Ep 81 - Waning Enthusiasm During Weight Loss

Faye Casement Author

Dec 15, 2023 |

Hello hello hello and welcome to Episode no 81. Today I want to talk about waning enthusiasm. I was talking to a member last week about how we can start our weight loss plans with gusto and a huge dose of excitement but that this can sometimes wane. I want to dive into this topic today to help you unpick the pieces and to supersleuth what is going on.

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Tell me in the chat if this resonates.

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You start off full of beans... this is the time... You feel super motivated but then enthusiasm and motivation dwindles over time as the initial excitement and determination fade away maybe you face a challenge or setback, or maybe start to get bored and think it is just too hard.

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Other times perhaps life gets in the way, ill health, a change in routine or life circumstances, or maybe you just lose focus and start prioritising other things over your weight loss journey.

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Whatever the reason may be, it's important to recognise that feeling a decline in motivation is normal and happens to everyone at some point.

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But how do you overcome this slump? How do you revive that initial excitement and keep yourself committed to your journey? The key lies in understanding why the enthusiasm fizzled out in the first place.

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The truth is your weight loss journey isn't always going to be smooth, and weight loss itself is not linear. There are bumps, twists, and turns, but this is where the Triple-A-Way is unique as it does not tell you to double down, to do the hard, to increase your willpower though you can if you feel really aligned with this. It gives you the tools to go inward with love and curiosity to find out what is really going on as you supersleuth the hell out of the situation and the waning motivation you are experiencing.

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So what could be cropping up?

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Beliefs About Weight Loss

The first thing to check in on is your beliefs. What resistance do you feel to your weight loss journey as a whole? If you have any psychological resistance to losing weight or the process you will continually be hitting your head up against the proverbial brick wall and I can help you supersleuth this out with coaching either in the membership or 1 to 1, or you can hop on the waitlist for Belief Coding®️ and we can tackle these Beliefs at the subconscious level.

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But let's touch on a couple of common ones today.

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You don't believe you can lose weight

After years of being on and off 'diets', this is likely to be a belief you have. After years of trying and failing your brain may associate any steps you take towards 'weight loss' to be a danger to the status quo, to your safety and happiness as the last time you went on one it did not work out so well and it made you feel like shit.

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This belief is likely to be deeply embedded in your subconscious mind, and it will cause resistance whenever you try to make changes towards losing weight. Your brain knows that weight loss will lead to disappointment and failure, so it tries to protect you by keeping you stuck in the same patterns and not 'trying'.

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Slight diversion I had an interesting conversation with my friend Charlie Plunkett this week about the word 'try' as she had read something about how the word 'try' is deseptive as really you either are or you aren't. I have been thinking about this all week. Why we use the word 'try' rather than 'yes' or 'no'. I began to reflect on my own language patterns and realised that I often used the word 'try', when there is uncertainty. Making changes in my life, like losing weight is an uncertain process especially if you don't believe you can lose.

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To overcome this belief, you need to reprogram your mind. You need to identify the underlying beliefs and fears associated with weight loss, so that you can release them and replace them with new empowering beliefs.

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After years of dieting and likely feeling bad about yourself to boot, this may take some time but it is worth the work, you are worth the work and you can lose the weight you want to by taking small baby steps.

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Another member this week was talking about the resistance they had felt to the micro steps with love I advocate in the membership. As strong capable women, and let's face it we are human, we often try to 'run' before we can 'walk' But if we put this into the context of our dear brain who thinks weight loss is a danger to us, taking some kind of big bold action. Like we always tend to do when starting out on weight loss can give your poor brain a cardiac! Which can lead to overeating.

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So one of the ways to overcome this resistance is to slow things down, soothe the nerves, reassure yourself and give yourself extra, time, grace and patience to give your brain a chance to catch up.

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You think weight loss is 'hard'

Another classic. If you think weight loss is hard it will be hard. Easier said than changed right? But let's think about this logically for a second. You have, if you are anything like I was, a personal internal ledger of all the times you tried and failed at weight loss. You perhaps did try some absolutely gruelling and restrictive weight loss methods or fitness regimes - who hasn't? So really it was no wonder you did not sustain them. However, each time you tried something big and bold like this and had to take a step back as the system was not right for you and your unique life it left its mark. I heard the other day that there have been actual studies on people's brains that show negative experiences literally leave a mark or dent on our brains and when working on our beliefs it shows these dents start to fill out. Now I should say here of course I am not a neuroscientist or suitably qualified person to discuss this kind of thing but it is interesting and makes logical sense.

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So now your job is to try and reverse the effects of those years of trying the hard things and the best way I found to overcome this one is to work on making weight loss easy. There is a section in the member's daily planner that says ' I chose to keep today fun and easy by...' I put that there for a reason, to give the members an opportunity daily to make it easy, to find the joy as this is then telling our brains that all is good and we have got this. We also assess our days with love and curiosity celebrating things that went well. This again is positively reinforcing our brain that we have damn well got this.

