Is the fear of weight loss holding you back from achieving your goals?
A lot of people can be held back, paralysed by their fear of losing weight.
Couple this with lack of motivation, the obstacles of life, mental illness such as depression and anxiety or physical issues and it may seem like you will never lose the weight. However, it’s a new year and a new opportunity to make a change.
Here’s how to get over this fear to be a better version of yourself.
Fear of weight loss may be holding you back, here’s some advice to help
Fear of failure
You’ve tried every diet and although you’ve lost the weight you’ve put it back on, even more in some cases.
You haven’t been able to stick to the restrictive foods within the diets you’ve tried, so you’ve slipped during times of vulnerability and have gotten stuck in a cycle of feeling guilt and beaten down by the failure.
Due to this, your confidence may be at a low and you may have thought ‘why bother nothing works’ all the while you’re missing out on living the best life you can live.
Perhaps your attempts at weight loss were not sustainable, you had to cut out lots of food or complete food groups altogether. This type of restriction only makes us feel caged and sets up failure as inevitable.
You can feel overwhelmed at the task of trying not eating something while dealing with cravings and the stress of life. It’s any wonder you revert back to your old habits. If you’re reading this, you may already be part of The Healthy Mummy Community, in which case you don’t need convincing of the success and support of losing weight.
If you aren’t but are thinking about it, join our Facebook groups to see real mums share their stories – from the highs to the lows. It’s the perfect time to create change and The Healthy Mummy is waiting to welcome and support you on your journey.
Fear from your past
Unless there is a medical reason for weight gain, most people have found their waistlines expanding due to previous trauma, grief, self-esteem or unhealthy habitual issues in their past.
They use food to compensate for lack of healthy coping mechanisms and to make them feel better, temporarily, while moving less and putting on weight.
You may have developed negative thoughts such as ‘I don’t deserve a happy life’, ‘I’m too fat to start exercising’ – having these thoughts serve to disqualify you from making any real change, where you give up any accountability for your continued choice in maintaining your unhealthy life.
These issues are more complicated to deal with and sort through. Here are some tips to help with this:
- Try sharing your thoughts with your husband/partner/friends for some objectivity. Chances are, you’ll see that they are based on your insecurities and fears.
- Write your fears down so you can reduce their size and their power over you.
- Practice gratitude; studies show that feeling thankful for something daily increases happiness and satisfaction.
- If you feel like dealing with these thoughts or this aspect of your life is unmanageable, see your GP for support and referral to a mental health professional.
Fear of unattractiveness
You have constantly looked to others on your social media feed and pined for that to stare back at you in the mirror.
People who are overweight can sometimes find this debilitating because they are worried about what people will think when they see them at the gym or going for a walk. You may fear judgement or people laughing at your body and attempts at losing weight.
Unfortunately, there is no way around it, you need to take those first steps in order to create change. If you are anxious about what others will think, try working out at home or in your back yard until you gain the confidence to step out into the real world. You will eventually get there, just don’t give up and be consistent.
The Healthy Mummy 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge has been proven to work – just look at all our mums who have lost the weight AND kept it off. There are no restrictive diets to keep to here- there are over 4,000 recipes that take your everyday meals and make them good for you with simple healthy swaps.
Our Healthy Mummy Smoothies are so delicious, you won’t look back once you’ve tried them – have a look at the delicious combos on our website.
The Healthy Mummy app is a great way to hold you accountable by tracking your calorie intake, customisable meal plans and guided exercise work out, that you can do anywhere and anytime.
The Healthy Mummy is not about restriction but about giving you the resources to lead a healthy life, with a focus on overall wellbeing, not just weight loss.
Our MIND.BODY.BREATH sessions in our app, which is included in our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge, is the most amazing way to reduce stress, recharge and rediscover the importance of self-care.