Losing weight , like any other goal that you choose to work towards, can be stressful. On the surface, weight loss can be as simple as “Calories in, Calories out” and “Exercise more, Eat less”. But because of stress, it can be much more complicated than that.

A little stress can be good - it motivates you, pushes you, and keeps you on your toes. But if you are too stressed out, you lose your healthy habits, you sleep less, you skip workouts, and you eat highly palatable food for comfort. Your energy gets depleted which could have been used for self-control. Hormones are also induced which tells your body to store body fat. This creates a downward spiral that makes weight loss harder than it already is. In fact, stress has shown to have strong links with obesity.

If you’re experiencing the above symptoms due to stress, you should know that weight loss isn't meant to be like that. Here are some ways you can make weight loss less stressful and more manageable.

*Weight loss isn’t meant to be so stressful. Check out these tips to help you with it!*

1. Lose the Timeline

5 years from now, does it matter if it took you 3 months, 6 months or 9 months to get to your goals? No, right? What matters is whether you are able to achieve them or not. In the grand scheme of things, a few month’s delay in achieving your goal will not mean much.

If you find that you’re too stressed on meeting your goals, give yourself some flexibility on the timeline you had previously set for yourself. For example, if your goal of losing 5 kg in 8 weeks is causing too much stress, cut it back to losing 3 kg in 8 weeks.

Practically, this can be done by scaling back slightly on what you’re doing. Instead of working out 5 times a week, reduce it to 2 or 3 times a week. Instead of meal prepping every single day, do it 3 times a week. Focus on gradual loss instead. Although it will be slower, this can relieve a load of stress which is better in the long run.

*If you feel that trying to achieve your current goals is too stressful, you should review them.*

2. Stop Viewing Food as “Good” or “Bad”

In my previous article, I’ve mentioned the dangers of viewing food in such a manner.

Many times, we like to simplify our food choices by classifying them as "good" vs. “bad”, or “clean” vs. “dirty, without knowing its true nutritional worth. While restricting to only “good” or “clean” foods has shown success for some in the short-term, it is unlikely a long-term solution for the majority.
Studies have shown that this will lead to developing an unhealthy relationship with food, making weight loss more stressful. Our mindset on eating food is extremely important to our well-being. Looking at food as “good” and “bad” is overly simplistic and can lead to poor decision making, additional stress, and confusion.

Furthermore, there are no foods that if eaten once or twice, will measurably harm your body or cause you to gain significant amount of weight. Yes, some foods offer little nutritional value, like trans fat and artificial food. But these foods will only cause issues if they start to dominate your diet.

Remember - food is meant to be enjoyed and meant to help you live your best life. It is not meant to be feared nor meant to make your life stressful.

Thus, my recommendation is to include 80-90% of nutritious food in your meals first, and then add the final 10-20% of your "fun" foods after. This will allow more flexibility and less restriction, leading to more consistency, less stress, and long-term success.

*Labelling food as “good” and “bad” can only fuel stress.*

3. Say No to Extremes

Nutrition

Should you eat in a caloric deficit to lose weight? Yes! How about eating at very low calories (800-1200 kcal per day)? Absolutely not! As you eating lesser and lesser, your metabolism will drop, and your weight loss will plateau. Furthermore, eating at such low amounts can lead to many nutritional deficiencies, which will in turn lead to illnesses and diseases in the long term. This will further fuel stress.

Instead of removing food from your list, you should focus on filling up your plate with protein, fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense food, . This will make you feel full faster and longer, which can help to reduce appetite for other types of calorie-dense food.

Training

Does working out make you lose weight? For sure! But should you completely ditch your social life for fitness? Definitely not recommended, as it isn’t sustainable for many. This can also makes working out less enjoyable, which adds on to your stress.

One way to make working out more enjoyable and therefore sustainable is to include a friendly competition. Another way is to workout with a friend. These have shown to have major boosting power on achieving your fitness goals.

*Working out together will make the weight loss journey more enjoyable and less stressful.*

4. Forget Shortcuts and Fixes that Appear Too Good to be True

As you get stressed up, you’ll probably look for shortcuts and fixes to help you get out of that so-called weight loss ‘plateau’ you’re facing. Fat burners, detox teas, and magical diets that promise will work might catch your attention. But more often than not, these are just marketing gimmicks that probably will fail you. And when they do, it will cause you more stress, and the downward spiral begins.

Even though some of these products claim to be “backed by studies”, “clinically proven”, or “have shown significant results”, many of these are outdated or irrelevant. Companies are simply hoping that consumers wouldn’t bother reading them. However, it is important that you take a look at the studies in detail if you’re thinking of buying them. Also, make sure these studies are from credible online sources.

Some also try to grab your attention by boasting impressive results with statistics like “burns 30% more calories…” or “lose weight 25% faster…”. But what are they actually comparing it with? Burn 30% more calories than what? Are there studies with control subjects being done? These are some questions you should critically ask before thinking about purchasing such products.

As much as I hate to admit it, there are no shortcuts. The best way to lose weight is to stick to the fundamentals - eat right and exercise smart. More importantly, we need to know that weight loss needs to be sustainable. Even if some of these shortcuts do work, they do not last. What’s the point of losing weight only to put them back on after? This will only make weight loss more stressful.

*Always be wary of supplements that appear too good to be true. Do your research!*

5. Expect Obstacles

Having the right expectations allows you to better manage stress.

In this weight loss journey, many expect progress to be linear. They expect their scale weight to go down every week, to have motivation all day and to hit personal records every time they attempt one. But the truth is, nothing about this journey is linear. It is important to get our expectations about weight loss in check.

1) Your scale will go up and down - you won't lose weight every week.

2) You can wake up some days motivated as hell, but other days feeling like crap.

3) There will be ups, downs, stalls or even regresses.

4) You may even feel like throwing in the towel at various points of the journey.

But that's totally normal - don't freak out. Instead, pick yourself back up and try again!

I’ve experienced every single one of them before. I have seen my weight fluctuate over 2 kg each day. I’ve experienced days where I just want to laze in bed and not head to the gym. There are days where I get injured and my training plan goes haywire. And I’ve definitely experienced days where I felt like quitting. But these are part of the journey.

Remember - the only time you fail is when you give up.

*Keep picking yourself up when you get knocked down. Hard work will prevail!*

Conclusion

The reason why weight loss can be so stressful is because we have a too idealistic view of it. Weight loss is actually a long process. Take your time and enjoy the process. Eat some of your favourite food once in a while. Expect to make mistakes during this journey. Forget short-cuts that seem too good to be true.

Most importantly, don't give up! I guarantee that the end will be worth it!

P.S. - need a coach to personally motivate you? Drop me a message!