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You are not really willing to do what it takes to lose weight

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Oof that one could pack a punch. Now you might be thinking of course I am. I want weight loss really bad. Like I have never wanted anything so much in my life. I have wished for years and years that I could drop these pounds, that I could get in that dress, that I could... include your own personal desires here. The thing is cognitively you say this. You may even feel that you have to due to internal and external pressures but do you really want to do what your brain currently thinks you have too is the question or is your subconscious the little person in the back having a major tantrum saying 'I don't wanna, I don't wanna and you can't make me' as she sticks out her tongue!

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This could come up due to a number of reasons, maybe you have an inner rebel, this is definitely one I have been exploring more on a subconscious level lately and it has been fascinating. Maybe you have been conditioned to believe that certain desires are not acceptable or realistic, and your subconscious is challenging those beliefs. Or perhaps there is a deeper fear or insecurity holding you back from pursuing what you truly desire.

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Exploring these subconscious patterns can be both enlightening and empowering. It allows you to peel back the layers to uncover your authentic desires.

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It's important to remember that desires evolve. So even if you have got some resistance coming up here this can all be worked through.

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Changing your relationship with food for lasting transformation is not a diet and movement plan it is a journey of self-discovery that requires reflection, questioning, and realignment with who you really are and I have the keys and a roadmap to help you do this.

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There are many others that could be coming up for you which is why this is such a personal journey and why you have to look at yourself as a whole unique human and why there is no one size fits all and you have to supersleuth it with the right support in place.

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Which one of those if any do you think may apply to you?

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Process Problems

Sometimes the problem is more in the process you are adopting.

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Unrealistic Expectations

One common roadblock is the pressure of unrealistic expectations. Many of us when we start on a weight loss journey set grand goals, we secretly wish for and expect instant and significant results, and when life doesn't mirror our vision, frustration sets in. In my journey, I averaged about 1/2 a pound a week loss. For many and that was me at the start, they would not be happy. I could have gone faster and made more level-ups but that was not where I was at. What it taught me was patience. Often if you are in a weight loss community or hanging about on socials people post about the big losses but these aren’t the norm for most and I would question if a) it is lost water weight and b) if the method is sustainable but these social pressures and our desire to lose weight can sneak into the driver's seat, steering us away from our authentic path to sustainability and lead to waning enthusiasm. In the membership, I encourage members to focus on making realistic doable process goals with a capital R on the realistic. The membership is all about shifting our beliefs, after years of believing weight loss is hard we need to show our brains it is easy and so realistic is the key. I also give you the mind ninjary techniques to help you manage your expectations.

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Monotony

I don’t know about you but boredom is a killer. When I was 'dieting' I felt like I had to eat the same foods all the time. That I wasn't allowed to eat 'nice foods' any more. Even on the systems that said you could eat what you wanted if you counted it, this wasn't really true as the points and calorie values were too high. Feeling restricted in my choices was a surefire way to diminish my motivation. Whenever I started a diet I knew it would be coming and quickly would get bored and unmotivated by tasteless bland food and Frankenfoods, though some Frankenfood is not too bad. Frankenfood being the food dupes believe me weetabix cheesecake is no substitute for cheesecake.

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I tried my best to stick to the strict guidelines of these diets, convinced that they held the key to my desired weight loss. But as time went on, I couldn't help but feel trapped in a cycle of uninspiring meals and artificial substitutes.

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The flavourless dishes that were supposed to be healthy left me longing for something more satisfying. And even when I did allow myself an occasional 'treat' within the allotted points or calories, the guilt afterwards made it less enjoyable. The reality was there was a ton of resistance, I didn't want to do as I was told. I know now of course why that is having gathered more awareness about me and my habits and so you can have these discoveries too.

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Incorrect Program

Linking a little with the last one, these just weren't the right programs for me and I would wager if you are listening to this show they likely aren't for you really either. When I reflect upon my unsuccessful attempts at following specific programs, I realise that they were never a good fit for me. No matter how highly recommended or popular these programs may have been, they didn't align with my individual needs and preferences. It became clear to me that there was no one-size-fits-all approach when it came to achieving weight loss and overall well-being.

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Furthermore, as I delved deeper into understanding myself and my habits, it became evident that focusing solely on food and exercise was not the solution. There was something missing from these programs – an essential component that addressed the underlying psychological factors contributing to my struggles with weight management aka it is our thoughts and beliefs we need to work on.

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Life Problems

Life has its ways of making itself known and none more so in a weight loss journey.

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There could be personal or family issues, work-related or business challenges, financial difficulties, or unexpected life events that suddenly or slowly creep up to take your priorities away from your weight loss program. As you find these moments starting to drain your mental and emotional energy, it can make it seem difficult to stay focused on your well-being goals, there can be more practical barriers to overcome and it can start to feel hard again.

