Overcoming Weight Loss Doubt: It Can Be Done
By: Justin Coleman
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If you don’t believe something is possible, you will never make it happen. This is especially true for weight loss.
I was in serious doubt myself early last year. I had been 195lbs for the better part of 4 years. I didn’t have time for a rigorous workout routine with 2 kids at home and a full-time job. I liked food too much, and my family tree had a history of bad health and obesity.
Who was I to think that I could lose weight?
But then it happened.
I started the Noom Weight Loss Program and they taught me to believe from day 1.
As the pounds started melting off and I reached new lows (on the scale), I just couldn’t believe it.
Think I’m something special?
Think again.
Anyone can lose weight if you just overcome the doubts that are keeping you overweight. That and putting in a lot of effort and strengthening your willpower. But believing that it’s possible for you to be at a lower weight is the start.
Today, let’s take a look at some of the common reasons that people doubt that they are able to lose weight, and how you can overcome them and become your new, healthy self!
Doubt From Your Past Weight Loss Experience
It’s likely that if you are reading this article, you have tried weight loss programs in the past. Since you are here, I can also guess that those programs didn’t work for you, or at least the results didn’t stick.
Don’t worry. We’ve all been there.
You are not alone.
I myself have tried cutting out soda (which I still don’t drink to this day), eating cereal before a meal to cut back on eating bad food, exercise, eating salads, counting calories, weight lifting, running, fasting, weight loss shakes… you name it!
I haven’t tried many specific diet plans in my time; Keto, Whole 30, Atkins, etc. They all just seemed too extreme to be sustainable, and a lot of times they are.
You have to find the plan that works for you. My experience has lead me to educate myself through Noom with balanced diet, moderation, and more movement. You may be completely different, and that’s great!
Break the Doubt
Just know that because you have failed in the past, doesn’t mean you will fail again. You grow every day as a person, and that means that you are stronger than yesterday and can make more progress than you did in the past.
Maybe you just haven’t found what works for you yet. Never go into your next weight loss try with a bad attitude. Go in with the attitude of “This could be the one, if I believe and put in the effort.”
Health is worth striving for through multiple failures. Trust me.
Doubt From Health Reasons
Some people have health reasons why they gain weight and are unable to knock off the pounds. This makes it a lot harder for you to lose weight, since there is an underlying medical reason for your weight gain.
According to Medical News Today, there are several health issues that can cause weight gain.
Some of these include:
- Taking medications for issues such as seizures, diabetes, and high blood pressure
- Having Insomnia
- Going through a high stress time like when you are quitting smoking
- A thyroid disorder like hypothyroidism
My experience with medical issues and weight lies in my asthma.
I had bad asthma as a kid, and taking steroid treatments for breathing has also been known to cause weight gain.
It didn’t help that I ate like junk and drank 6 sodas a day either, though.
As I got healthier and my weight went down, my asthma symptoms lessened.
This is not the case with everyone with asthma, but I was a lucky case.
Break the Doubt
If you have gained weight because of a health issue, just remember to live a healthy life in the areas that you can control.
Exercise often.
Eat well.
Don’t drink your calories.
You will either persevere in your weight loss in the long-run (which may also help cure what ails you), or worst case scenario you will be giving your body the vitamins and energy it needs to operate by eating well.
No health issue is a good excuse for bad eating.
Doubt From Genetic Issues with Obesity
Genes do play a role in your weight, but it’s not the end-all-be-all answer.
Just because your parents and grandparents were obese and unhealthy, doesn’t mean that you will necessarily be.
I believe that more so than genetics, the environment in which you live plays a bigger role in your obesity than genetics.
I come from a line of unhealthy eaters.
Think southern home cooking. Fry bread and salty hamburgers. Homemade cookies and cake. I was in trouble from the start.
Diabetes and taking a ton of pills to combat medical issues runs deep in my family tree.
So does eating junk food, drinking soda, and having a general distaste for exercise.
Getting a salad to start a meal at a buffet and being asked “Where’s your food at? That’s not food!” isn’t exactly encouraging for weight loss.
