Episode 188: Love Your Body at Every Stage: The Key to Lasting Weight Loss Success

[00:00:00] Welcome back to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss, where I help you get on track and stay on track with your weight loss journey. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly. So let's get started.

[00:00:27] Welcome to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast, the podcast where we celebrate every curve, every stretch mark, and every step of the journey. Because loving your body isn't about waiting until you reach a goal. It's about embracing yourself right now. So today we are talking about loving your body through every stage of weight loss. Many of us believe we'll only be happy once we reach our goal weight.

[00:00:57] But true success comes from learning to love and respect our bodies at every stage of the journey. Now, when I had a fluff attack, I had lost weight and maintained it for a few years. But then I was put on a weight promoting medication. And over four months, I gained a lot of weight. And during that time, I started to get down on myself. I said a lot of negative things to myself.

[00:01:23] I said things to myself that I would never say to one of my patients or even to a friend. And you know, I had to check myself and remind myself that, hello, obesity is a chronic disease. And when you are put on medications that are known to have you gain weight, it will happen.

[00:01:41] But I need to focus on my healthy habits and stay positive and stop being so negative. And that's why it's so important for us to love our body, regardless of where we are in our weight loss journey. There's a quote from the Bible, Proverbs 23, 7, that says, as a man thinks, so does he become.

[00:02:04] When you have negative self-talk, it can lead to self-sabotage. You may feel that because you're not doing so well, that I don't need to even focus on eating better or exercising. I mean, how many times have we done that? We're like, well, what's the use? I'm not losing weight anyway. So a lot of times these negative self-talks can lead to self-sabotage.

[00:02:27] There was a study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and it found that individuals who practice self-compassion were more likely to stay motivated and committed to their goals, even after setbacks. Researchers discovered that self-compassionate people were 25% more likely to maintain consistency in their habits compared to those who were self-critical.

[00:02:53] So it is important to give yourself some grace and practice self-compassion. I will admit, there are common struggles that we have with body image, especially during the journey. And these struggles could be feeling discouraged by slow progress. You thought you would have lost more weight, but you only lost one to two pounds. Or you notice that now that you've lost weight, you have more loose skin or your body changes. I have one lady, she's like, my butt is gone.

[00:03:22] Like, it's just the small things. And so these struggles can affect how you feel. They can affect how you look at your body. But like I said, you have to love yourself and love your body regardless of where you are. Another thing that I see with my patients is sometimes they compare themselves to other people or the past versions of yourself. If you are 40 and you're losing weight and you're still losing it, but just slowly.

[00:03:47] And you remember how it was when you were in your 20s and early teens and you just lost weight like that. Sometimes you feel like, oh, I'm not doing enough or I'm not losing fast enough. Or if you look at somebody else who's lost 20 pounds and you've only lost five. Sometimes comparing ourselves to others or even past version of ourselves can lead to such negative self-talk. But let's talk about how we can practice body positivity.

[00:04:13] So the first way, let's say before you start losing weight, it's going to be important to shift your mindset. From I'm doing this as a punishment to I'm doing this for self-care. I'm trying to lose weight. I'm trying to change my lifestyle because I love me and I want to be the healthiest. Set your goals based on health and strength versus a number on the scale. I'll be honest with you. I have a particular number that I want to be. I've never gotten that number at all.

[00:04:41] But I had to focus on things that matter, which is, hey, I'm feeling so much better. I'm able to move more. I'm running faster. Focus your goals on things that matter. If you notice that your blood pressure is coming down, your doctors are giving you props because your diabetes is better improved. So focus on that, too. And let's say if you have more energy. So that's important to you. When you start losing weight, shift your mindset.

[00:05:10] Focus on things that not necessarily that matter, but it's more than just the number on the scale. While you're trying to lose weight, it's going to be important to celebrate those non-scale victories. Having more energy. Being able to lift a little bit harder. My clothes fit better. Clothes that I had years in which they were really tight. Now they're loose. People are coming up to me like, are you losing weight? You could see it. It's important to focus on those non-scale victories.

[00:05:38] Also avoid self-criticism. Your body is still working hard even if you're not seeing the progress that you want to see. Focus on completing the goals that you set out versus that number. And also focus on what your body can do, not just how it looks or what you can't do. I have a lot of people who are suffering with knee pain, back pain, or hip pain. And sometimes by focusing on what you could do, I may not be able to walk long because of my hip,

[00:06:08] but if I can do upper arms or if I can do chair exercises just because my back may be hurting too much. These are things you can do versus what you can't do. I had a patient, he had been trying to get hip surgery for years, but the doctor was like, you have to lose so much weight. You have to be under a certain level. And he worked hard. Like he couldn't move. He was technically bed bound, but he would do his stretches. He would keep moving. And he made his goal.

[00:06:35] So it is important too to focus on what you can do, not what you can't do. And after you see that significant weight and you're adjusting to the new body and accepting your changes, sometimes dealing with loose skin can be a little overwhelming. You'd be like, oh, now I have this loose skin. Set realistic expectations. Love who you are. Continue to nourish and move your body out of love and not out of fear. Most importantly. Now let's talk about some ways of how we can love our body every day.

[00:07:04] The first way is having daily affirmations and gratitude practices. Sometimes I like to get a little journal and just write what I appreciate about the day or just what I'm thankful for. And you can say, I appreciate my body for carrying me through the day, for allowing my heart to beat, my lungs to move so I can get through what I need to get done. And then having sometimes those affirmations on your window or your mirror in the bathroom, just so you can see that and remind yourself of why you should have more gratitude towards your body.

[00:07:33] Also dressing for confidence at every size. So even if you are a larger size, wearing clothes that make you feel good. And as you start to lose weight, buy a new outfit so you can be like, yes, I look good. And not just wait until you lose weight to buy that dress. No, buy something that makes you feel confident, that makes you feel good. So when you put it on, you look yourself in the mirror, you can be like, I look great. And loving yourself. Avoid triggers.

[00:08:02] Sometimes social media can be helpful. You can have people who are encouraging you. And sometimes it can be detrimental. Because sometimes when you see other people and their weight loss and you look at yourself, you're like, well, I'm not losing weight. That can be detrimental. So avoid those triggers. You can actually curate a body positive feed by searching for more body positive posts, following people online who are talking about body positively and being positive.

[00:08:30] And just things that have some uplifting accounts. And then next, make sure you're nourishing and moving your body out of love and not hate. Don't think of it as a punishment to go to the gym. Think of it as like, hey, this is my opportunity to spend time with myself. Get some clarity. Exercise a little bit. Get the stress down. So focusing on moving not for punishment, but for love. Eating to fuel you and not to restrict. Making sure that you're eating foods that are more healthy for you.

[00:08:58] And then also focusing on more of the joy and the fact that you're improving your body through your movement. So in conclusion, there are three takeaways I want you to leave from here. Is that you can love yourself and lose weight at the same time. You don't have to wait until you reach your goal. You can start to love yourself now. Now, celebrate your progress in ways beyond the scale. Focus on those non-scale victories.

[00:09:27] Treat your body with kindness through movement, food, and self-talk. Have your daily affirmations. Make sure you have a gratitude journal where you can write down the things that you are grateful for. You deserve to love yourself and every step of your journey. Because weight loss is about gaining health, confidence, and self-respect. Not just losing pounds. But until next time, thank you so much for joining us today. And take care and take some time for yourself and be kind to yourself.

[00:09:56] Thank you again for joining us on the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast. If you like this episode, please share it with others. Like it and subscribe. And don't forget to leave a five-star review. And we'll see you next time.