Mental Health and Weight Loss
Lose Weight Fast by Tuning up Your Mental Health: A Game Plan for Success
FBY StaffUpdated 17 October 2023
mental health and weight loss
How Weight Loss Affects Mental Health
Weight loss has a significant impact on our mental health. For some people, weight loss leads to a boost in mood and confidence, and a decrease in anxiety and depression. But, for other people, weight loss can actually lead to a magnification of everyday stressors, feelings of inadequacy, self-esteem issues, and even eating disorders.
The impact of weight loss on mental health is influenced by a number of factors, including our personality, our history of weight loss attempts, and our overall mental health.
One of the keys to successful, long-term weight loss is improving your mental health while simultaneously losing weight. But, if you're already stressed out and struggling with mental health issues, as most of us were when we began on the weight loss journey, this can be a real balancing act. But there are some ways to improve your mental health while losing the weight.
We're going to cover emotional eating and weight loss, and weight loss and self-esteem. They're both super important! So, if you're willing to face and address them, as they arise, you'll be well on your way to losing weight once and for all!
One important note though, and we're going to refer back to this throughout this article; if you're genuinely concerned about the impact of weight loss on your mental health, it is important, and not something shameful, to talk to your doctor or a therapist first. Because either one can help you develop a safe and healthy weight loss plan that you can stick to and be successful at!
How Stress Affects Weight Loss
How Stress Hormones Can Make It Harder to Lose Weight and Keep It Off
Stress can have a significantly negative impact on weight loss. When we're stressed out, our bodies release hormones like cortisol, which leads to an increase in appetite and cravings. Cortisol also tells our bodies to store fat, especially around our abdomen.
In turn, that stress interferes with our sleep, actually making it harder to lose weight. Why?
Well, a lack of sleep is another path to an increase in appetite and cravings. When we're sleep-deprived, our bodies produce more of the hormone ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry. Ghrelin levels peak in the evening, which is why we often find ourselves feeling hungrier at night.
Lack of sleep can also lead to decreased levels of leptin, which is a hormone that makes us feel full. When leptin levels are low, we become waaaaay more likely to overeat.
In addition, that lack of sleep actually impairs our judgment and makes it harder for us to make healthy choices. Crazy, huh!? So, when we're tired, we're more likely to reach for sweet or sugary, unhealthy foods that offer a quick energy boost (high carbohydrates). But they are great, late at night!
All of these factors make it harder to lose weight when we're stressed and sleep-deprived.
Here are some tips for getting a handle on and managing your stress in support of losing (or maintaining) your weight:
• Get regular exercise. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve sleep. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least 3 days a week. And don’t skip out on even one of those either!
• Practice relaxation techniques. We LOVE these! Relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing will help reduce stress and improve sleep. So, if nothing else, just lay down and watch your breathing for a few minutes. If you don’t feel more relaxed and at least a little more able to deal with life’s humor, let us know and we’ll give you a good talking to!
• Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends. This is one that helps for not just weight loss, but for most aspects of our lives! But that’s a whole other story.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine. This could include taking a warm bath, reading a book, or listening to calming music. What it doesn’t include is being on the computer, watching a wild movie with car chases and excitement, or stressing over tomorrow.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed. These substances interfere with sleep. Alcohol will show up as the bags around your eyes in the morning, and caffeine will keep you from going to sleep for a couple of hours. Neither one serves you!
• Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. These conditions are ideal for sleep. An overly warm room reduces your body’s natural drop in temperature, leading to a more shallow sleep.
If you're one of those super nerdy (my daughter) individuals that enjoy a university study on stress management program on weight loss, here's a study conducted at the University of Crete in Greece and published in the Journal of Molecular Biochemistry titled "Impact of a Stress Management Program on Weight Loss, Mental Health and Lifestyle in Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial", 2018, and found that a stress management program was effective at reducing weight, depression, anxiety, and stress in adults with obesity. The program consisted of diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided visualization. But, we're warning you ... this is a highly technical research paper ... so, good luck!
So, now that we've got some tools to deal with stress ... we can get some sleep! Now, let's look at ‘tightening up’ some of the other issues that need addressing!
In turn, that stress interferes with our sleep, actually making it harder to lose weight. Why?