Not knocking my family, because I love them, but sometimes being around people who aren’t careful with their health hurts you more than coming from a line of obesity.
If you come from a family where obesity runs rampant, not all hope is lost.
Break the Doubt
Just because your family has health issues, don’t resolve yourself to that fate. You make your own choices and you are responsible for your own health.
Can genes make it harder to lose weight?
They sure as hell can!
But if I can break family tradition and lose a total of 85lbs from my highest weight and reach an average healthy weight in the 160s, who’s to say you can’t as well?
Forget about your family issues and just do you.
Doubt About Being Too Busy To Lose Weight
Life is busy.
Trust me, I know.
I have 2 kids, a wife, a full-time job, I blog on the side, and also have a side business building websites. I also have this pesky habit of wanting to learn and read a lot of articles online.
My guess is that your schedule is similar if not busier than that!
Today’s world has us so busy that grabbing the quickest, cheapest thing so we can get to our next appointment is all too common (don’t get me started on why healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food).
I had thought for a long time that I didn’t have the time to meal plan, exercise, eat healthy, or lose weight. I felt doomed to failure.
If you are stuck in a busy schedule and a blur of office donuts, morning lattes, and a quick pit stop at Mcydees, there is hope.
Break the Doubt
Losing weight is just math. Intake less than you output in a day and you will create a deficit. Do this long enough and the weight will start to come off.
When I started Noom, as I mentioned, I didn’t feel like I had time to lose weight.
But with some adjustments to my eating habits and food choices, along with walking a little more, the weight began to come off.
I actually had more time than I did before I started the plan.
How?
I spent less time eating.
No time waiting in drive-throughs, at tables in a restaurant, or in lines.
Less time standing there with the fridge open trying to find the food that would give me the dopamine hit I was looking for.
On my program I planned out what I was going to eat that day ahead of time. A little time planning saves a lot of time deciding on the spur of the moment later.
Plus, spending family time walking around the neighborhood and to the park instead of parked in front of the TV helped me get extra exercise while still having the family time I needed.
Plan your food intake ahead of time. Take the stairs, and park a little farther away from your destination and walk more. Every little bit adds up!
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Doubt From Your Environment
Food pushers are all around you. Sometimes they are impossible to avoid.
Even your spouse can want you to sit down with a buttery bag of popcorn and watch the latest episode of Life According to Jeff Goldblum with them.
Your office likely has donuts in the break room every other day, and it’s always someone’s birthday, so cake abounds.
Even at family gatherings and parties you will find someone like Aunt Gerdy or your friend Jennifer who wants to absolutely make sure you eat a nice big helping of their Super Deluxe Lava Cake they made special for the occasion because it’s your favorite.
Danger of breaking your good health habits is all around you.
What’s a person to do?!!
Break the Doubt
Learn to say no. Learn to be nice about it.
You have to be able to let people know that you are starting a new chapter in your life where your health is a priority and you are unable to act as you have in the past.
On Noom I learned that you can have a little slice of that Lava Cake, but only if you plan it in your daily intake of calories and are smart about it. You have to have self control in these situations and know when enough is enough.
Set yourself up for success within your home environment by making sure you have healthy options available.
Even if your family chooses to have soda in the house and cheese dip in the fridge, you have to exercise your willpower and do what’s best for you.
Let them know that you are prioritizing your health so you need healthy options around, but don’t impose your will upon them if they don’t want to eat healthy as well. That will just create a grouchy home environment, and no one wants that.
You’ve Got This!
This article is not meant to make light of any of the issues and doubts above.
Overcoming doubt and losing weight is a major hurdle that everyone has to overcome in some way or another to reach their health goals.
I have overcome a good number of my own doubts, and trust me, some are still there as I turn to strength training and weight maintenance.
Just know that it’s an ongoing battle, and it’s worth it to keep up the willpower to win.
Break your doubts.
Find what works for you.
Succeed in your health goals!
Sound off in the comments below with what has been the hardest weight loss doubt for you to overcome thus far in your journey! Be sure to support others in the comments as well!
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