OUR ANSWERS TO YOUR TOP 5 WEIGHT LOSS EXCUSES

If you’re like many people, one of your New Year’s resolutions may be to finally lose that excess weight and improve your health. And if you’re also like many people, you might be trying to fight excuses that might prevent you from reaching your goals. We’ve been at this a long time, and trust us, we’ve heard them all! Luckily for you, we also have an answer to each and every one of them. Here are five of the most popular weight loss excuses and how to overcome them.

1) You don’t have enough time.

This is by far the biggest excuse for not giving weight loss its fair shot. It’s true, we are all busier than ever managing to keep multiple balls in the air, including family, friends, career, and finances. But the fact of the matter is that if you drop your health ball, none of those other balls will have a chance. So if you feel like you can’t find the time to make the effort to lose weight, then you need to MAKE the time to do it.

The good news is that it actually doesn’t require the amount of time you may be imagining. You don’t need hours sweating it out at the gym everyday or tilling soil for your own organically grown spinach. What you need is a plan that breaks out each hour of your day so you can see how you’re spending your time. We recommend starting out by making small changes to your existing time blocks. For instance, if you have an office job, consider making it a point to stand at your desk for a couple of hours to prevent long sitting time (a clinically-proven health hazard). During your existing lunchtime, trade known weight gain culprits (think high carb and high fat) for weight loss-friendly options (think lean protein and vegetables). You’ll see that you can make progress without having to change anything on your calendar. And we’ll bet anything that the positive improvements you’ll start to see will motivate you to shift some things around to expand your new found weight loss activities.

2) You always feel hungry

If you feel as though you have no control over your appetite, you may be completely discouraged at the mere thought of trying to lose weight. Of course you have the power to control your hunger cravings and not feel hungry all the time! In all likelihood it is your daily food choices that are actually perpetuating your hunger in a vicious cycle, and this has damaged your confidence in your ability to lose weight. Did you know that foods with high sugar or white flour content actually make you hungrier? By shifting to food choices that have better appetite control qualities, like those offering high protein and fiber, you’ll be amazed at just how much less hungry you’ll feel. The added bonus to these foods is that they do very good things for your overall health.

3) You don’t have the energy.

This excuse is strongly related to the first two excuses, so we’ll just repeat ourselves. The energy potential is there already  you just haven’t cultivated your body to take full advantage of it. Different choices in food and activity will begin the process of producing greater amounts of energy. You can also give that a boost by engaging in practices that aim to reduce high stress levels and improve sleep quality, which will rev up your energy engine. Again, the lifestyle choices that promote weight loss also boost energy, and you’ll feel them feed off each other in a very happy way.

4) You don’t know how to get started losing weight.

There are many factors that contribute to weight gain- what you eat, how much you eat, hormone imbalances, your metabolism, emotions, etc. The list goes on and on. Losing weight and keeping it off requires help, and there’s no person better qualified than your doctor. Scheduling an appointment with your medical provider for a weight screening, which may be covered by your insurance plan, is the perfect way to get started on your weight loss journey. If your medical provider is trained in weight loss, he or she will analyze your medical history and put together a weight loss plan tailored to your needs. Studies have shown that personalized weight loss programs and support from doctors contribute to greater weight loss.

5) Losing weight is too expensive.

Affordability may play a role in some weight loss plans, but it’s absolutely nothing to the potential financial burden you might experience down the line treating associated diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure. There are also weight loss options that appear to be a deal, but because they are not very effective they will just cost you more than they are worth over the long-term. That is why it is essential to look at the process as making an investment in your health via weight loss. When following a (non-surgical) medically based approach, you can be assured of its efficacy because it is completely tailored to YOU. Medicare and most private insurance plans also cover annual weight screenings and ongoing intensive behavioral counseling (for those with BMI of 30 or greater), so you’ll get a lot of financial incentive and support there.

If you still find yourself battling excuses and need help, hop on over to our Facebook page to share your specific challenges. Remember, excuses don’t have to exist if you don’t let them. Let’s start making those changes today?