Depression - The Fourth Stage in Weight Loss!

Depression - The Fourth Stage in Weight Loss!

Depression is comprised of overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, frustration, self-pity and a belief that our hopes, dreams and plans for the future are no longer attainable. We may feel numb, sad beyond words and have a tremendous feeling of lack of control. This is the fourth stage of grief and, in this 5-part series; we are examining the similarities between the 5 stages of grief and the feelings we experience on our journey to successful weight loss.

Where are you in your weight loss journey? Have you given up and convinced yourself that it is impossible to change? Do you have an underlying doubt that you can succeed? READ MORE...

Throughout my life, I have tried most every diet imaginable. Each time I’d begin a new diet, I was determined that this would be the one that would bring about my success. Sometimes I would count down the days until I started a new diet; other times a wave of determination would wash over me and I would start a diet immediately.

Now, have you heard of a romantic and humorous musical entitled “The Music Man?” Written by Meredith Willson, and set in River City, Iowa, it boasts of Iowa stubbornness. Well, there is some truth to those words. Tapping into my good old-fashioned Iowa stubbornness, each attempt to lose weight was done with steadfast determination and an attitude of success.

Then, time after time, I would fall off my diet. Each time would culminate in a myriad of negative feelings. Feelings of failure would bring about sadness and depression and my energy level would plummet to lying in bed and feeling sorry for myself. Chemically, the lack of exercise and movement caused my endorphin level to fall and my motivation stalled. As my self-worth collapsed, self-hatred took hold and I began to binge. The diet would end, the emotional eating would take hold and I would continue to medicate myself with food until I had regained all the weight I had lost plus an additional twenty pounds. This was a vicious, insane cycle; like a merry-go-round from hell.

So how do we get out of this cycle? We must begin to change our way of thinking!

1. Eliminate the word “dieting” because the word itself indicates a beginning and an end. It allows our thought process to include a return to an unhealthy way of eating and dashes our hopes as we view the “end” as a failure.

2. Begin implementing the words “lifestyle change” as it does not have a beginning or an end. It signifies that throughout a lifetime we can change to a healthier way of eating.

3. Don’t expect perfection; we are human. We will stumble in our journey and skin our knees now and then. Forgive yourself quickly and easily; treat yourself with kindness.

Try thinking of it in the same context as learning to ride a bicycle. In your first attempts, you occasionally fell and scraped your knees. You were hurt but you got back up, learned what maneuver had caused your demise and then tried again. Each time you fell, your knowledge increased. With each attempt you implemented newfound wisdom. Your falls decreased and you eventually perfected your skills to ride your bike with ease.

This is how it is with a lifestyle change. Rather than expecting perfection, just accept that you will fall now and then. Examine the reasons and implement the plan to mitigate it the next time. If you were too hungry before eating and then overate, you will learn to eat regular meals and prepare some snacks. If you were lonely and ate to fill the void, you can map a plan to leave the house and visit some friends when that feeling returns. It’s all a learning process.

4. Rather than viewing exercise as a dreaded task, look to it as a new adventure. Broaden your social circle by joining a walking club or enter a volleyball league. Add some strength training and see how good you feel when you’ve targeted several muscle groups and completed the repetitions that will reshape your body.

5. Engage in an Internet support community, surround yourself with positive motivation and keep working towards your success. Envision a healthier you and BELIEVE; you are worth the effort!

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race". - Calvin Coolidge

In the words of Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never, never give up”

Related Articles -

Denial - The First Stage in Weight Loss

Anger - The Second Stage in Weight Loss

Bargaining - The Third Stage In Weight Loss!