Why weight loss just math.
Whilst we often search for complicated reasons for why we are overweight, in reality the reason is simple, it is because we are eating more than our body requires for fuel. If all of what we ate was utilized by the body, there would be nothing to store as fat. So if you are not not losing weight it is because you are either eating just enough that your body requires for fuel to maintain your weight, or your eating too much which is causing weight gain.
Sounds simply enough, but if this is the case then why isn’t it just simple math? Calories in, calories out? Why can't we just reduce the intake of calories by a certain number over a week and then we'll lose a 1kg of fat every single week?
If it were just calories in, calories out then 2 people at the same height and weight should technically be able to eat the same thing and put on or lose the exact same weight. But we all know that this is not true, as most of us, have those few friends, unicorns I like to call them that can eat whatever they want and never put on any weight.
The reason why it is not just calories in and calories out is because of our hormones. Our hormones impact our metabolism, and the sensitivity of these hormones will determine how one person will process food compared to another and what their requirement of fuel is.
Our hormones determine how often we get hungry and how easily we get full and so they are critical components to understand when we are trying to solve for weight loss. So often we blame emotional eating, but actually sometimes it is a hormonal imbalance that is causing us to overeat, that causes us to have what we call Over Hunger - the first driver of why we overeat.
So to start losing weight, we first need to identify if you have a hormonal imbalance and we need to we need to understand how your body deals with certain foods, how your body processes certain foods, how those foods affect your hormones. As different foods effect people differently and so we need to work out for your body what foods work for you.
The second driver, which causes us to over eat is Over Desire. This is when your desire for food is strong as a result of trained behaviour rewarded by Dopamine. This looks like when the food just tastes so good, we can’t seem to stop eating and it almost feels unconscious and that is because it is. Over time we have trained our brains to desire food and have been rewarded with dopamine. We have created habits, patterns, behaviours over time.
In order to lose your weight and keep if off for good you need to:
Reduce your over hunger by balancing your hormones and identifying what food work best for your body
Reduce the over desire you have trained your brain to feel over the years. We do this by learning how our brains work and the reprogramming the patterning we have developed over time
To start exploring Over Hunger and Over Desire, you can become curious and notice the reasons why you eat. Ask yourself:
Do you feel physically hungry when you eat?
When you do feel physically hungry, what do you find you are hungry for Chicken/Protein or sugar, bead, pasta?
Do you eat out of habit, breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Do you eat to feel or avoid feeling something - I personally notice that after working for a couple of hours I get an urge to eat something comforting, because my body needs a break from the work I have been doing.
If you want to learn more about Over Hunger and Over Desire and how they impact your ability to lose weight, click here to download my free course which digs into these 2 drivers and provides 3 steps you implement this week to start to reduce your over hunger and over desire, so you can start losing weight this week.
