Here’s the number one reason you’re not losing weight
Let me tell you a story about Mary. During our first coaching session she said, “I really want to lose weight and become fit, but I don’t want to torture myself. It’s just not worth it.”
For Mary, losing weight felt like stress, deprivation, and overwhelm. She’d spend months sticking to a diet and working out like crazy just to drop a few pounds. Even after she reached her goal weight, she never felt happy. She still obsessed over calories, macronutrients, and exercise because she feared the weight would return.
And over time it did. She couldn’t force herself to go through the same struggle again. Sound familiar?
Mary’s not alone. Most people believe weight loss is a never-ending battle. And if you hold onto that belief, guess what? You’ll prove yourself right. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
Limiting beliefs are your biggest block to weight loss.
Here’s the truth—when it comes to losing weight, deep-rooted, limiting beliefs are your worst enemy.
You may desire something consciously, but something in your subconscious mind is stopping you from having what you want.
And until you clear that limiting belief, weight loss just won’t happen.
Unlike your conscious mind, your subconscious never sleeps. It stores all your early childhood experiences and your reactions to create your core programming.
So if someone told you as a kid you weren’t good enough, not lovable, or smart, all of that becomes part of your subconscious programming.
The reality is you operate on this outdated program most of the time. And the more you repeat a limiting belief, the deeper it’s ingrained in your system.
Expose your limiting beliefs by asking why.
So how do we overcome limiting beliefs? First, you need to uncover them. Here’s a simple exercise to help you out.
You’ll need about 15–30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Just take out your journal or a piece of paper and finish the following sentence (write at least five answers):
I can’t lose weight because ____________.
Then for each answer ask yourself WHY.
For example:
I can’t lose weight because it’s hard.
Why is it hard?
Because I would have to starve.
Why would I have to starve?
Because I can only lose weight by starving myself.
Here are some common underlying beliefs that I often hear my clients say:
I’ve never been slim. It’s just not possible for me.
I’ll be deprived of my favourite foods.
Everyone in my family is big. It’s in my genes.
If I’m thin, my sister may feel sad because she isn’t.
I want to lose weight but I just don’t believe I can be successful at this or anything.
I’m afraid to lose weight and become thin because men will find me attractive and take advantage of me.
I have a slow metabolism.
Even if I do lose weight, I can’t keep it off.
Negative self-talk forms the basis of our self-sabotaging behavior. Writing down those beliefs and shining a light on them is the first step in taking away their power.
How to neutralize and release your limiting beliefs.
Now that you know your limiting beliefs, the first step is to find evidence that undermines their validity.
Right now, your limiting belief is backed by an experience that’s giving it power.
For example, if you believe you’re not good enough, an experience might sound like:
My grades were never enough for my father. He constantly made sure I knew I was a failure.
Now try to come up with an alternate explanation for this experience. Something like:
Maybe my father was the one who felt he wasn’t good enough. Maybe he was embarrassed by my mistakes because he was the one who felt like a failure and I simply adopted this belief from him.
Once you come up with an alternative narrative, find evidence and proof to back up the new story.
Continuing with our example, you can ask yourself: How am I already good enough?
Then list your successes. Really dig deep for proof and evidence. Write these down and continue to reference them whenever you find a negative thought creeping in.
Take the weight off your mind, not just your body.
So what about Mary?
We collaborated on improving her mindset, enabling her to cultivate new habits. We tackled her self-limiting beliefs, transforming her thought and behaviour patterns. As a result, she’s now regained her sense of happiness. Despite feeling adrift initially, she realigned with her true self, leveraging her newfound skills. Mary now meal preps like a pro, exercises 3–4 times a week, and is dedicated to daily self-care. She maintains this lifestyle to this day and thoroughly enjoys it.
Did I mention Mary also lost 100 lbs!?
When you only rely on diet and exercise, you’re forced to use willpower as motivation. But when you work with the subconscious mind and clear all those underlying beliefs and emotions, losing weight suddenly becomes easy.
If you need help getting over your limiting beliefs, my Reboot Your Life Mentorship will get you there faster. I’ll help you reprogram your subconscious so you can knock out self doubt and reach your weight loss goals.