Well, a lack of sleep is another path to an increase in appetite and cravings. When we're sleep-deprived, our bodies produce more of the hormone ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry. Ghrelin levels peak in the evening, which is why we often find ourselves feeling hungrier at night.
Lack of sleep can also lead to decreased levels of leptin, which is a hormone that makes us feel full. When leptin levels are low, we become waaaaay more likely to overeat.
In addition, that lack of sleep actually impairs our judgment and makes it harder for us to make healthy choices. Crazy, huh!? So, when we're tired, we're more likely to reach for sweet or sugary, unhealthy foods that offer a quick energy boost (high carbohydrates). But they are great, late at night!
All of these factors make it harder to lose weight when we're stressed and sleep-deprived.
Here are some tips for getting a handle on and managing your stress in support of losing (or maintaining) your weight:
• Get regular exercise. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve sleep. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least 3 days a week. And don’t skip out on even one of those either!
• Practice relaxation techniques. We LOVE these! Relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing will help reduce stress and improve sleep. So, if nothing else, just lay down and watch your breathing for a few minutes. If you don’t feel more relaxed and at least a little more able to deal with life’s humor, let us know and we’ll give you a good talking to!
• Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends. This is one that helps for not just weight loss, but for most aspects of our lives! But that’s a whole other story.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine. This could include taking a warm bath, reading a book, or listening to calming music. What it doesn’t include is being on the computer, watching a wild movie with car chases and excitement, or stressing over tomorrow.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed. These substances interfere with sleep. Alcohol will show up as the bags around your eyes in the morning, and caffeine will keep you from going to sleep for a couple of hours. Neither one serves you!
• Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. These conditions are ideal for sleep. An overly warm room reduces your body’s natural drop in temperature, leading to a more shallow sleep.
If you're one of those super nerdy (my daughter) individuals that enjoy a university study on stress management program on weight loss, here's a study conducted at the University of Crete in Greece and published in the Journal of Molecular Biochemistry titled "Impact of a Stress Management Program on Weight Loss, Mental Health and Lifestyle in Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial", 2018, and found that a stress management program was effective at reducing weight, depression, anxiety, and stress in adults with obesity. The program consisted of diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided visualization. But, we're warning you ... this is a highly technical research paper ... so, good luck!
So, now that we've got some tools to deal with stress ... we can get some sleep! Now, let's look at ‘tightening up’ some of the other issues that need addressing!
How To Improve Your Mental Health While Losing Weight
Lose Weight and Improve Your Mental Health: A Guide to Getting Better
There are a number of things we can do to improve our mental health while losing weight. As with the steps above, sleep and relaxation are essential. As long as those two are, literally, weighing us down, our other options become even harder.
What we’re trying to do here is start, with baby steps, down a new path that has a different set of rules then we may be accustomed to. As such, as in building a house or a dress, the foundation, or the pattern, comes first.
You’ll see this suggestion permeating our site; connect with others. We humans are highly social creatures. As such, social support is important for both our physical and mental well-being. Having people to talk to and support us can help us stay motivated on our weight loss journey. So, spend some time with friends and family who make you feel good about yourself.
Now, here’s the hard part. For a part of my life, I was alone. Completely and entirely alone. I had no family, no friends and worked for myself from home. Here’s what I did. I went to churches. Not specifically my church, but every church in the area that was of my denomination. I went to the mall and just struck up conversations with total strangers (they were a lot nicer than I expected!). And I found out I was needed even more than I needed others. I was humbled. And I grew!
And an even harder part!? Seek professional help: If you're struggling with your mental health (and you know if you are!), it's important to seek professional help. A therapist can help you to develop coping mechanisms and strategies for managing stress. They really can!
I know what you’re thinking … what most people do, “I’m not crazy,” or something crazy like that. That’s NOT what therapy is for. It’s to have someone, who’s actually qualified, that can help you dig into those cobwebs and clean things up a bit. Again, for me, I had some real thick ‘cobwebs.’
But sorting them out will give you insight, understanding, and tools to help you keep moving forward in the direction you want and not in some random direction that always leaves you surprised.
What we’re trying to do here is start, with baby steps, down a new path that has a different set of rules then we may be accustomed to. As such, as in building a house or a dress, the foundation, or the pattern, comes first.
