We are so used to yo-yo dieting and following the latest fad, and ladies, I have to ask: does it ever work? The answer is no. And if you’re in the same boat, I want you to know that you’re not alone. Let’s talk about the five obstacles that actually prevent you from achieving sustainable weight loss.

 

5 Obstacles Preventing Us From Achieving Sustainable Fat Loss

1. Commit to the long-game strategy
2. Manage your stress or sleep
3. Maintaining your lean muscle mass
4. Stay accountable to yourself 
5. Reevaluate and recommit to your current goals

 

Mindset, Sleep, and Stress Levels Matter

Before we dive into these obstacles, I really want to stress that while you’ve likely heard that what you eat to lose weight and what you eat to maintain weight should be different - they’re not all that dissimilar. 

What actually causes the problem for your body is yo-yo dieting and following fad diets. These types of diets can lead to leptin resistance, which prevents your body’s ability to lose weight. The first obstacle you need to overcome, however, is getting your mindset and frame of mind right. You have to play the long game, there are no quick fixes.

Next, I want to talk about the importance of sleep and managing your stress levels. When your hormones work in overdrive and you’re not giving your body time to process through rest, you simply cannot lose weight. I talk about some of my favorite grounding exercises, including meditation and journaling, and why you should absolutely consider adopting some into your own wellness practice.

 

Keep Yourself Accountable

It’s also super important that you’re not losing your lean muscle mass when you’re trying to lose weight. You need to maintain your lean muscle. Make sure you’re including strength training in your workout routine and weight loss plan to prevent this loss.

You also need to be accountable on this journey. This could be accountable to yourself, and this is where checking in with your scale comes in handy, or it could be with an accountability buddy. Accountability is huge when it comes to staying committed to your weight loss journey.

Finally, it is vital that you periodically reassess, reevaluate, and recommit your goals. As your body changes, so will your health and fitness needs. Please keep checking in to see if you’re still on track to meet your goals - or even if your goals have changed!

Have you struggled to lose weight in the past? What were some of the reasons you didn’t reach your goals? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!

 

In This Episode 

• The difference between reaching your weight loss goal and retaining your weight [3:45]
• Why your body gets confused with yo-yo dieting [10:45]
• What happens to your body when you have leptin resistance [12:15]
• Some grounding exercises to manage your stress and sleep [18:00]
• Why you need to maintain your lean muscle mass during weight loss [19:30]
• When you might want to check in with a scale [27:00]
• How to be accountable to yourself [28:15]

 

Quotes

“Self-love and self-compassion are about creating a strategy for long-term, sustainable results.” [6:45]

“If you struggle, you think that you’re doing all the right things, and it feels like nothing works, there’s a good chance that there could be some leptin resistance.” [12:33]

“The problem with quick fixes is that we didn’t take enough time to actually get our mindset right. This is actually the biggest thing; we can retrain our body to lose body fat, we can train our body to gain muscle mass. But if we don’t have the mindset, that epic reason why we are doing this, forget it. All bets are off and this will be just another quick fix.” [14:13]

“I’ll tell you, all the studies out there show that those who weigh themselves once a week have better long-term, sustainable results because they’re accountable to themselves. That is one way that they’re able to stay accountable.” [28:19]

 

Resources Mentioned

Transform with Ali Novitsky: FREE Training Series

Join the Transform 4.0 Waitlist

Check out the full episode page here

Find Life Coaching for Women Physicians Online

Follow Dr. Ali Novitsky on Facebook | Instagram 

Subscribe to Life Coaching for Women Physicians on Apple Podcasts

Podcast production by the team at Counterweight Creative

 

Related Episodes

Episode 95: Choosing Health Not Diet Culture

Episode 82: Plateau...Friend or Foe?

Episode 70: Becoming a "Normal" Eater