Everyone has heard that the secret to successful weight loss is lifestyle change. But what does it really mean, and why is it important? Why is it often so hard? In this article, I will go through the main factors that hinder successful weight loss and the psychological roots of these problems, so that by the end of the article, you will have a better understanding of cause and effect and how you can make lifestyle changes easier so that you can lose weight easily and keep the results you have achieved.

Eliminating Unhealthy Eating Habits: The First Step Towards Lifestyle Change

It’s no big secret that to lose weight, you need to watch what you eat. This is perhaps the most obvious thing to say on the subject. It’s clear that eating too many processed foods, sugary, fatty snacks, and high-calorie foods is not good for your health or your weight loss. 

If you want to lose weight, you need to clean up your plate first. But this is only the surface, because people who are overweight are not overweight because they don’t know it. More on this in a moment.

Lack Of Physical Activity

While exercise is not essential to losing weight, since everyone can lose weight by simply paying attention to calorie intake. However, the role of regular physical activity is unquestionable in building a healthy lifestyle. 

Yes, it’s not necessary to lose weight, but if you want to live a healthier and happier life, you need to incorporate it into your daily routine. Not to mention the fact that regular exercise also plays a big role in keeping you fit, and our fitness levels directly affect our overall mood and much more.

Let’s Talk About Gut Health

Recently, the importance of keeping our gut microbiome in good condition has really started to spread to maintain our general physical and mental health. A healthy gut microbiome also helps to keep our blood sugar levels stable, so we are less likely to snack if we look after it and keep it in good condition. In this article, I wrote more in detail about how poor gut health due to the gut-brain connection can negatively impact our mental health.

Research has also shown a clear link between gut flora and depression. The good news is that we can do a lot for ourselves and our gut health by paying attention to our fiber intake. It’s best to eat a wide variety of raw vegetables, but you can also try fiber supplements. 

There are also protein-enriched, great-tasting varieties that can also be used as a meal replacement because they fill you up for a long time. It is also worth eating fermented vegetables every day.

Eliminating Emotional Eating Is Key To Successful Lifestyle Change

Here we come to a really important point. It is inevitable that we talk about this. I mentioned in the first paragraph that the principles and advice that everyone knows are only scratching the surface. Of course, one of the cornerstones of weight loss is a well-planned diet; no one disputes that. 

But if it were that simple, not so many people would struggle with being overweight. The truth is that many people use food as a coping mechanism. Bites eaten to ward off boredom, combat sadness, or even reward oneself all fall into this category. 

It is a sad fact that many people suffer from depression, and their only pleasure comes from delicious food. This is a disincentive that makes it incredibly difficult for those affected to change their lifestyle and lose weight, and this is where the tidying up should begin. 

This is the basis of everything. It may even be necessary to involve a professional if the problem is more serious, but in milder cases, being aware of this can help.

Inconsistent Eating Habits?

This is closely related to what was discussed in the previous paragraph. Many people start a diet and then stop it, and the results are wasted, or worse, they gain more pounds than they started with. 

This is the yo-yo effect, as many people know it. The problem here can be just as much emotional eating, but in many cases it’s more likely that our diet is not sustainable. 

If we set the amount we eat at a level that is not satisfactory for our body, so we eat too little for faster results, we can easily end up overeating and then abandoning the whole weight loss project. Try to design your diet so that it is optimal: be in a calorie deficit, but don’t starve.

When Lifestyle Change Is Not Really The Key: Portions, Quantity

Unfortunately, it is possible to overeat healthy food. I’ll do you one better: a small portion of a basically healthy meal can be too much if it contains a lot of excess calories. A simple example: let’s say we eat a little fried rice with lots of vegetables and some kind of protein source, which is good for us. 

But if you put too much oil on it and then sprinkle it with, say, peanuts, it’s just too many unnecessary calories. But all of these ingredients are healthy, and they’re what our bodies need. 

The problem is that if you don’t prepare the food yourself, it’s very difficult to know exactly how many calories it contains. It’s even more of a problem if you think that you can eat anything that’s healthy. So awareness is very important here too.

Lack Of External Support Can Also Hinder Lifestyle Change

Certain social situations, such as going out to dinner with friends or attending get-togethers can be challenging for making healthy food choices and sticking to a weight loss plan. 

Without external support, it can be difficult for some people to stay motivated and committed to lifestyle change. Lucky are those who have a supportive community to help them, but unfortunately this is not the case for everyone.

Impatience

Losing weight can sometimes be a slower process. It can easily lead to frustration and discouragement, and later to giving up the diet if you don’t see results immediately or if they are not as expected. So the aim should be to be able to change your lifestyle in a way that you hardly notice, or at least that doesn’t make it difficult. 

To achieve this, we need to make changes that are not too drastic but are effective in helping us. Remember what I wrote earlier about an optimal diet: be in deficit, but not excessively so. There are now many calculators available to help us set our own personalized amounts.

On Medical Factors

Of course, it should also be mentioned that certain diseases, medications, or hormonal imbalances can affect the metabolism and make weight loss more difficult. Although, fortunately, the majority of people are not affected by this, it does exist. So if you are still failing to lose weight despite a calorie deficit, it may be worth consulting a doctor and getting the necessary tests.

Self-doubt And Negative Self-talk

Negative self-esteem and self-doubt unfortunately don’t help here either and can very easily undermine our determination and motivation, making it difficult to commit to healthy habits. Another reason that leads us back to more psychological reasons when it comes to weight loss.

What Is The Solution?

Lifestyle change, of course, but what I wanted to point out with this article is that the reason for failing is not the lack of necessary information and tools. Rather, the root of the problem is psychological. 

If we are having difficulties changing our lifestyle despite having the necessary knowledge about nutrition and healthy habits, it is time to put our minds in order. It is often said that “it is all in the mind”. 

Well, yes, but it’s not necessarily a case of deciding and then doing it tomorrow. And it’s not because we don’t have the willpower or are lazy. Without adequate psychological support, it’s difficult for many people. 

Fortunately, nowadays we can find help. There’s a lot of information available, but there is also a lifestyle app that helps us lose weight on a psychological basis. I think it’s a very good approach because lasting results require exactly this holistic approach, which focuses on tackling the root causes. 

We can also get help from a professional if we feel we can’t do it alone. The first step is to realize that the real solution is not diet but addressing the underlying psychological causes.

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Disclaimer: This article was created for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.