You’ll see this suggestion permeating our site; connect with others. We humans are highly social creatures. As such, social support is important for both our physical and mental well-being. Having people to talk to and support us can help us stay motivated on our weight loss journey. So, spend some time with friends and family who make you feel good about yourself.
Now, here’s the hard part. For a part of my life, I was alone. Completely and entirely alone. I had no family, no friends and worked for myself from home. Here’s what I did. I went to churches. Not specifically my church, but every church in the area that was of my denomination. I went to the mall and just struck up conversations with total strangers (they were a lot nicer than I expected!). And I found out I was needed even more than I needed others. I was humbled. And I grew!
And an even harder part!? Seek professional help: If you're struggling with your mental health (and you know if you are!), it's important to seek professional help. A therapist can help you to develop coping mechanisms and strategies for managing stress. They really can!
I know what you’re thinking … what most people do, “I’m not crazy,” or something crazy like that. That’s NOT what therapy is for. It’s to have someone, who’s actually qualified, that can help you dig into those cobwebs and clean things up a bit. Again, for me, I had some real thick ‘cobwebs.’
But sorting them out will give you insight, understanding, and tools to help you keep moving forward in the direction you want and not in some random direction that always leaves you surprised.
Emotional Eating And Weight Loss
How Emotional Eating Affects Weight Loss
Emotional eating is a common problem that will definitely make it more difficult to lose weight. When we eat in response to negative emotions, we are more likely to choose unhealthy foods and/or to overeat. And this often leads to weight gain or weight regain.
There are a number of reasons why emotional eating leads to weight gain. First, when people eat in response to negative emotions, they are more likely to choose high-calorie, “empty”, or processed foods. These foods are often high in sugar, fat, and salt, which are all great fans of contributing to weight gain. Secondly, emotional eating more often than not leads to overeating. When we are feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, we all know that we eat more than we need to in order to cope with our emotions. So, don’t deny that this is happening … because it is! And yes, this also keeps us on that awful path to weight gain.
How to Manage Emotional Eating and Lose Weight
There are a number of things, in order, that you can do to manage emotional eating and lose some weight. Some of these include:
• Identify your triggers. What are the exact emotions that make you want to eat? Once you know your triggers, write them down! Now, what strategies will you use for coping with each of them in a healthy way?
• Call out your triggers! Create a separation, either in your mind or by writing them down, between your ‘emotional you’ and each stressor. What do they mean to you, how are they really affecting you, what are you going to do to deal with them in a healthier way, and why? Why? Why are you going to do something, anything, differently!?
• Find healthy ways to cope with these stressors. Exercise, relaxation techniques, reading, watching a favorite movie, playing with your dog, cat, or pet squirrel, playing a game (chess is really hard!), and spending time with people you truly care about are all pattern breaking methods for coping with stress ... without turning to food.
There are a number of reasons why emotional eating leads to weight gain. First, when people eat in response to negative emotions, they are more likely to choose high-calorie, “empty”, or processed foods. These foods are often high in sugar, fat, and salt, which are all great fans of contributing to weight gain. Secondly, emotional eating more often than not leads to overeating. When we are feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, we all know that we eat more than we need to in order to cope with our emotions. So, don’t deny that this is happening … because it is! And yes, this also keeps us on that awful path to weight gain.
How to Manage Emotional Eating and Lose Weight
There are a number of things, in order, that you can do to manage emotional eating and lose some weight. Some of these include:
• Identify your triggers. What are the exact emotions that make you want to eat? Once you know your triggers, write them down! Now, what strategies will you use for coping with each of them in a healthy way?
• Call out your triggers! Create a separation, either in your mind or by writing them down, between your ‘emotional you’ and each stressor. What do they mean to you, how are they really affecting you, what are you going to do to deal with them in a healthier way, and why? Why? Why are you going to do something, anything, differently!?
• Find healthy ways to cope with these stressors. Exercise, relaxation techniques, reading, watching a favorite movie, playing with your dog, cat, or pet squirrel, playing a game (chess is really hard!), and spending time with people you truly care about are all pattern breaking methods for coping with stress ... without turning to food.
• Make healthy food choices. When you're feeling stressed or emotional, it's important to have healthy foods on hand so that you don't reach for unhealthy options. So don’t say to yourself when you want to fire your boss ... or your spouse, that you need to go to the store and buy something healthy. It’s too late! Do it when life is calm, peaceful and full of ambition and hope. Then you're setting yourself up for success instead of responding to a tough time.
