Emotions and Weight Loss: How to Heal and Lose

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Emotions and Weight Loss: How to Heal and Lose

For many people, losing weight is not just a simple matter of changing their diet and exercise habits. There is often a whole slew of emotional factors that come into play too. Emotions and weight loss can create a tangled web of confusion, especially when your emotions cause you to eat too much and sabotage your efforts.

Below are a few simple strategies for dealing with emotions and weight loss:

Go easy on yourself.

Emotions and Weight Loss: How to Heal and Lose

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First, remember that you are only human, and humans feel emotion. There’s no shame in that. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling emotions, and don’t try to repress your emotions by eating. When you learn to listen to your emotions, weight loss is much less complicated because you process feelings in healthy ways and avoid using food to deal with them.

Make smaller changes.

Sometimes turbulent emotions arise when you try to take on too much, too soon. Weight loss itself can trigger uncomfortable emotions, like feelings of vulnerability or fear. The antidote to this emotional upheaval is to go slower. Don’t try to lose ALL of your excess pounds overnight. Simply take your time, allowing your emotions and your body to adjust gradually to the changes you are making.

Honor and express your feelings.

If you are in the habit of repressing your emotions, weight loss might be more challenging for you because you’ll be besieged by constant cravings for comfort foods. Learn how to honor and express your feelings through writing or verbalizing them. When you give yourself permission to express anger, fear, resentment, and sadness, you move easily through them and come out the other side feeling empowered. Weight loss becomes smooth and easy, while your emotions remain calm and stable.

Emotions may have the power to unsettle you at times, but they do not have the power to limit or stop your weight loss, unless you choose to handle them in unhealthy ways.