Why People Lose Weight but Put it Back on Again

Have you ever had enough of feeling fat, unattractive, tired and miserable? I have! Picture this… You’ve finally had enough. You reach that critical pain point. That point where there’s enough pain to drive behaviour. So you get all motivated to go out and buy new runners, exercise clothes, and maybe even equipment. Sound familiar?

I’ve been here plenty of times. I was a chubby kid. And just before I turned 14, I went on this health kick. I left grade 8 a chubby little boy and returned a completely new person. Not only did I look like a different person, mentally and emotionally I was a different person. That 6-week Christmas school holidays changed the course of my life forever.

"...regardless of what your goal is, there is a journey you must take to realise that version of yourself. Your goal might be a stepping stone ten days, ten weeks, or even ten months into the future of that journey."

While I’ve never gone back to being clinically overweight, I have fluctuated within the normal range for BMI. And I’ve come to learn exactly how my body feels when it’s in ideal condition. Achieving your ideal condition, and maintaining it, is both an art and a science.

Whenever you create a goal, you essentially are saying, “I want to be a better version of myself”. And regardless of what your goal is, there is a journey you must take to realise that version of yourself. Your goal might be a stepping stone ten days, ten weeks, or even ten months into the future of that journey.

Why People Lose Weight and Put it Back On

• Not transitioning across phases
  One of the most important components of goal setting that I’ve come to realise very recently, is that there a multiple phases to any journey. In my experience, most people don’t recognise these phases and hence, aren’t capable of transitioning across them. This is hands down, the number one reason people put weight back on after losing it. And I would argue that all the other reasons (that I’m about to describe), could all integrate back to this one.
  
  
• Having short-term goals
  Having a weight loss goal (i.e. lose 10kgs) is great if it’s set within an appropriate time-frame and inspires you. But what happens when you achieve that goal? I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you wouldn’t be content if you lost 10kgs and put it back on again. The 10kg part is just one phase of the journey. And you know what?! It’s not even the first phase of the journey.
  
  
• Unexpected adversities 
  If there are certainties in life, it’s that there are no certainties. There are going to be adversities. There are going to be times when your work gets busy. There are going to be times when your family needs you. There are going to be times when you can’t prioritise the goal you’re working towards, whether it’s your health and fitness or another goal. You must plan for these adversities, and accept them when they happen.
  
  
• Reward over-consumption 
  Often when we’ve done something well, we reward ourselves with our favourite food or drink. I get it. I do it too. Often the situation in which we do this, is when we’ve hit a certain milestone in our journey, namely the final milestone when we reach our goal. This ties back into that first point — recognise the phases and the bigger picture.
  
  
• Digestive issues
  Usually, when someone is overweight, they also have digestive issues and some level of inflammation in the body. You may have lost the weight you set out to achieve but that doesn’t mean you have any underlying digestive issues under control. Eliminating inflammation and overcoming digestive issues often takes longer than the weight loss journey. And the only thing that will achieve this is eating real, wholesome food.

Quick fix solutions rarely achieve permanent shift. It is not impressive to lose huge amounts of weight in short amounts of time. What is impressive is achieving your ideal measures, feeling good about yourself, and maintaining it. If you can maintain what you’ve achieved long-term, that’s what’s impressive! And it’s working on your mindset that makes maintenance possible.

If you like what you’ve read, you’re going to love the free training I’m hosting!

This Wednesday, April 18 at 5:00pm ACST, I’ll be teaching YOU how to get on track, and stay on track, with your health and fitness goals, so you can finally have the energy to live the busy life you life, with confidence and vitality.

I’ll also be going into much more detail about the concepts above, and many other components regarding the psychology of healthy living.

This is a special, one-off training, and seats are limited!

To reserve your seat now, click the link below.

https://jacobandreae.com/webinar/1205352106355127042/

[Image source: Club One]