The good news is it is entirely reversible.
• When one continually eats when not hungry, ghrelin is generally “out of order”.
• When our bodies become fat-adapted, dining in on our fat supply, we are hungry less often and have consistent energy.
• To mentally rehearse and make decisions on what you eat ahead of time are the two essential ingredients for sustained weight loss.
• Understanding the desire to overeat is one of the most critical parts of stopping.
• Avoiding discomfort and causing a distraction from emotion is often the cause of overeating.
• Indeed, we are psychologically conditioned to overeat, but we can be prepared to eat for satiety instead.
• Be willing to feel exposed and sit with discomfort. It will pass a little quicker each time.
• Parent your inner child. Assure your inner 2-year-old that you will be ok.
• Seek help from a health or weight loss coach to keep you accountable.
• Create a picture of your ideal self. Keep this picture and have this as your motivation.
• How will you feel when you have achieved your goal? Imagine yourself moving through life now, feeling comfortable in your skin and no longer having the 2-year-old child steering your decisions.
• Try Hypnosis to help rewire your neural pathways while bringing the desired picture of your future self into light.
• Daily rituals are the key to long-term success. Create rituals that bring you closer to the healthiest version of yourself and let go of those who no longer serve you.

The body you are in reflects the rituals and standards you have for yourself.

If you don’t like the physical shape you are in, raise your standards for yourself. 

Take care of your body, or you will have nowhere to live.

Need Help? Book a free consultation with a weight loss coach today to learn more.