holistic approach to weight loss

i think taking life as a whole is important

it depends on your goal though, mine is to feel healthier and be fitter, so losing weight is just part of that

In my experience, it can work to build anticipation before you start with the actual lifestyle changes you need to make in terms of nutrition and exercise, but it can also lead to procrastination because the perfect circumstances will never exist. I've learnt that making changes in terms of what I eat and how much exercise I get has a direct impact on how well I cope with my work and personal situation. The more you improve, the easier life gets overall. It's also a positive cycle and you're more likely to take small victories re weight loss as motivators for other aspects of your life. Work-related stress can be very well countered with exercise. If you hit a plateau, there will always be something else that you can take pride in. I never see weight and/or fitness as isolated from the rest of my life. That's what I understand as a holistic approach.

If I had to do this holistically then I'd never do anything because it wouldn't all line up - for me (not saying for you) it would be an excuse to not do anything.

Doing one little thing often leads to another for me. I cycled to work the last few of days which made me want to eat healthier so then I started bringing in salads for lunch. Today I did the same and left money at home so I wouldn't be tempted by snacks in the office.

Obviously different things work for different people, but it's too easy for me to procrastinate which gives me time to self sabotage.

I think there's a misrepresentation here of what it means to take a holistic approach. It certainly shouldn't mean that you don't do anything until everything is perfect.

Rather it means as well as looking at the direct cause (too much food in mouth) you look beyond that to the whys.

You look at your behavior and why you do what you do. You look at the patterns in your life and why they are the way they are. And then you make changes to those as well. Because when you're looking at things holistically you're looking at a feedback loop. Every change you make affects all other aspects.

Prioritizing which problems you deal with first, is also a good idea, but it's a fundamentally different concept.

I think there's a misrepresentation here of what it means to take a holistic approach. It certainly shouldn't mean that you don't do anything until everything is perfect.

Rather it means as well as looking at the direct cause (too much food in mouth) you look beyond that to the whys.

You look at your behavior and why you do what you do. You look at the patterns in your life and why they are the way they are. And then you make changes to those as well. Because when you're looking at things holistically you're looking at a feedback loop. Every change you make affects all other aspects.

Prioritizing which problems you deal with first, is also a good idea, but it's a fundamentally different concept.

Agreed.

Also, changing lots of things at once is a stressor in itself! I don't think weight loss in itself should be so hard you have to quit your job to do it.

Try changing small things, one at a time, and see what happens. If you are stressed at work, talk to your manager about reducing that. If like me you are a comfort eater, switch your favourite nibbles to something low calorie at the same time. That for me is an example of a hollistic approach to weight loss - treating both symptom (excess nibbling) and cause (stress) at the same time.

Exercise is also good for stress. You could try taking a walk in your lunch break - a break at lunch will reduce your work stress, you'll get some fresh (ish if you live in the city ) air.

These are just suggestions, you have to find what works for you. Go little by little and make changes in all areas of your life.

I think there's a misrepresentation here of what it means to take a holistic approach. It certainly shouldn't mean that you don't do anything until everything is perfect.

Rather it means as well as looking at the direct cause (too much food in mouth) you look beyond that to the whys.

You look at your behavior and why you do what you do. You look at the patterns in your life and why they are the way they are. And then you make changes to those as well. Because when you're looking at things holistically you're looking at a feedback loop. Every change you make affects all other aspects.

Prioritizing which problems you deal with first, is also a good idea, but it's a fundamentally different concept.

I agree with the above.

I have a very stressful family life and it certainly impacts on my physical health and vice versa. It's not going to change and there's no point waiting for it to get better before doing something about something else.

Eating well, doing physical activity you enjoy and being kind to yourself will pay dividends, not just for weight loss, but improving your self esteem or managing stress better for tackling something else.

Whilst it is a simple case of cals in/out for weight loss, I found there was little point of things in the long run if I didn't address my use of alcohol and junk food as a way of managing things and look at the reason I did it, rather than just reducing cals and beating myself up when I lapsed again.

Holistically the ONLY thing one needs to do to lose weight is just eat less than one burns. Don't need to make it any more complicated than that.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would have thought that as a certified personal trainer you would understand that the causes of people eating too much are varied and often psychological. I find it very surprising that you dismiss them so easily.

We tend to compartmentalize our lives... I suppose we learned it in school.. We went to reading, then Language, then Math, then... Certainly it is important to not lose sight of the big picture; honestly, there are those that weight control must be job one since they are morbidly obese and their very lives are threatened by it... Others have other priorities. In a truly holistic approach though, I would very well think that one would have to work on all segments simultaneously... Focus on de-stressing but part of that is the diet and exercise that comes from getting more healthy. Best wishes on your endeavors. i hope you find what works best for YOU... Only you can make that determination. Balance in All things.

Those are awesome tips. Thank you!!!

My pleasure