The Spiritual Reason You Aren’t Losing Weight

Are you one of those people who has tried EVERY diet only to A: not drop a pound or B: gain it all back right away? Why oh why can’t you get to your goal weight and stay there?!

I’m willing to bet it’s NOT because of:

Your genetics

You lack willpower

Your “addiction” to sugar

Lack of exercise

Too much of something

Too much of ANYTHING

It goes much deeper than all that. Let me break it down…

You have your conscious mind and your unconscious mind. In general, only 5% of your brain activity is conscious. That means the majority of our thoughts and behaviors are unconscious. So, consciously you may be convinced that losing weight is what you desire and would be the best thing for you. Still, your unconscious mind is constantly influencing your behaviors and if it has any reason it doesn’t believe losing weight is in your best interest, there will be resistance.

You might be thinking, “Why the hell would a part of me sabotage my goals to get healthy?” Well, this isn’t actually what is happening. In truth, this part of you is trying to protect you, not harm you. We have to remember what extra weight is in the first place. Protection. And if any part of you-unconsciously- sees a danger or threat involved in you losing weight, it’s gonna drag its feet or come up with excuses to skip the gym/eat an extra serving/hold on to extra pounds.

Looking back I realize I unconsciously used food to numb from ANY uncomfortable feelings and binge eating was what was keeping me from holding on to unwanted chub. If I were to actually stop overeating I would have had no way of numbing that pain and instead I would have had to feel it….cringe. And since I didn’t have any tools at the time to uncover what was going on on a deeper level, it felt much easier to numb it than to face it. This kept me coming back to the binging cycle when dieting/healthy eating/starving myself left me feeling too vulnerable.

It may be that:

• part of you feels like the weight loss won’t last so might as well just stay as you are
• you fear the attention you might receive if you actually reached your goal. You’ve been able to hide for so long, how would it feel to actually be seen?
• you won’t have an excuse to put off doing the things you said you’d do when you lost weight
• you will be left feeling vulnerable or having to face deeper issues

So now what? Must you just accept this internal battle and hope the team you are consciously rooting for wins?

Nahhh…I got you. Here is where to start:

1. Have compassion– Remember that this part of you that is in opposition with your conscious goals has your best interest at heart. It wants to keep you safe. It’s like an overprotective parent hovering over their child for fear that something will happen. Don’t be angry with this part of you when you notice yourself slipping into self sabotage behavior. Have compassion instead.   
2. Speak to it– Open up a conversation. Thank this part of you for all its done to try and keep you safe but assure it that you can handle things from here.
3. Don’t resist– Acknowledge the fears and worries that are coming up. These voices and opinions may never go away. There is no use in creating more resistance by trying to banish them. Instead befriend them and hear them out. You don’t have to believe them or buy what they are selling.
4. Get conscious– What are some reasons you may be holding on to extra weight or returning to unhealthy behaviors to keep you locked in this cycle?

Holding onto extra weight is a symptom of a deeper issue, it’s not the real issue. When you look deeper and begin to heal the wounds and beliefs causing this symptom, weight loss will be a natural side effect.