Is Overthinking Your Biggest Weight Loss Barrier?

Are you familiar with the saying ‘a watched kettle never boils?’ Have you noticed that your phone never rings when you’re willing it to or that arrangements take ages to fall into place when you long for instant confirmation? If you’re on a weight loss mission, and it’s not going to plan, have you ever stopped to think that overthinking could be the problem? In this day and age, many of us obsess about losing weight, but is the number on the scale really what we should be thinking about?

Weight loss made simple

It’s no wonder that many of us get frustrated when we’re trying to lose weight. If you read the paper, flick through magazines and surf the Internet to find out more about weight loss, there’s every chance that you’ll come away feeling bamboozled. There is so much information out there, so many different diets, and so much conflicting advice. From the cabbage soup diet and tasteaholics keto diet to meal replacement shakes and the South Beach diet, it’s a minefield out there. How do you know what to believe and what really works?

Weight loss in its simplest form boils down to how much energy you use versus how much fuel you take on board. If you burn more than you consume, you’ll lose weight, and vice-versa. When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s really beneficial to have a grasp on calorie consumption, but you don’t need to spend all your time doing sums or worrying about hitting a specific calorie intake. Once you know the calorie content of your favorite foods, you can work out a diet that suits you. The aim is not to starve yourself. You can still eat a lot of food and lose weight. The key is to finding the right foods, and learning how to use the fuel you have in your tank.

Is dieting healthy?

Be honest. How many diets have you tried? How many have worked? Have you managed to lose weight and then keep it off? The success of a diet shouldn’t be measured by how much weight you drop in the first week. It’s about making long-term changes to your body that will benefit your health and your confidence. There’s no point in dropping two dress sizes if you’re going to put all the weight you’ve lost back on as soon as you start eating normally again. Find a diet that works for you. This doesn’t just mean getting good news on the scale. It also means making changes that enable you to feel happy. You don’t want to be miserable all the time because you’re depriving yourself of foods you enjoy. It’s easy to get obsessive when you’re dieting, and you may find it much more beneficial to adopt a healthy eating plan that isn’t quite so rigorous. Try and avoid diets that encourage you to cut out foods completely. If you can’t have something, there’s every chance that you will crave that food.

Most of us go through times in life when we want to lose weight. Sometimes, we lack willpower, and this is our downfall. But often, we overthink weight loss. If you’re obsessing about the scale, take a step back and relax. Focus on your healthy eating regime, stick with regular exercise, and be patient.