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Your dear darling brain will again be trying to protect you. It will start to whisper in your ear to say things like 'I don't have time'; 'I have too much going on' and 'I can't afford it'. Now there may be some actual truth in these statements but they can also be very deseptive. All again designed to keep you safe but it is a case of seeking out and spotting the bullshit.

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Time

Most of us can feel pretty time-poor at times. We're busy women, juggling numerous responsibilities and often it can feel like there's never enough time to dedicate to our well-being. I know this comes out of my mouth on the regular. I would bet this is one of the most common 'excuses' we can have and it just rolls off the tongue and often we do not give it a second thought. But is it really true? Sure you do have other things to do in life. Some of which will be critical, some out of necessity, some out of perceived necessity, some born out of desire and some time we are just wasting.

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Your relationship with time as a busy woman is likely something that will need a bit of work just as much as your beliefs around weight loss itself and processes. Time is not necessarily the roadblock our brain would like us to believe it is more of a hurdle that we can seek to leap over with grace. Sure sometimes you may trip and fall (I know I sure would if I was trying to do the hurdles - could be funny to watch I guess) but there are often many workarounds. I recently put together an exercise for a 1 to 1 client of mine about time. Drop me a message with a #time if you want to know how you could get it or when I have it loaded up online I will link it in the description for you to take a nosy at. But the reality is we all have the same number of hours per week. Sometimes it is about how we choose to spend them. Where our attention goes our energy will flow as the saying goes and I for sure will continue to seek to make time. It also does not have to be a lot. We can all usually find a few minutes in the day to take a small action step and a lot of the actions we need to do in weight loss don't take any more time than not taking them sometimes. You can also check out Ep: 21 How Time Impacts Your Weight Loss.

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Too Much Going On Emotionally

Boy, this one could also seem a bit challenging too. Believe me, I am not trying to knock you down or trying to say here that what you have going on is not important or that you are not going through some shit right now but it is merely just a little challenge with love to say, check in with yourself if you find yourself saying I have too much going on right now to work on weight loss. If this is truly the case then don't focus on weight loss but still seek to try and find time for yourself and your well-being. Often when we work on whatever is going on emotionally the food will follow. This is the thing with the Triple-A-Way™️ it doesn't just help with weight loss you can use the method for anything and any problem but some work on yourself will still be required.

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I challenge with love on this one as I have witnessed myself and others go through similar but actually what can happen is we don't work on ourselves at all and then we can end up worse off overall. Now if this happens, we should of course treat ourselves with compassion but we also can choose not to stay where we are too. This was one of my biggest takeaways we get to choose what thought we listen to and we get to choose who we want to be. To go more in-depth on this check out the previous episode I did on time.

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You Don't Think You Can Afford It

Wow, another one that could feel a little like a sucker punch but I also cover this with intended love too. I most certainly don't want to appear like I am not reading the room here of course I get that there are a lot of women in the world who are in genuine poverty and also that for many the cost of living crisis is horrendous. It may well be that you genuinely cannot afford to spend a dime at the moment towards your well-being. This is why I wanted a podcast to help women for free and have umpteen complimentary resources to request. It is also why I wanted a low-priced membership as I didn't want the tools I have learnt to go behind big pay walls or that you could only get access if you paid a 'high ticket' as it is called in the coaching business world. Sure I have a bespoke 1 to 1 offering where you get my full time and attention but I would never want anyone to go into debt to pay for it. What we are taught in coach training is that we are all resourceful, that if we want something we can take steps to figure it out. I covered this also in Ep: 42 - Weight Loss Is Expensive - Or is it?. 

I only raise this as one of the things our brain will throw up at us. I am not saying this to try and get you to buy anything from me though I would of course be delighted to help you. Whatever it is you want all I am suggesting is asking yourself some questions such as: What do you really want? Is it really true that you can't afford it (maybe you genuinely didn't really want or need it anyway - I have found that at times)? If you do want it is there something you could do to be resourceful a rejig of something here or there, a creative step, as money is an exchange of value at the end of the day?

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Conclusion

Right, that's it folks!. ​ we have taken a deep dive into the possible reasons for your waning enthusiasm in your wellness path. We've all experienced this at some point but it's not the end of the road. In fact, it's often just the beginning of a deeper exploration.

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I have talked about some common beliefs and situations that could be holding you back. ​ Remember, you are worth the effort it takes to shift these beliefs.

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I would invite you to reflect on which of these factors and whether they are resonating with you. What's been affecting your enthusiasm, and how can you begin to address it? Remember, your wellness journey is a deeply personal and unique path. It's a journey of self-discovery, and you hold the keys to unlock your potential.

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I'm here to support you every step of the way, whether through our membership, one-on-one coaching, or the upcoming Belief Coding®️ program. If you found value in today's discussion, don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review and be sure to check out the links in the description for free goodies and details on how you can take your weight loss with journey further.

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