Chardét DurbinWeight loss usually goes something like this; we follow a strict diet and see the pounds slide off each week. After a few weeks, we’re thrilled with our hard-earned results. Then the diet ends (or life gets too overwhelming for a diet) and those pounds creep back up.
Does this sound familiar?
It should because this is what nearly every woman experiences when trying to lose weight. Most of us have experienced it many times, over many years. We get stuck in a cycle of gaining and losing weight and there doesn’t seem to be any permanent solution. Why is weight loss like this?
It’s like this because almost everything we think we know about weight loss is wrong.
That’s because the diet industry only cares about giving fast results, not permanent ones. If you lose weight quickly, you’re more likely to brag about xyz program to your friends and mention it on social media. Your transformation seems all the more dramatic because it happened over just a few weeks. People complement you and you feel great.
Then, when you’re inevitably no longer able to keep up with the tough restrictions of your program, the weight comes back and you blame yourself. You put on more weight and, in a few months’ time, you go back for more diet “help.”
You might think that successful weight loss is about having a strong will or being more disciplined. In fact, PERMANENT weight loss success has very little to do with you and more to do with the right mindset.
Learn what you can do now to get real weight loss results that actually last. Let me share with you three unconventional weight loss tips, which will help you get results in a more sustainable way.
These are tips which I’ve used myself to stay in shape for over 10 years. These are also the tips I use with my clients, as an online wellness coach, to get them weight loss results without crazy dieting.
GET RID OF THE SCALE
The scale is not your friend. While it’s logical to keep track of how much weight you lose by looking at the scale, the reality is that the scale causes a lot of anxiety when you don’t see results fast enough.
We also tend to weigh ourselves too frequently so that it can seem that we’ve backtracked in our weight loss goals. When, in fact, small weight gains could simply be due to indigestion, bloating or hormones.
Let me share something with you which is going to hurt a little but that’s necessary to illustrate just how little the scale matters when it comes to getting results…
I’ve worked with hundreds of women in their fitness journeys. Pretty much none of those ladies that are fit and healthy bother much with a scale now. But ALL of them constantly looked at it when they were struggling to get fit and didn’t have the right approach.
Not looking at the scale is not going to hurt you if you practice healthy habits but looking at it constantly could.
Obsessing about weight can detract from other progress markers like strength gained, improved muscle tone or even other objective measures like inches lost. These things matter more than weight because they give more than a snapshot at your health; they show health from the inside out.
When you turn your focus inward, you can truly focus on progress. That’s why truly fit and healthy women don’t obsess with the numbers on the scale.
Do yourself a favor and get rid of it. You can always weigh yourself away from home. When I start coaching clients, I always give the option to record weight when we first start a program (because it’s a hard habit to break) but then I will strongly encourage them to hide the scale until they successfully complete the program. This way we can focus on progress that matters.
Stop counting
Just as constantly measuring your weight can stall weight loss, counting calories and macros can do the same.
There is no doubt that having the right amount of nutrient-rich calories and balanced macros (for you) gives results. That’s proven science BUT tracking can also lead to a lot of unnecessary obsession and guilt around food, which often works against you.
The problem with counting is that it can negatively impact your relationship with food. If you have a history of emotional eating and yo-yo dieting then this is even more likely to happen.
I’ve been there. I know how good it can feel to track calories or macros. It lets you have a sense of control and progress. But I also know how awful it feels to “mess up” and all the guilt that comes with not meeting macro or calorie goals. And I know how intrusive it can be to worry about counting while trying to enjoy a meal with friends or loved ones.
My coaching mission has always been to help women feel amazing without giving up the things they love. I coach them on how to eat healthier without tracking or extreme dieting. Because how much can you truly enjoy your favorite ice cream if you have to do math before taking the first bite?
One of the biggest secrets behind successful weight loss is to first heal your relationship with food. This means getting rid of any negative emotions, limiting beliefs or random restriction. But it’s very hard to do that when you’re obsessed with counting.
When I work with clients in my online transformation program, The Rio Project, we get rid of counting food. Instead, we work on making food as healthy as it can be and eating intuitively because this is more sustainable.
Besides, are you really going to track every meal forever?
Now, I KNOW that I’ll get the macro-counting lovers coming for me about how it’s important to track to get best results, or how everyone should track at least once to truly understand the nutrient value of foods. I agree that it’s helpful to know the nutrient value of foods so that you can make informed decisions.
However, if you’re the kind of person that yo-yo diets, feels guilty after eating or eats emotionally then it’s NOT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO COUNT. Counting is going to exacerbate issues you already have about food. I’ve been there too and it’s not an easy obsession to fix.
The bottom line is that you don’t need to count to get results.
Eat whenever you’re hungry
This seems obvious right? Well, there are many women out there in the world that are not doing this. Instead, we’re fasting, restricting mealtime hours or limiting portion sizes so that we eat less, all in the name of weight loss.
Look, if you eat less, you’re going to lose weight. That’s why fasting, portion control and everything else give results. But at what cost and for how long?
It’s much more sustainable to change what you eat. Choose foods that have lots of nutrients, contain fiber and that avoid blood sugar spikes. Doing this is going to keep you fuller for longer.
Instead of restricting when you eat or how much you eat, change what you eat and only eat when you’re genuinely hungry.
The mistake that most of us make is that we ignore hunger cues so that our body starts to work against us; slowing metabolism, overeating and cravings are all symptoms of a body which has not been fed on time and properly.
As long as you don’t race through meals or eat beyond feeling full (getting stuffed) then you will be able to lose weight without feeling hungry all the time!
How to get sustainable weight loss results
By following these three unconventional weight loss tips, you’ll be much more likely to get the results you want. Yes, it may take longer but your results will also last longer.
Stop wasting time and energy on short term fixes that don’t last. If you’re serious about weight loss, then it’s time to rethink your approach.
Start measuring your progress without the scale with things like how you feel and how much energy you have. No one wants to lose weight because of the numbers. We want to lose weight to feel better, right? We want to feel more confident and sexier? Measuring this way is much more powerful and longer lasting.
It take time to change your weight loss mindset but once you do, the results are powerful and sustainable. Imagine feeling great in your skin without weighing, counting or obsessing about food.
You can make that happen.
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