Maintaining a healthy weight can improve your overall health and help you feel your best. It significantly minimises the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, and boosts longevity.
A healthy weight also improves mental health by reducing the risk of depression and anxiety.
That being said, maintaining good mental health when you’re actively trying to lose weight can be a challenge. A stricter diet coupled with a heavier exercise regime can make you feel more tired and hangry every day, so you may find yourself struggling more than usual.
The Link Between Mental Health and Weight Loss
Exercise provides you with endorphins, the feel-good hormone that boosts your mood. When you’re hungry though, evidence suggests that you’re more prone to negative emotions.
In short, the hungrier you are, the higher the chance of seeing people or experiences in a negative light. After all, the word “hangry” is derived from the “angry” feelings you can get from being “hungry.”
This is because the minds and stomachs are deeply connected. Brain function may decrease when you’re hungry, causing a lack of concentration and patience. The brain can then send a signal to organs to release hormones such as adrenaline which trigger our “fight or flight” response, and this results in the hanger.
Not to mention, sticking to a strict diet or exercise regime when you’re on a weight loss journey can be emotionally taxing. Motivation naturally comes and goes and you have to rely on discipline if you’re going to meet your end goals.
Tips for Improving Your Mental Health While Losing Weight
If you’re struggling to meet your monthly, weekly or even daily weight loss goals, these tips will help you stay on track without sacrificing mental health.
Be Realistic With Your Goals
Firstly, setting one big goal can feel overwhelming when you’re at the beginning of your weight loss journey. Instead, take your one big goal and break it down into smaller, more manageable goals. This will prevent the journey from feeling overwhelming, as you can focus on each small goal until you reach your big one.
You could even start with a specific lifestyle change, such as going for a 15-minute walk after dinner every day. Then once your body has adjusted to this change, you can introduce more changes. If you try to change too much in too little time, you may end up losing motivation and giving up.
Accept That There Will Be Off Days
Like with any journey, there will be peaks and valleys. You’ll have days where you feel accomplished and full of motivation and others where you feel impatient and disheartened.
Try to remember that success isn’t linear, and sometimes it’s about making it through the next day, or even hour. Give yourself grace and flexibility during the hard times.
Share Your Journey
It helps to have good people around you so you can share your wins but also have support for those off days. If you’re not comfortable with chatting to family and friends then a therapist can offer a non-judgmental space to process your thoughts and feelings. They can also help you work through any challenges along the way.
Alternatively, start a journal. You can write down your goals, nutritional intake and exercise so you have a record of your progress. In fact, some studies claim that keeping a journal can double your weight loss results.
Celebrate Your Progress
Find little ways to reward yourself throughout your weight loss journey. This could be something as simple as taking a relaxing bubble bath every night and watching an episode of your favourite TV show. Or, you could introduce a calming daily practice like meditation.
Try not to fixate on the numbers on the scale, either. Focus on how your body feels and your newfound confidence.
Be Kind to Yourself
Any kind of change in your life can be difficult to adjust to, never mind the multiple changes at once that happen when you’re trying to lose weight. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself in the meantime.
We’ve mentioned stepping up the self-care, but get lots of sleep too. Research shows there’s a link between sleeping patterns, stress, depression and unhealthy eating habits. In other words, prioritising sleep on your weight loss journey can reduce stress and improve overall wellbeing to help you achieve your goals.
Additionally, make sure you’re talking to yourself in a kind way. Telling yourself “I’m so fat” or “I’m a failure” consistently is not only unhelpful but it’s also untrue and can seriously affect your self-esteem. Challenge any negative self-talk you have and replace it with more positive messages such as “I’m doing great” or “I’ve come a long way.” You’ve got this!
Remember that losing weight isn’t just a diet or exercise change, it’s a lifestyle change. Build habits that are sustainable for the long term to keep your mental health strong and set you up for success. You may even find that these improvements will positively impact your overall health and wellbeing, making the journey more enjoyable and enduring.
