EP. 21- Weight loss STRESS- it’s time to ditch it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

---

My own shenanigans are the inspiration for this podcast.

I recently experienced something that I had not experienced in a very long time: stress about weight.

Just because you have the tools doesn’t mean that you are not human and you are not going to have these very real moments.

If you have moments like this, nothing has gone wrong. You are human.

Just remember, your weight is not the cause of your stress. Your thoughts about your weight are the cause of that stress.

For me, that stress became a little red flag, like an internal gauge saying “hey, something’s going on.”

You are creating the stress for yourself. Your thoughts are creating your feelings. If you can be aware in that moment when it feels so real, it’s so empowering.

Nothing’s ever a problem until you think it’s a problem.

I was having a thought that where I’m at should be different than what it is. I was wanting a result by now.

The core belief if you are feeling stressed or worried or anxious or frustrated or dissatisfied or impatient about your weight is that it should be different than what it is. Things should be different than they are.

It’s that belief that causes the stress, the impatience, the upset. Not the weight.

Do you believe that your weight loss process or rate should be different than what it is?

Remind yourself you are human. Give yourself permission for a little compassion, patience, understanding and to feel whatever is going on. Being human is a full spectrum of emotions. It’s not rainbows and unicorns all the time.

Shift the way you’re thinking about it.

Make the decision to shift the way you’re thinking about it. Enough is enough. Decide that you’re going to be so proud of where you are today.

Nothing external has to change. Choose to be proud of all that you’ve done and give your body nothing but love and patience and pride to be where it is.

It is a choice and you get to generate that.

You get to decide how you feel about your weight, your weight loss and the results you have currently. If you are feeling stressed, it’s because of this core belief that your weight, your life, should be different than what it is. You should be in a different place from where you are.

There is no point in arguing with reality.

That’s what that belief is. Being upset about reality and having those upset thoughts about it. Of course, that’s stressful! Anytime you argue with reality you will always lose.

The most useful and powerful things I ever did was to truly accept where I was. I do this continually on a day-to-day basis.

Acceptance is not complacency.

It’s not the same as not believing you can achieve something. When we are not able to accept in a loving, understanding, compassionate way where we truly are—which is reality—it is hard to move forward without sabotaging your results.

You’ll be moving forward and taking action from a place of feeling stressed, worried, frustrated, anxious, overwhelmed.

More than likely, if you’re someone that struggles with weight, you are or have been an emotional eater. So if you’re feeling really stressed, impatient, frustrated? You’re probably going to want to eat as a relief from that feeling.

Recognize that and call it out. Allow yourself to recognize that if you want to eat 3 bowls of popcorn right now, something is up.

Ask, “What am I choosing to think that is making me feel this way?”

It is a practice.

You can start little by little. Remember you are human. It’s not about perfection. Taking the new tools, intentionally managing your thoughts and choosing how you feel about your weight is something to be practiced over and over again.

Food=relief is a LIE

We have this idea that food will make us feel better. “I feel stressed, I want a cookie.” The thought behind that is that, “food will make me feel better.” But the truth is that food is a temporary relief with unwanted consequences.

Be patient with yourself. It’s all a process.

But you don’t have to stay stuck. It’s so worth it to apply these tools and create new results. You can change your life by doing this intentionally.

If you are telling yourself a story about how your progress or results should be somewhere else than where you are, you can change that story.

Choose to feel super proud of where you are.

Just because you feel bad or made a poor choice, does not mean you cannot choose differently today.

It’s never too late to choose differently.

Homework:

Feel the feelings instead of seeking the temporary relief and distraction in food.

You are strong enough to handle uncomfortable feelings. If you still feel overwhelmed, impatient or frustrated, sit with the feelings. They are just feelings, they pass, you can be with them. Things get messy sometimes, but it’s more empowering to tell yourself that you can handle the discomfort. You can handle any feeling.

Congratulations!

You are learning new tools to help with managing your thoughts and feelings intentionally. You are learning to be uncomfortable without seeking temporary relief in food. Little by little, the way that you think about things is changing.

You are strong enough and more than capable to experience anything and all of it. You are an amazing human and you do not need a cookie or cupcake to get you through it.

We are all on the journey, let’s continue to grow and make new choices together. We can create great results together.

Send me an email at to share your progress at Brenda@brendalomeli.com

---