The Wordrobe shares a few sustainable ways to help stabilise your mind and body whilst on a weight loss journey
Pursuing weight loss can result in complex emotions, even when the initial goal is to improve your health. When one devotes more attention to the body with weight loss, body image may impact mental and physical health, especially when encountering fluctuations and setbacks.
Considering how complicated weight management can be, practising self-love habits as you go through the motions is critical. Here are some ways to help stabilise your mind and body while losing weight.
Set realistic and achievable goals and expectations
Many who undergo weight loss often become discouraged when they don’t meet expectations that may be unrealistic. This can be attributed to wanting to lose weight too fast or at a predictable pace. But when one wonders, “how long does it take to lose weight?” the reality is more complicated.
Setting a time frame for your weight loss can be difficult as complex factors like age, lifestyle, stress levels, biological sex, and medical history impact it. Some may lose weight fast at first, only to plateau, while others may stagnate for weeks at the beginning. This is all regular, as weight loss comes with many ups and downs.
The key to gradually and consistently losing weight is to set realistic monthly and weekly goals (a healthy rate is an average of one or two pounds a week). In addition to lessening the pressure, gradual weight loss goals also provide the added benefit of allowing your body to keep up with the losses and adjust accordingly to avoid regaining weight.
Orient your journey toward self-care, not body image
A frequent reason for pursuing weight loss is dissatisfaction with your body, but striving for unrealistic body images can lead to discouragement in the long run. As such, reframing your goals toward self-care, not looks, is essential.
Exercise because you love your body, not because you hate it, and recognise that it deserves to be treated to better health. Aim for the health benefits of losing weight, such as protecting your bones, improving sleep quality, boosting your immune system and energy, increasing self-esteem, and feeling and looking more confident. When you exercise to reward your body, you will feel energised and naturally motivated to stay consistent, resulting in effective long-term weight management.
Don’t deprive yourself of the good things
Weight loss is a journey in sustainability, so it’s critical to adopt healthy lifestyle changes that you can maintain for years—even decades—on end. Of course, depriving yourself of the good stuff is not one of these. Removing treats or food groups from your diet becomes problematic over time and can lead to impulsive food choices that disrupt your weight loss efforts. Instead, treat yourself in moderation.
Incorporate a balanced diet into your daily routine, but don’t be afraid to indulge within sensible limits when you travel, hang out with friends, or occasionally go for the snack you’re craving. Level up your regular diet by adding more healthy foods instead of completely removing less nutritious snacks, and get creative with your daily recipes. To illustrate, you can upgrade your desserts instead of skipping them.
Go for a simple chocolate smoothie bowl with frozen bananas, plant-based milk, cacao powder, maca powder, and healthy toppings like berries and nuts. Not only will it satisfy your sugar cravings, but it can also provide more fibre, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamins. When you make weight loss fun, you enjoy yourself and sustain it for a longer time.
Although weight loss requires a lot of effort, it doesn’t have to bring you down. By adopting these habits and mindsets, you can practise self-love even as you improve your physical and emotional health.
