After eating a mountain of cheese, chocolate, and Christmas treats, you’re probably ready to ditch the rich foods for something simpler. Or perhaps your bathroom scales suggested this might be a good idea? But the idea of it is not appealing. There is though, a smarter way to lose weight in January.
Over 90% of people over-indulge at Christmas, gaining on average 4 lbs (almost 2 kilos). With clothes feeling tight and the number on the scales higher than before, it’s easy to feel guilty. The natural response? Tell yourself you need to starve to lose weight quickly. Yet this virtually always backfires, making weight loss more difficult and leaving you feeling even more miserable about your weight.
Sarah came to me last January feeling defeated after regaining the same 10 pounds she’d lost and regained over many years. She was ready to try another punishing diet, but just the thought of it was exhausting, so she wanted to explore a new way of losing weight.
This year, you too can take a new approach that not only helps you lose weight, but more importantly helps you stay at your healthy weight. It begins by working with your body—instead of wrestling with it, or treating it like your enemy. Consciously let go of being angry with your body and choose to be kind and loving to the vessel that gives you life. Most of all, learn more about your unique and amazing body so that weight loss becomes easy.
Why dieting never works
When you begin a diet, you are selecting and cooking according to the particular diet rules. But—and it’s a big BUT—your body is unique as are your personal taste preferences. So, when you ‘go-on-a-diet’ your mindset is set to dieting, meaning this is not your usual way of eating. Rather than dieting, it is about finding a way that works for you personally, and not what might work for some people.
When dieting, part of you suffers because you can’t eat the food you enjoy. This deprivation creates a longing for the diet to end so you can once more eat the food that you love. Inevitably, this leads to yet more yo-yoing of weight loss and weight gain.
Steady weight loss and easily staying at your healthy weight happens by changing your relationship with food and your body. A way that is healthier without being perfect—because life needs to be lived—and it also needs takes into account your personal preferences.
So, what does working with your body look like?
If you are struggling to lose weight, there is a strong chance that you dislike, or even hate your body. You have probably tried dieting, fasting, counting calories but nothing seems to works. This leads to being frustrated when the weight doesn’t come off easily, or lost weight is quickly regained. The constant yo-yoing, keeps your body off balance, not allowing it to help you in your desire to lose weight and then stay at a healthy weight.
Working with your body—partnering—means…
- Cultivating a healthier gut biome. This creates a more effective digestive system with less sweet cravings
- Being kind to yourself. What you eat on one or even several days doesn’t matter. What matters is you eat most of the time.
- Discovering how to enjoy small occasioan treats—without it triggering you to eat too much.
- Healing emotional eating. Releasing comfort eating, because it can’t fill an emotional hole.
- Intolerances. Experiment to see whether your digestive tract struggles with wheat or dairy.
- Understanding the basics of nutrition. Give your body what it needs. When you do this, your body will more easily shed unwanted weight.
- Eating regularly. This helps to balance your hormones.
- Movement and exercise. Your body needs movement. Choose to do things that you like and that easily fit into your lifestyle.
These changes don’t happen overnight, but if you choose to experiment, embed and be curious about, ANY of the above, then you will already have taken the first and most important step forward.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW I HELP PEOPLE TO LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY
During the 12-week Eat Well—Be Well Program, I help clients steadily lose weight by working with their body so they not only lose weight, but discover how to keep it off for good. Book a free 30-minute Zoom Call to have a chat to see how I may help you. No sales spiel—just a conversation so you can check if this is the right option for you.
I know the temptation to crash diet is strong, but make this January different
As tempting as it is to crash diet, please don’t. Harsh diets are never a good idea, but In the winter months, we need more energy to deal with the cold and lack of natural light. Being kind and honouring your body’s needs at this time of year will leader to slower weight loss BUT it will be sustained, which means you can let go of the horrible yo-yoing of dieting followed by eating too much or too much junk foods.
This January, be kind and gentle to yourself and give your body freshly made, nutritious food.
If I’m kind to my body, how long will it take?
With Christmas parties and social get-togethers starting as early as December 1st, over-indulgence has stretched from what used to be a few days, into a full month. So, more than likely, it wasn’t just Christmas Day but all of the other treats eaten in December that led to weight gain.
By being kinder to your body—eating more freshly made food, including wholegrain, more low-fat protein, land far less of ultra processed foods (you already know which these are), you will lose the weight gained over Christmas. A gentle weight loss of 1-2 lbs /0.5–1 kilos means that by the end of January, you will be back to your pre-Christmas weight.
On a mission to lose more weight?
But perhaps you are on a mission to lose a lot of weight? Then, still begin with the above advice. Add in more movement, and pay particular attention to your fats, oils and added sugar. Radically increase the amount of coloured vegetables you eat to improve the quality of your gut biome. Aim to get most of your protein from either fish, nuts, seeds, tofu, whey protein, or from peas, beans and pulses. Download my Meat-eating Food Pyramid or my Vegan Food Pyramid to act as guide.
Losing a stone is easily achieved in 2—3 months simply by making more consistently healthier choices.. Don’t despair that it’s not instant. Steady weight loss allows you to step into a new way of eating for life—with a few treats that is easy to maintain for life. And, if you need some help, I’d be delighted to help you succeed.
Why joining a gym might not be the answer
Your body needs movement and exercise, and gyms can be a great way to stay motivated to increase fitness and lose weight. But, and it’s a big BUT, only join a gym if you like these environments. They can be fun, but some gyms are soulless places.
Here’s an important truth: for weight loss, increased levels of exercise represent only 30% of your potential loss. In other words, going to the gym alone is not enough, as 70% of weight loss is dictated by what you eat.
That said, regular exercise increases muscle tone and bone density, as well as reducing stress and making you feel good. So ensure you choose a movement or exercise that you enjoy. It doesn’t need to be extreme or cost a lot. Brisk walking for 30 minutes each day will give you most of the benefits of joining a gym, and it’s free. Via social media, there are thousands of options, as well as dancing, swimming, cycling, team sports, classes, and guided videos. Choose something that can become part of your life.
Try a ‘Dry January’
Alchol units never seem to mean much because they are an abstract concept, so seeing the impact in Cheeseburgers means far more. The Drinkaware.com website has a tool to help you see what your usual consumption looks like.
Drinking alcohol while trying to lose weight is challenging. See full article on this topic. One glass of alcohol often leads to a second, then possibly a third. Alcohol stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine. Increased dopamine levels in the brain, makes you feel good and relaxed, a state that the brain likes and wants to prolong. Which means more alcohol. After one glass, the conscious part of brain can override this subconscious desire. After a second glass, it is much harder to resist.
At the same time, as the liver works even harder to process the alcohol, there is a desire to soak up this excess, and so another desire, this time for starchy foods, arises.
The empty calories of alcohol so often leads to weight gain. Cutting out all alcohol for a month will cut back on your calories and therefore help you lose weight. The food supplement Milk Thistle helps the liver detoxify if a lot of alcohol was consumed over Christmas time.
Ready to work with your body instead of wrestling with it?
This January doesn’t have to be another cycle of punishment and disappointment. You can lose the Christmas weight—and more importantly, discover a way of eating and living that allows you to maintain your healthy weight for life.
Your body is not your enemy. It’s time to become partners.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU
🗓️ Book a free 30-minute Zoom Call to explore how my 12-week Eat Well—Be Well Program can help you work with your body to achieve lasting weight loss. No pressure, no sales pitch—just an honest conversation about whether this approach is right for you.
😊 Eat Well—Be Well.
