I lost about 80 lbs (250 -> 170) in 2018-19, and after lockdowns, working a job with longer hours, gyms being closed for months, food delivery being easier and cheaper than ever, I slowly crept back up to 210 lbs. I’m a 29 y.o. guy by the way.
I noticed a huge difference in my mental health that I never thought was related to my physical health before. When I’m overweight and eating without any regard to my health I feel more depressed, less in control, and more prone to mood swings. This could be due to the chemical reactions in my brain from all the sugar, fat, carbs, etc., but I think it is pyschological - how can I respect myself if I don’t even respect my own physical body? By choosing to not care about what I’m doing to myself, I’m subconciously telling myself that I’m not worthy of care. This just reinforces my depressive thoughts and keeps me in a downward spiral of binge eating to satiate the sad feelings and then feeling worse because I binged. Rinse and repeat.
I remember how good I felt when I was at my physical peak - lots of energy, positive, more outgoing, able to deal with stresses easier, and not obsessing over negative feelings. Setting goals and achieving them and then setting new goals, like a 7-min mile, or doing 15 pull-ups. I think more than losing the belly fat I’d like to get back to that state of mind, where I am treating myself with respect by not stuffing it with donuts, ice cream, etc (plus, now that I am getting older those foods wreck havoc on my digestion).
I initially lost weight for more superficial reasons; wanting to look better and receive more positive attention from people. Then I realized the benefits of good health, but I never saw it as an act of self-love. I got complacent with where I was and thought I could maintain without consciously trying. I was wrong. Now that I’m getting back on track I want to stay focused on this idea. Every time I go to the gym, every time I cook a healthy meal, every time I say no to junk food, every time I come back from a run sweaty and tired - I’m subliminally telling myself that I am worthy.
I hope maybe this speaks to you too and your weight loss journey. I think reframing getting physically healthy as a way of improving mental, emotional, spiritual health will be how I finally stay committed.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/VY7P6jMvF
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