Busted! 3 myths about weight loss.

We’ve all been there, standing in front of a mirror or in a store dressing room or in front of our closet, wondering how come the weight just won’t go away. Well buckle up folks, because what I’m about to say is gonna turn everything you’ve ever thought about weight loss upside down!

Myth #1: If I eat what I really want I’ll gain weight.

The problem is that we have no idea what we really want. We eat when we’re sad, anxious, upset, lonely, frustrated, and bored. We want something that feels better, but it’s not clear what that is or if it’s even possible for us -so we eat. We eat when we’re hungry and when we’re not hungry at all. In truth, most of us no longer allow ourselves to even feel hungry. We’ve lost touch with what really, truly feels good to our authentic Self and to our body. So what to do? Try this: the next time you want to eat something, move beyond your mouth and instead, drop down into your belly to feel what’s really true for you. Your belly is a far better judge of hunger and the kind of food that would really feel good than your mouth will ever be. Why? Your mouth chases bright, shiny objects relentlessly. It’s always hungry, but often not for the kinds of things that are deeply satisfying to you. If you checked in with your body and ate what was deeply satisfying to your body, most of the time, how could you ever feel deprived? When you pay exquisite attention to what brings joy to your authentic Self and to how your body feels, you really can eat whatever you truly want.

Myth #2: You have to exercise a lot to stay at your ideal weight.

So let me ask you something. If you only ate when you were hungry, you stopped when you were full, and you ate what your body told you it needed the most- how could you gain weight? How would that be possible? It’s not. So, I invite you to reconsider all the reasons why you think you “have” to work out because those are the very same reasons why you hate to work out. The purpose of exercise is very simple:

1. To feel good – the simple joy of movement.
2. To train your body to be able to do something that makes you feel good!

Your body was designed to move- to flow. When blood, or water, or oxygen, or even your brain stops moving things become stagnant and then they start to break down and feel crummy. You exercise because, if you really pay attention, you will notice that moving feels better than not moving. And you exercise so that you can climb that mountain, run that race, see those beautiful muscles rippling, walk without getting out of breath, or to dance and express yourself. To feel good!

Myth #3: Losing weight and staying at your ideal weight is hard work!

The body does all kinds of complex things effortlessly without your help.

• It breathes even when you are sound asleep.
• It generates adrenaline instantaneously to get you out of danger.
• It spends 9 months diligently creating a perfect human being while you do nothing.

Why would you think that maintaining a healthy weight is the one thing that is hard for the body to do? It’s not. It’s simply that we don’t listen to it and then having a light body does become complicated and hard. You knew how to listen to your body and your authentic Self a long time ago, before food became a source of love, or comfort, or entertainment. Once you remember how to listen faithfully again, your ideal weight becomes effortless as well. I call this ability to stay true to what YOU and YOUR BODY really want, your internal fitness. So, if you’ve found yourself buying into these three myths, think lighter. Turn your scale upside down and instead, listen to how much your body can tell you and do for you- effortlessly! Lighten your mind, shift your habits, “takeoff” the weight forever.