The first step of weight loss
Weight gain is a common issue faced by many of us – from teenagers to office goers to homemakers. It is a universal issue, and many of us would have tried at some point in life to lose weight. We try various things to lose weight. We starve ourselves, get on extreme diets like low fat, low carb diets, keto diet, cut out fruits, cut out oils, and so on. We watch youtube videos and read books on how to lose weight. We try the tips given by everyone around us.
But to our disappointment, we see that these extreme steps don’t give us results or the results are temporary. The weight loss journey becomes a tom and jerry fight, which goes on forever. We become frustrated and disappointed. So, what to do for permanent weight loss?
My journey with weight loss: I have always been thin. I don’t have the tendency to put on weight. My father’s body is the same, and I got this from my father. My siblings were jealous of me that I didn’t put on weight even though I ate whatever I wanted to eat.
In spite of this, after college, I gained weight. This shocked me and I tried many things to lose my weight. I starved myself. I got onto extreme diets. I wanted to lose my weight at any cost. And the sad thing is I did not lose it though I tried all these things. I was desperate to lose my weight but starving myself did not give the result I was looking for.
My breakthrough in weight loss journey came when I started looking deeper and asked the question – “Why did I gain weight?” This self-introspection helped me tremendously. I realized this should be our first step if we are serious about losing weight.
My learnings: This made me rethink about the whole weight loss. Is weight loss all about weighing machine and dieting, or is there more to it? I realized from my journey that weight loss is a deep aspect of life, and it needs more than crazy diets and YouTube hacks. Below are some learnings I had from my weight loss journey.
- We are overweight for a reason. It could be an unhealthy lifestyle like no movement, eating too much, or some other physical, emotional, mental reasons like stress or some insecurities or something else. Weight gain does not happen just like that.
- We need to focus on health when we talk about weight loss because a healthy body cannot be overweight. There is some kind of imbalance in the body which is causing extra weight. A well balanced and healthy body burns off the extra weight quickly. So, our focus should be on rebuilding our health rather than losing weight.
- Weight gain is only a symptom of an underlying issue. Fixing the symptom by starving ourselves cannot yield permanent results.
- Weight loss is not just for a great body. Weight loss is not just for superstars and supermodels. Healthy weight is for everyone because a healthy weight and good health are closely connected.
- When we become healthy, we lose weight automatically. Health and excess weight cannot go together.
The first step to start your weight loss journey: From my journey, I understood that the first step in weight loss journey is to figure out the reason behind weight gain. When we understand the reason, we can work on it and fix the root cause. Take some time and analyze your life using the below questions.
- Am I leading a more sedentary lifestyle?
- Am I eating too much junk food?
- Am I going through stress?
- Is something bothering me emotionally and mentally?
- Am I disturbed about something?
- What are my beliefs about weight? (Many times, we carry incorrect beliefs about weight, and these can also cause weight gain. Examples of incorrect beliefs are – weight gain is in my genes, or I am prone to weight gain, etc.)
Based on your answers to the above questions, start making changes in your life. Get your vitamin levels and vital health parameters tested. Take action steps relevant to your life.
The first step to achieving anything you want is awareness. When you look at the overall picture as to what is happening to your body, mind, and soul, that’s when you can fix your issue permanently. Once you start your weight loss journey with this awareness, your weight loss will be permanent;
Celebrate your weight gain: Yes, you read it right. The day you realize that you are overweight, celebrate it because it’s a warning sign your body has given you to fix something important. Weight gain is the best thing to happen because you know you are not doing something right in life, and you need to change the direction. Weight gain is the precursor to serious health problems. So, before we even get into any serious health issues, we can fix them by fixing our weight gain.
If you are overweight now, don’t worry. When we start working for our health, weight loss happens automatically, and the perfect weight is the by-product of a healthy life. Today, take some time and reflect as to why you gained weight. Once you find your answers, your weight loss journey will be a smooth ride, and you will come back to a healthy weight.
Wish you and your family good health!
