HOW important is your mental health when it comes to your weight loss? It turns out: extremely.
Bodyweight and BMI are big contributors to our overall health and wellbeing.
Whether you are underweight or overweight, research from the World Health Organisation shows that our weight impacts our physical and mental wellbeing more than any other risk factor.
And being overweight or obese is linked to more deaths worldwide than being underweight, which is why so many of us are keen to achieve a healthy body mass.
But if you have tried healthy eating, diet plans and exercise programmes, but still find yourself struggling to lose weight, it could be worth checking in with your mental health.
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Life and Diet Coach Jeff Spires, says: “When we decide we want to lose weight, our focus immediately turns to food and exercise, when really, the very first thing we should do is check in with our mental health.
“The link between mood, emotional wellbeing and weight is huge, and if we don’t overcome these psychological barriers, we block our journey to a healthy weight before it’s even begun.
“The very first step towards achieving a healthy body is making sure you have a healthy mind by identifying any issues.”
Jeff reveals the mental health barriers preventing you from losing weight - and how to overcome them…
1. YOU HAVE A NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE
Jeff says: “You might think everyone who is looking to lose weight has a negative body image, but there is a big difference between wanting to make a healthy change for you, and wanting to change because of a seriously low view of your appearance.
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to change your body shape to improve your body image, but if you suffer from an extremely low body image, it is likely that you determine your self worth based on your body size and the food you eat.
“This connection can seriously hinder a successful weight loss journey as your negative thought patterns prevent you from being able to find a healthy balance with food.
“You see foods as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and can be fearful of certain foods or social situations that are connected to food.
“This usually leads to over restriction, then overeating, causing you to gain, rather than lose weight."
HOW TO OVERCOME IT:
Jeff says: “Try to change your inner voice.
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“This is not something you will find easy to do, but stick with it.
“Every time you have a negative thought about yourself, write it down on paper and then put a cross through it.
“Forcing yourself to see your negative thoughts in black and white and then get rid of them will help you start a new cycle of positive thinking.
“Write down positive things about yourself and then do things that make you proud of yourself instead.
“Go for a walk, do a dance workout or cook a healthy meal, then write down how it makes you feel so you realise how positive healthy habits are for you.”
2. YOU ARE AN ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKER
Jeff says: “Recent studies have revealed that all-or-nothing thinking is linked to a lack of control with eating and an inability to maintain a healthy weight.
All-Or-Nothing thinking is “persistent exaggerated thoughts that are either, ‘I’m sticking to my food choices and losing weight’ or, ‘I’m completely off plan, binging on my favourite foods and a total failure.’
“Put simply, you are either starving yourself and doing all the exercise you possibly can, or binging on your favourite foods, eating big portions and refusing to exercise.
“This all-or-nothing thinking is linked to negative mental health and can seriously hinder your chances of losing weight.”
HOW TO OVERCOME IT:
Jeff says: “The first thing to do is acknowledge that you are an all or nothing thinker.
“Next, break down your healthy lifestyle goals into smaller, more manageable chunks to stop yourself becoming overwhelmed by all the change.
“Instead of, ‘Eat three small meals and zero snacks and workout every day’, try, ‘Cook dinner from scratch this week’ and, ‘Go for a walk tomorrow morning.’
“Write down your goals and each little success you have so that you can see the journey you are on and keep things realistic.”
3. YOU ARE SUFFERING WITH DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY
Jeff says: “There has been a huge amount of research over the last few years that has highlighted the link between depression and anxiety and weight gain.
“Early studies have found that people with a ‘healthy-weight’ find their weight fluctuates when they go through periods of low mood and depression.
“While this does not apply to everyone, it is increasingly common that those with a low mood find themselves gaining weight due to a cycle of mental health issues.
“When you experience a low mood you can often feel worthless, and this can lead to a ‘what’s the point’ attitude that sees you giving up on healthy habits and reaching for the foods you know are calorie dense.
“When you do this, the high calorie, processed foods cause a spike in your blood sugar and alter the chemical balance in your brain further, often leaving you feeling even worse afterwards.
“This becomes a cycle of worthlessness, seeing us reaching for more and more food.”
HOW TO OVERCOME IT:
Jeff says: “If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, the first thing you should do is speak to your GP or a mental health expert.
“As well as seeking professional help, you can also implement lifestyle changes to your day to prevent the worthless cycle.
“Start by trying to include daily movement into your life like walks, swimming or home workouts - these all increase self esteem by releasing feel good chemicals and hormones that improve low mood.
“Next, try and eat nutritious foods like vegetables, whole carbohydrates, fruit and protein.
“Not only will these improve your gut health and mood, they will also prevent the spikes and drops in mood that sugar and processed foods create.”
4. YOU ARE STRESSED
Jeff says: “Lots of us will use the phrase, ‘I’ve has a stressful day’ or, ‘I’m so stressed out’ but we often don’t take the time to stop and see if stress is impacting our weight.
“Stress has a huge impact on our mental health as it alters the chemical balance in our brain and can lead to other mental health problems like depression, anxiety, insomnia and low self esteem.
“When we are stressed we fail to release feel good hormones like dopamine, and instead release the stress hormone cortisol.
“This chemical imbalance not only causes inflammation in our bodies, it also prevents us from being able to make rational decisions as we are not in control of our emotions.
“Studies have found that overeating is a coping mechanism that people adopt to manage stress - and this is more common among those who are already overweight.
“The release of cortisol makes us more likely to reach for processed foods, foods high in sugar, and alcohol - causing weight gain.”
HOW TO OVERCOME IT:
Jeff says: “Start including stress busting lifestyle changes a few days a week.
“Exercise is huge for busting stress. Depending on your energy levels you could try home boxing workouts or calming yoga.
“Avoid high processed foods and try cooking from scratch to get more nutrition from healthy meals.
“Follow online meditation for beginners and do things that make you feel good like having a bath, meeting friends or even doing a puzzle.”
5. YOU ARE LACKING SLEEP
Jeff says: “It might not seem like a mental health problem, but a lack of sleep or insomnia can wreak havoc with our minds, and our efforts to lose weight.
“When we fail to get enough sleep (six hours and under) we can find it extremely difficult to lose weight.
“Tiredness makes us less efficient when it comes to metabolising food, and leaves us seeking energy elsewhere - usually in unhealthy foods.
“If we are tired we crave high energy foods that are high in calories - causing us to gain weight.
“We are also less likely to move our bodies when we are tired, meaning we stay still - burning fewer calories during the day.”
HOW TO OVERCOME IT:
Jeff says: “Get yourself into a regular bedtime routine.
“Start getting ready for bed at the same time every night and do this 30 minutes before you want to be in bed.
“Do the same things before you go to bed every night so your brain knows that sleep is coming.
“Adding exercise into your day can hugely help you sleep at night.
“Avoid eating too late and try and reduce screen time in the hour before you want to be asleep.”
