The Issue With Weight Loss as Your Goal
Most people who come to me for help, want to lose weight. Or if they’re at a weight they’re comfortable with, they are terrified they’ll put on weight.
Yet they also want freedom from food: freedom from obsessive thinking about it; freedom to eat what, when and how much they want; freedom from the shackles of the scale… freedom from all that food-related anxiety.
The dilemma is that if you want freedom from food-related anxiety and its correlating behaviours, you need to put your desire for weight loss on the back burner. This is really hard for people who have been tied into weight worries for so long, especially if you have derived social currency from weight loss in the past: thin privilege and weight-based discrimination are real.
I’m not saying you should not prefer to lose weight. What I am saying is that it isn’t helpful to have it as a goal if what you want is to be free from a dysfunctional relationship with food. And here’s why:
Your weight loss goals are far in the future
One of the problems with weight loss as the main focus is that the possible benefits you may derive from it are some time into the future. Talk about delayed gratification! You need to keep up your ‘good behaviour’ for quite a long time before you see any results.
Whereas if you pursue more short-term goals, you can get immediate benefits that keep you motivated to keep eating in a more empowered way.
I invite you to ask yourself: if you were to eat with attunement (meaning eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re satisfied, and eating whatever you want) what immediate benefits are you likely to experience? It could be things like:
- having sustained energy throughout the day
- clearer thinking – better focus and concentration
- freedom from obsessive thinking
- mood balance
- feeling connected with yourself
- greater ability to be present
- feeling more comfortable in your body (ie not overly full or stuffed; no bloating)
- immediate relief from symptoms certain foods may cause
The wonderful thing is that these benefits are available to you as soon as you eat with attunement – which could be as soon as your next meal! The more frequently you eat with attunement, the more frequently you’ll experience these benefits.
And there’s more. With consistent practice, you’ll gain more benefits! Like a sense of gentle (unforced) self-control; improved self-esteem through taking better care of yourself and greater peace of mind.
The thing is, if you pursue weight loss then if and when you’ve lost the weight, your motivation for any of the behaviours you’ve been practising dissipates along with the lost weight. You won’t have learned anything new about yourself: how to cope emotionally without resorting to food by default; how to meet your needs appropriately or how to listen to your body – and you’re unlikely to be free from obsessive thinking about your body and food.
Hi, I'm Vania.
I'm passionate about helping you break free from the exhausting cycle of yo-yo dieting, body shame, overeating, bingeing, and emotional eating.
For decades, I was at war with my body and food. It wasn't until I found an approach which didn't involve strict rules, diets and a focus on weight, that my relationship with food and my body transformed into one of ease and peace. There’s a lightness in living when food no longer holds power over your thoughts. If you're seeking that kind of freedom — where food becomes simple and life feels full — I’d love to walk that journey with you.
Work With Me Online Courses