Weight loss is hard because it usually means cutting down on our favourite, high calorie foods, and this leaves a big gap.

We need to be mindful of that gap, as if we don’t fill it with something, our efforts won’t last very long. So what can we do?

One of the main reasons that we become overweight or struggle to lose it is that in today’s society and in our lives, food and drink take a much bigger space in our lives than is healthy for us. Partly due to soothing our emotions, partly socialising and celebrating, and partly simply because it’s NICE, and we are hard-wired to desire food.

Let’s face it head on. We can’t eat and drink as much as we like of the foods we want to, especially those that are high in calories, AND be the weight that we want to be.

We are hard-wired to enjoy food, and hard-wired to eat as much of it as we can, and for a variety of reasons.

Unfortunately in this modern world, where food is everywhere, and in larger quantities and higher in calories than ever before, that’s simply not sustainable or healthy, and weight gain is the obvious result.

We need to accept that we can’t eat and drink as much as we like of the foods we want to, especially those that are high in calories AND be the weight that we want to be. Until we accept this fact, nothing is ever really going to change. But it’s oh so hard to do that, isn’t it!

So we know we need to reduce the role food and drink takes up, but in doing so we take away some of the joy in our lives, and our ways of coping with various emotions. The difficulty is that a strong part of us doesn’t want to do that, because they are our go-to behaviours for dealing with various situations and feelings, as well as giving us pleasure, satisfaction or soothing in the moment.

So if we want to be successful we have to accept that we have to reduce the role food and drink takes up, but ALSO find something to replace it with, that we enjoy just as much, but that is healthy and that can help us to manage various situations in place of food.

Physical activities are obvious choices for many, but this doesn’t have to be formal exercise. Just simply getting up and moving and going outside to places where we can appreciate our surroundings can be helpful.

And while moving is so important for good health, there are also many different activities we can engage in that don’t involve physical activity but can still keep us occupied, and give us the joy that we used to get from food, and keep ourselves occupied.

We are ALL intelligent and resourceful.

As humans, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are highly intelligent, resourceful beings, and there are many things we can do, that don’t necessarily cost lots of money but will keep us busy, engaged, and distracted from heading to the kitchen. We just have to use our imagination.

If you look around you at people who have been successful with weight loss in the long term, you will see a recurring theme, that they have found other, positive things to do in their lives and food takes more of a back seat.

My personal favourites are running, weight training, walking my dog, doing jigsaw puzzles, online gaming, knitting, reading, and just getting outside and enjoying nature either in my garden or walking in the local countryside or by the sea.

Setting and working towards challenges are a good way to stay engaged in these activities so that they become more important than getting the takeaway, or raiding the cupboards or the fridge.

It was starting with my first 5k Race for Life in 2007 that gave me the running bug and to this day I have amassed a huge collection of medals. Running isn’t too compatible with overeating, so it certainly helped me!

Whatever we choose, it needs to be things that we will want to do for life, so that we fill that gap and don’t miss the food and drink. If they are physical, they can also help us to appreciate so much more the benefits of losing weight. You can choose as many things as you like.

There are also practical changes that we can make to how we eat which means we can still enjoy our food and drink, while at the same time eating less. Check out my book How to Eat Less for some great practical tips that I use myself, which are easy to remember and apply.

So now you know what works for me… what about you? Let me know what you do, or are thinking about doing. I personally read and respond to all emails sent to me and I’d love to hear from you.

Join the YourOneLife Community

If you found this article helpful why not join the YourOneLife Facebook Group, if you haven’t already? I regularly share posts like this, that can help you to challenge and change your mindset and improve your knowledge and skills when it comes to losing weight, and they often help with other areas of our lives that we might want to change too. It’s free to join and very friendly, non-judgemental and supportive.

See you there!

Claire x

PS If you found this helpful, you will LOVE my Programme… I’ve released a DIY version for just £47, check it out!