I was thinking about what really gets in the way of weight loss for most people and it boils down to two things really…you could say three, but let me explain…
1. Over-dieting, or over-restricting calorie intake for a prolonged period of time.
2. Hormonal imbalance (estrogen dominance and or low thyroid).
3. Self-Deprecation (beating yourself up).
Ok, so beating yourself up, well that is pretty self-explanatory as well. If you keep telling yourself you are a fat loser, well, guess what you will become? Words are powerful, so be careful how you use them.
#1- Now, over dieting, that is, in my professional opinion, THE MOST COMMON mistake made in the whole world of weight loss.. I can’t tell you how many clients I have had to FORCE FEED (not literally…ha ha ha ha) to get them to lose weight.
Some clients believe in low calories so much, they LIE to me about eating more…I ask them did you eat thus and such and they tell me “oh yes…I ate all you told me too”… But I KNOW they are lying! Do you know how I know?
After all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve developed some very good body language reading and intuition about people. I can look at a client and tell you if they have gained or lost 5 lbs…(that may not seem like much, until you try it) and I’m right over 90% of the time.
So after they tell me they are eating more… I look them over and immediately see they are not telling the truth, because IF they do what I say, THEY DO lose weight, their skin looks a little different, they have a little more energy, they don’t look like they are holding as much water….etc… All these little clues all paint a clear picture to the trained eye.
So what’s the point?
The point is that over-dieting puts your body into starvation mode and can begin in as little as 5-8 hours from your last meal.
When you’re body goes into starvation mode, it lowers all metabolic activity, which includes FAT METABOLISM…and if you are trying to lose weight, lowering FAT METABOLISM is NOT something you want.
#2 - The next thing is a little more tricky – Hormone Imbalance…
If you’re a man, and you’re over 35, you need to check your testosterone levels, they drop with age, stress, and as you gain fat, and it’s a vicious circle, because the more fat you get, the less testosterone you make and the less testosterone you make, the more fat you get….
For women, it’s a little more complicated, but simple hormone tests can reveal a lot, especially if you have them interpreted by a Hormone Replacement Specialist Doctor – as they have CURRENT training in this area, whereas regular doctors do not so they just give you a confident answer that is usually just what you could have read on the test results yourself.
So what’s the point?
The point is that if your estrogen is high and progesterone low or testosterone low (yes even for women) you are going to have a harder time losing weight EVEN IF YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT! I can’t tell you how many female clients have felt like they FINALLY found the answer they were looking for with a simple hormone blood test and a qualified hormone replacement doctor (H.R.T. doctor).
Can you imagine..you’ve been doing everything right and the weight just doesn’t come off, then you find out that your hormones have been holding you off for YEARS! All that WASTED EFFORT…argggggghhhhh I bet you would be angry if you weren’t so happy to finally have the answer.
The other part of hormone imbalance can be male or female related, but generally is more female related and that is low thyroid hormone.
You’re thyroid hormone is basically your bodies natural stimulant and “get going” hormone and when you DIET TOO HARD you can really mess it up. Also STRESS can really mess it up.
By the way, hard dieting IS STRESSFUL to the body…
Anyway, get your thyroid hormone levels checked at the same time you check your estrogen (estradiol) and testosterone and you will be well on your way to tearing down all that blocks your way to weight loss success.
#3 - Self-Deprecation
No one will ever admit openly that this could be a major problem (and not just weight loss), but believe me, in all my years of training clients, it is present in 99% of women and about 75% of men. Probably 99% men too, but they are usually less vocal about their feelings.
Saying things to yourself like “I just can’t do it”, “I’ve always failed at this”, “I’m just not like ‘those’ other people, the beautiful people”… and worse, “I’m a loser”, “I never win”, “I am just unlucky”…etc., etc, etc… You get the point.
Words matter and there has been a lot of research done to prove that what goes in your brain changes you, wether you believe it or not. What I mean is that you can read a book you totally disagree with, but it will still bend you just a little bit in it’s direction… so if you keep reading a certain type of material, after a while, you will start to agree with it… That is what PROPAGANDA is based on. Hear something enough and first it becomes familiar, then it becomes believable, then you believe it!
Maybe your parents told you something about yourself, or maybe you just started thinking or saying negative things to yourself early on… now after a life time of repeating it, well, is it any wonder you believe it? No it’s not. It is totally logical.
So start today, thinking and saying good, kind, positive things to yourself and don’t be surprised if when you first start doing it, it is as uncomfortable as it was to hear those negative things about you the first time you started hearing them.
Sincerely,
Kevin Mask
“Your Weight Loss Coach”
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