Just a stone or two to lose

Have you gained a few pounds recently and want to get it sorted out before it becomes a real problem? We gain weight for a variety of reasons, perhaps some of the ones here fit what is happening to you.

Lifestyle changes Less active Injury or mobility problem Menopause Post pregnancy weight Eating healthily yet weight is creeping on Don’t know what food to eat Gaining weight but don’t know why When someone has typically gained just a couple of stone but can’t muster the motivation to diet then the first thing that you should do is to assess what has changed in your life that has led to the weight gain. Perhaps it’s a  more sedentary job or you have an injury that you believe is preventing you from exercising. Perhaps you are going through the change of life or there is some post pregnancy weight that just doesn’t want to budge. Or weight is creeping on and you don’t know why or you are fed up with trying to figure out what you should be eating.

If your activity levels have dropped then that is going to be related to your weight gain. If you have a more sedentary job then try to look at ways where you can make it less so. Taking the stairs instead of the lift, taking a stroll at lunchtime or you could consider joining an exercise class after work. However, often we feel that we have enough on our plate so to speak to want to be bothered with exercise. Life can simply become too busy so we end up trying to control our weight with diet instead. The problem with this is that if we restrict our food too much or too often then our body quickly adapts by lowering the basal metabolic rate so that when we go back to our normal food all the weight goes back on again plus a bit more.

Injury and mobility problems can sometimes mean that our activity levels drop resulting in us putting on weight. These problems however don’t have to mean that we have to become couch potatoes. Often there are other activities that we can substitute for the old ones. Swimming for example is very good for those who find they have trouble with walking or can no longer do load bearing exercise in the gym due to injury or arthritis. When faced with a lifestyle change such as a mobility problem of course it can be hard to get some perspective on the problem, after all your whole life has just changed and not for the better.

Post pregnancy weight and the weight gained during menopause are both related to changes in our hormones. Our hormone balance is delicate and disruption to it can mean that we put on weight. Our weight will usually stabilise, but at a few pounds heavier than we would like and we always seem to end up back at this weight despite our best efforts.

Perhaps you are gaining weight but not sure why? If your activity levels are normal and you haven’t changed what you eat or how much you eat then it is worth a trip to your doctor to find out if there is any underlying metabolic problem. Typically your doctor should offer you a diabetes check and possibly a thyroid function check. Once diabetes or thyroid deficiency is under control then your weight should stabilise or even reduce. If you need further help with reducing your weight then I can help you further so please get in touch.

Are you confused about what to eat? Are you eating what you believe to be a healthy diet but still putting on weight? The problem is that many foods that we have come to accept as healthy simply aren’t. But how do you tell what is healthy and what is just hype? The best way to determine the merit of a food item is to see what claims it makes. Good healthy food does not need to make health claims. Good healthy food does not need to mislead you with inaccurate branding such as “Good For You”. Good healthy food doesn’t have a list of ingredients that look more like a chemistry lesson.

Need more help? I hope that you have found these tips useful, but if you need more in depth help then contact me. I use hypnosis to address any unhelpful eating patterns that might be hindering your weight loss. Old habits such as clearing your plate or comfort eating can be easily stopped using hypnotherapy. I will give you all the help and information you need to get your life and your weight back in balance. Call today!