The Word on Weightloss

For many people the word “diet” is a curse word. It’s a shocking, harsh, and sometimes even a rude word to use. We think of a diet as an ultimate challenge, because in most cases it never ends, which is part of the word’s nasty connotation. But what if I suggested, instead of thinking of your weight loss plan as an ultimate “diet” you thought more holistically. Would you understand what that meant or would you think it’s just another fad?

I’ve probably lost 75 – 100 pounds over the course of my lifetime – that is, the same 5 to 10 pounds over and over and over again. After I lose the weight and start gaining again, I become frustrated, exhausted, annoyed and sometimes angry with myself for returning to my “bad habits” of the past. Inevitably I ask myself why am I doing this to myself over and over again?

I recently started working with a new trainer after my “yo-yo” dieting process started to head back down a path that I really didn’t like. On my first session with her, she asked me a lot of questions about my workout and fitness habits while she watched me work on different machines and lift different amounts of weight to learn more about my fitness level. But, she did something different than most of my other trainers. She asked about my life – questions about what I do, about my family, work habits, eating habits, and of course, my love life. At first I thought she was getting a little personal – I mean this was only our first session together.

I soon learned that my new trainer’s technique was more holistic in nature.

• In a nutshell, she explained to me that women who can’t lose weight are up against hidden obstacles in their health. These core imbalances encourage the body to hold onto weight rather than let it go.
• She told me that in order to lose the weight I wanted, and successfully keep it off I had to restore my mental health and get my hormonal balance back into check.
• At the core of any weight loss plan should be a focus on your mind and mental health. She told me to think of it as getting healthy from the inside out and once I’m in balance the weight will stay off.

I did a little research to find that others are saying the same things my new trainer was saying to me. This isn’t a new idea; in fact if you’ve ever watched Jillian Michael’s new show "Losing it with Jillian" you’d see this idea in action. In the show, Jillian lives with a new family for one week and uses her characteristic brand of “tough love” to help them reboot their lives into a healthier lifestyle. Fitness and weight loss is the way into the family, once she gets there Jillian will get to the root of the issues each family member faces that affect their health and happiness.

Marcelle Pick, co-founder of the Women to Women Clinc published a book called "The Core Balance Diet." In the book, Pick draws upon decades of patient and personal experience to solve the mystery of stubborn, frustrating weight gain in women, whether you’ve just gained it or have been struggling with it for years. In clear terms, Pick connects the dots between self-knowledge, self-care, and the ability to lose weight, extending the concept of body-mind-spirit to demonstrate why and how a woman’s biography becomes her biology.

We briefly touched upon these ideas in a recent post "Making Weight Loss Happen" and those ideas are at the root of the holistic approach to weight loss.

• First you have to be motivated.
• Then you have to uncover the (sometimes hidden) issues that are causing the weight to come off and back on so easily. 

Try the holistic approach to weight loss and improve your mental health at the same time.