Getting To The WHY Of Weight Gain Before The HOW To Lose Weight

You are trying to lose weight and you keep coming up against barrier after barrier. So often, a client will come to see me wanting to lose weight and want to jump into looking at what to do to lose weight instead of examining why they struggle with weight gain in the first place. They are often looking for another diet or solution for changing their body. They have done diet after diet previously and may have lost weight only to regain it. They cycle in this yo-yo pattern over and over again. Cycling through this weight loss weight gain process tends to have devastating effects on metabolism and emotional state. While some people truly have an underlying metabolic issue that contributes to weight gain and difficulty losing it, it seems that many just struggle in their relationship with food. I highly recommend my clients getting thyroid, vitamin D, reproductive hormones and adrenal functioning fully evaluated to be sure there isn’t a medical issue contributing to weight. While ruling that out, it is so important to address the emotional side. When we get stuck in the weight loss/weight gain yo-yo, we come to believe we are broken, powerless and weak. The reality is that the emotional connections we form to food change our brain and create a conditioning effect. Chronic dieting not only doesn’t change these connections, it strengthens a fear of deprivation and sense of defiance which leads us back into the emotional eating cycle. This is a pattern that must be healed before getting to the how to lose weight part of the equation. Every day, I see people who change their behavior with food and exercise and they lose weight. However, they struggle with the emotional connection to food. They know WHAT to do to change their body, but they yo-yo over and over again because they don’t address the emotional connection to food. Without healing the underlying issues that contribute to emotional eating and weight gain, we are destined to stay stuck in an endless cycle of self-sabotage. While this process is not a quick fix, it does actually solve the underlying problem. If you have struggled with this pattern, consider looking beyond the immediate issue of weight loss and dig deeper. If you can get to the WHY of emotional eating and weight concerns, you can proceed to how to lose weight.

Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Weber State University and a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. She has been working in the mental health field since 2001.

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