I EXERCISE YET AM UNABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT
QYoga, walking for 45 minutes a day – I’ve tried them all but I’ve still not been able to lose weight and I feel pretty demoralised by this. What can I do to achieve my goal?
AInstead of berating yourself for not losing the weight you want, you should be congratulating yourself for being so committed to improving your health. Fast walking that gets your heart pumping is a great way to energise yourself and yoga is wonderful for harmonising the mind and body in a positive way. Prioritising gaining and maintaining health is something you should be proud of. However, exercise is just one part of the story. The other thing you need to focus on is what you eat.
Whilst I applaud anyone who takes on the challenge of becoming more active, I find that people often then make the mistake of thinking that they can eat whatever they want because of it. In fact, they sometimes eat more than they used to, because they think there is a calorie deficit.
The key to achieving a healthy weight in the long-term is eating the right amount of the right things.
Losing weight is firstly about what goes on in the mind before it is about what goes on in the body. It’s about accepting that to achieve your goal you can eat lovely food, but it’s got to be of the right type.
Balance is about recognising that sugar, fat-laden and processed foods are going to be a barrier to success, but the occasional treat is going to help you feel you’re not denying yourself all the time.
There’s a wealth of ingenious, healthy, nutritious and tasty recipes out there just waiting to be cooked, which focus on upping the vegetable content and lowering the sugar and fat.
To keep you fully focused and engaged, try some simple mindfulness techniques. Learn to experience what you’re eating in the here and now.
It’s not about fad dieting or abstinence, it’s simply about intensifying the sensations of eating so that you are more aware of what your body needs. This leads you not only to enjoy your food more, rather than simply bolting it down and not giving it the due care and attention it deserves, but it also means you are far more in tune with your body’s hunger and full messages.
And naturally your exercise regime will be the fruit on top of the 0 per cent Greek yoghurt rather than the icing on the cake.
Think of this as a long-term project. It’s going to take time and it will have its ups and downs, but the key thing is that you are going on a journey and you will get there in the end, no matter how many diversions you end up taking.
Cement this in your mind, avoid the quick-fix mentality and don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for all that you’re already doing.