Habits & Hormone’s Are Holding You Back From The Healthy Body You Deserve.
Happy Friday!
I hope you have some fun weekend plans.
For me? I'll be spending a quiet weekend at home trying out some new recipes I found online.
However, I can remember a time back before I'd lost weight that weren't so peaceful.
Man-oh-man, I wasted so many weekends wishing I had a different waistline!
Can you relate?
If you're anything like me, you've tried to lose weight so many times with little to no lasting success.
It always started on Friday.
I'd spend hours at work (when I should have been working) researching the latest and greatest fad diet.
After I settled on "the one" I was going to try this time, I'd spend the rest of my weekend...
...grocery shopping...
...washing and chopping up fruits and veggies...
...portioning everything out in containers...
...getting excited because this is "the one" that was finally going to work...
...stuffing my face all weekend because once Monday rolled around I'd be forbidden to eat anything that didn't resemble rabbit food or taste like saw dust...
Monday would come and I'd push through the hunger pains eating my rabbit food with a side of saw dust like a good, obedient trooper.
Tuesday I'd drink my coffee black. The headache would settle in and I'd take aspirin or ibuprofen that helped a little.
I'd tell the girls I couldn't do lunch today because I'm "on a new diet" and eat quietly in my office feeling deprived and starving.
Wednesday I'd slump into the office with little energy, hangerly walk past the break room filled with smells of yummy coffee with cream and sugar, brown sugar topped bagels, and jelly filled donuts.
By the time Wednesday evening rolled around I'd be so hungry I'd ransack the pantry looking for anything sugary, salty, processed and quick!
And then...
...wamp-wamp...
...all that hard work over the weekend went right out the window.
I failed...again!!
After I beat myself up for a few days feeling ashamed and guilty for "falling off the wagon" again.
I'd promise myself I'd get back online Friday, look up another diet and try again.
Sound familiar?
So, why can't we stop eating the foods we know aren't good for us?
Why can't we stick to the plan? Why is weight loss so hard?
It all boils down to two things:
Habits &
Hormones
Habits: are the things you do everyday without thinking about them. Like brushing your teeth or taking a shower.
These are the daily activities you've done so many times in the same way, they've just become a habit.
Have you ever left the house and wondered if you'd brushed your teeth?
The same is true for our eating habits. Our brain is designed to be rewarded for life preserving activities.
Eating is a life preserving activity and food provides the reward.
It's no wonder why you reach for the sugary, salty, processed food when given a chance.
It's not YOUR fault!
Your subconscious brain overrules your conscience brain in the moment because those foods produce higher hits of serotonin, dopamine, and/or desire.
And it's your brain's job to keep you alive!
Do you see where this is leading?
All the cues around food create neural pathways that remind us how important it is to seek those highly processed, sugary, salty foods again...and again.
When you concentrate and refine food, you concentrate that response in the brain.
You've now created a deep neuropathway in the brain that feels like "you can't survive without cream and sugar in your coffee".
Secondly, we have our old friend the hormone!
There are three main hormones to consider when it comes to weight gain and weight loss.
Insulin. Leptin. Ghrelin.
You may have heard of all three but the most important hormone as it relates to weight, is insulin.
The obesity epidemic is caused by too much insulin in the blood.
Insulin is a storage hormone, so whenever it is elevated in the blood, the body cannot use fat as fuel.
Insulin, insulin resistance, and diabetes have sky-rocked with the increase in consumption of high sugar and high starch foods.
Insulin also affects the presence and effectiveness of the other two hormones mentioned above, leptin and ghrelin (which I'll share more about in later blogs).
So you see, it's not your fault your overweight craving junk food all the time.
Your body is designed to keep you in a state of homeostasis at all times and it thinks it's doing something good for you by making you eat "bad" foods.
Now I have to confess, the scariest and toughest part for me was getting started.
But, once I begin to change my habits and hormones, my body started to perform at levels I never imagined.
I was firing on all cylinders, losing weight with little to no effort, and feeling better than I did in my 20s!
I finally started LISTENING to my body and what MY body was telling me I needed for the first time in my life!
I stopped counting calories and started counting on my body to let me know what it needed.
What I did to lose weight wasn't rocket science. It was very simple, actually.
It was so simple in fact anyone can do it, even you!
I no longer waste my weekends wishing I had a different waistline.
These days I spend my weekends with family and friends, trying new recipes, and visiting fun new restaurants.
My family absolutely loves this "new" me because I'm cooking more delicious foods. I love this "new" me because I can enjoy all the love I'm cooking up with my family!
So let me ask you, where are you struggling?
Do you feel like your habits and hormones are out of wack and need realignment?
Are you a habitual, hormonal eater like me who's sick of being afraid or feeling guilty for "falling off the wagon" again?
Are you ready to end the yo-yo dieting roller coaster you've been on all your life and finally make lasting, sustainable changes to your weight and overall health?
How can I help you finally be successful with your weight loss goals?
I can't wait to hear from you!
Katherine