• Eat mindfully. When you're eating, slow down, focus on the food you’re putting in your mouth and your body's response to it. This will help you to eat more slowly and actually enjoy the eating experience more.
Sidenote: In Japan, and specifically in the Macrobiotic Diet, practitioners often practice chewing each bite of food 100 times before swallowing! We’ve done this and it actually takes on a form of meditation. And it takes a long time to eat dinner!
Some Resources for Managing Emotional Eating
There are a number of resources available to help people manage emotional eating and lose weight. Some of these resources include:
Books: There are a number of books available on the topic of emotional eating. Remember the coping with stressors above!?
"The Hunger Fix" by Dr. Susan Albers
"Emotional Eating: The Binge-Eater's Guide to Breaking the Cycle" by Geneen Roth
"Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
• Eat mindfully. When you're eating, slow down, focus on the food you’re putting in your mouth and your body's response to it. This will help you to eat more slowly and actually enjoy the eating experience more.
Sidenote: In Japan, and specifically in the Macrobiotic Diet, practitioners often practice chewing each bite of food 100 times before swallowing! We’ve done this and it actually takes on a form of meditation. And it takes a long time to eat dinner!
Some Resources for Managing Emotional Eating
There are a number of resources available to help people manage emotional eating and lose weight. Some of these resources include:
Books: There are a number of books available on the topic of emotional eating. Remember the coping with stressors above!?
"The Hunger Fix" by Dr. Susan Albers
"Emotional Eating: The Binge-Eater's Guide to Breaking the Cycle" by Geneen Roth
"Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
Websites: There are also a number of websites that offer information and resources on emotional eating. Some of these websites include:
Harvard Health Publishing has a straight forward, brief article on Struggling with Emotional Eating.
Psychology Today's Jason Lillis, Ph.D., wrote a great article specifically addressing emotional eating called Overcoming Emotional Eating. The Mayo Clinic's article, Weight Loss: Gain Control of Emotional Eating, covers emtional eating and how it can sabatoge your weight-loss efforts.
Here’s the thing about the above. Emotional eating is one of the toughest types of eating issues to deal with. You have to be serious about addressing it if you want to have any chance of overcoming its negative effects.
If you're struggling to manage emotional eating on your own, again, you may want to consider getting some outside help. A therapist, or a dietician can help you identify your triggers, develop coping mechanisms, and make healthy lifestyle changes.
Similar to working out, you’re not going to do it for one day and be a professional athlete. You have to go at this in an organized and logical manner that may make sense only to you! I wouldn’t deal with it the way you do and my sister wouldn’t address emotional eating how I do.
So, you have to try multiple ways to approach this so that you can find the methods, techniques and “tricks” that kick your butt into consistent action. And, if it doesn’t truly excite you, you’re not going to stick with it … so find the excitement in eating for joy and hunger, change and weight loss. For your kids, for your lover, for your favorite outfit, or for revenge against your 11th grade rival! For whatever reason you can sink your teeth into and make your own … you CAN do this!
Harvard Health Publishing has a straight forward, brief article on Struggling with Emotional Eating.
Psychology Today's Jason Lillis, Ph.D., wrote a great article specifically addressing emotional eating called Overcoming Emotional Eating. The Mayo Clinic's article, Weight Loss: Gain Control of Emotional Eating, covers emtional eating and how it can sabatoge your weight-loss efforts.
Here’s the thing about the above. Emotional eating is one of the toughest types of eating issues to deal with. You have to be serious about addressing it if you want to have any chance of overcoming its negative effects.
If you're struggling to manage emotional eating on your own, again, you may want to consider getting some outside help. A therapist, or a dietician can help you identify your triggers, develop coping mechanisms, and make healthy lifestyle changes.
Similar to working out, you’re not going to do it for one day and be a professional athlete. You have to go at this in an organized and logical manner that may make sense only to you! I wouldn’t deal with it the way you do and my sister wouldn’t address emotional eating how I do.
So, you have to try multiple ways to approach this so that you can find the methods, techniques and “tricks” that kick your butt into consistent action. And, if it doesn’t truly excite you, you’re not going to stick with it … so find the excitement in eating for joy and hunger, change and weight loss. For your kids, for your lover, for your favorite outfit, or for revenge against your 11th grade rival! For whatever reason you can sink your teeth into and make your own … you CAN do this!
