For years, fitness experts have been saying that there are no shortcuts to losing weight. One has to try a combination of exercise and eat healthily in order to stay in the prime of their health. But no one has ever claimed that their weight loss journey was a cakewalk, not even the determined coaches.
While you would think that dealing with cravings and pushing through workout sessions are the two biggest tasks, you cannot be more wrong. Losing weight is also about emotional and mental well-being. Poonam, a weight loss coach, who herself has lost 9 Kg shared 5 hurdles in the journey of losing fat.
Hurdle 1: Emotional Eating
Poonam shared that for many people food becomes a coping mechanism. Whether a person is stressed, bored, feeling sick, or experiencing other emotions, they feed badly. "They end up feeling bad for eating junk (food) and get more stressed," she added.
According to Mayo Clinic, major life events and everyday hustle trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating, and it can disrupt your weight loss efforts.
Hurdle 2: Being Impatient
"We start to over-restrict ourselves and follow crash diets to get results as soon as possible. These diets cannot be maintained long-term, and when we quit, we gain back all the weight we lost," explained Poonam.
This often impacts the morale, and people start thinking that they cannot lose weight, irrespective of what they eat. However, one often fails to understand that a weight loss journey requires patience, and there is no magic potion that can instantly do wonders for you.
Hurdle 3: Trying To Fit Into Circle
When you go out with friends, and you want to be likeable, you would go to lengths to fit in. This could be challenging for people on their weight loss journey. It can become extremely difficult to follow a diet and fitness routine when you are trying to be a part of a social circle that does not understand your goals.
"The fear of not fitting in often leads us to engage in activities we don't want to, making it even harder to change our habits and stick to our weight loss goals," explained Poonam.
Hurdle 4: Lack Of Support
Losing weight without the support of your loved ones is difficult. Explaining the issue, Poonam wrote, "We often hear family say, 'Tere se nahi hoga, thoda sa kha le, ek baar mein kuch nahi hota. Ek hi to zindagi hai, khayegi nahi to kaise enjoy karegi'."
This can be demotivating, but you should not let anyone tell you what you should do or how you should lose weight (except for the experts). "They (family and friends) will get used to your habits after some time. Just keep doing what you are doing," she added.
Hurdle 5: Unrealistic Expectations
"We often have unrealistic expectations by looking at some fitness models," explained Poonam. This is probably the worst thing that you can do to yourself, your confidence, and your body.
Everybody is different, and everyone has a different weight loss journey. The shape of your body has a lot to do with your genetics, and you can't be competing with someone else who has been exercising and dieting for years. Unrealistic goals often create a bubble that bursts and can leave you demotivated.
If you are working on yourself to stay fit, listen to what your fitness coach is advising and don't give up. With patience and grit, you will surely achieve fitness goals.
Also Read | How This Woman Lost 22 Kg Without Gym Or Fancy Diet
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