Weight Loss And Self-Esteem
How Weight Loss Affects Self-Esteem
Weight loss can have a significant impact on our self-esteem. For some people, losing weight can lead to a boost in self-confidence and a feeling of empowerment. But, for others, weight loss can lead to feelings of inadequacy and even depression.
How weight loss affects our self-esteem is complex and depends on a number of factors, including our personal history, our relationship with food, and your overall sense of well-being.
There is some evidence to suggest that weight loss can lead to a decrease in self-esteem in people who have a history of disordered eating or who have low self-esteem to begin with. However, for most people, weight loss will have a positive impact on self-esteem.
If you’re concerned about the impact of weight loss on your self-esteem, there are a few things you can do to manage your expectations and even improve your mental outlook.
First, remember that weight loss is not a guarantee of happiness, acceptance by others (although we actually wish it were!), or even self-acceptance. There are many other factors that contribute to self-esteem, such as your relationships, satisfaction at work, how much you actually participate in and enjoy your hobbies and other ‘outside’ activities.
Second, it’s super important to set realistic expectations for your weight loss goals. If you set unrealistic goals or ridiculous time frames for ‘success’, you’re more likely to be disappointed and discouraged, which might just lead to even more negative feelings about yourself. So, be realistic, patient, and consistent … this is a marathon, not a sprint! Be patient and experience the entire process so that when you look back … damn!
Finally, it's important to focus on the positive aspects of your weight loss journey, such as the improvements in your health, the increased energy you have, or just that that one pair of jeans actually fit again! Woo-Hoo! Focusing on some positive things will help you maintain your motivation and avoid negative self-talk. We simply cannot stress how important this is!
Some Resources for Managing Weight Loss and Self-Esteem
• Forbes: Here is an awesome article about developing discipline that is perfectly applicable to your weight loss goals! It is by former Navy SEAL Brent Gleeson, who, if you don't know, are some of the most fit and disciplined individuals on the face of the earth today. Find 9 Powerful Ways To Cultivate Extreme Self-Discipline here!
• EatRight.org provides tips on how to improve your body image and develop a healthy relationship with food in this article called: Body Image and You.
• And lastly, verywellmind.com has a really succinct article on how to be more disciplined titled How to Be More Disciplined, of course!
How weight loss affects our self-esteem is complex and depends on a number of factors, including our personal history, our relationship with food, and your overall sense of well-being.
There is some evidence to suggest that weight loss can lead to a decrease in self-esteem in people who have a history of disordered eating or who have low self-esteem to begin with. However, for most people, weight loss will have a positive impact on self-esteem.
If you’re concerned about the impact of weight loss on your self-esteem, there are a few things you can do to manage your expectations and even improve your mental outlook.
First, remember that weight loss is not a guarantee of happiness, acceptance by others (although we actually wish it were!), or even self-acceptance. There are many other factors that contribute to self-esteem, such as your relationships, satisfaction at work, how much you actually participate in and enjoy your hobbies and other ‘outside’ activities.
Second, it’s super important to set realistic expectations for your weight loss goals. If you set unrealistic goals or ridiculous time frames for ‘success’, you’re more likely to be disappointed and discouraged, which might just lead to even more negative feelings about yourself. So, be realistic, patient, and consistent … this is a marathon, not a sprint! Be patient and experience the entire process so that when you look back … damn!
Finally, it's important to focus on the positive aspects of your weight loss journey, such as the improvements in your health, the increased energy you have, or just that that one pair of jeans actually fit again! Woo-Hoo! Focusing on some positive things will help you maintain your motivation and avoid negative self-talk. We simply cannot stress how important this is!
Some Resources for Managing Weight Loss and Self-Esteem
• Forbes: Here is an awesome article about developing discipline that is perfectly applicable to your weight loss goals! It is by former Navy SEAL Brent Gleeson, who, if you don't know, are some of the most fit and disciplined individuals on the face of the earth today. Find 9 Powerful Ways To Cultivate Extreme Self-Discipline here!
• EatRight.org provides tips on how to improve your body image and develop a healthy relationship with food in this article called: Body Image and You.
• And lastly, verywellmind.com has a really succinct article on how to be more disciplined titled How to Be More Disciplined, of course!