Medical weight loss can change your world, but that doesn’t mean it will change East Brunswick. Weight loss programs break down barriers in your life, overturn your dietary habits and flip your attitude towards exercise on its head. But when all is said and done you will go home to the same house you lived in before, communicate with many of the same people you have always talked with and, for many people, go straight back to the same desk for 40 hours every week.
Your environment influences your waistline in many ways, some of which you might overlook. From the fast food joints on the corner to a busy office that makes finding time for the gym difficult, there are all sorts of environmental obstacles that you will have to face if you hope to reach your weight loss goal.
Your environment has a huge role in shaping your eating habits, including the types of foods you crave, how much you eat and how much sugar you consume. To lose weight you are going to need to do an in-depth analysis of the forces at work in your life and determine the extent to which your friends, family, home and workplace are making it difficult for you to lose weight.
Here are a few ways that your environment might be influencing your waist line:
- Stress. This is one of the more overlooked components of living a healthy lifestyle. Yes, you need to follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly, but if you can’t cope with your stress then these other actions will grow more complicated. Stress comes from work, family and environmental influences like traffic, bills and taxes. Take deep breaths, decide what you can control and learn how to deal with the stressors you face.
- Portion sizes. The more often you eat out, the less control you have over your diet. This is especially true for portion sizes. Restaurants double if not triple an accurate portion to help us feel more satisfied. Ask your waiter to cut your portion down to size or ask for a to-go box right away so you can put half away for the next day.
- Lack of sleep. Is work keeping you up late at night? Maybe caring for the kids has interfered with your own bedtime. Factors like this are hard to control, but they make it difficult to keep a healthy weight. When you are tired it becomes difficult to maintain your energy levels, and you are more likely to turn to unhealthy food and drink help perk you up.
Your environment could be influencing your weight loss efforts in more ways that you realize. Have a long look at the factors influencing your life. You can’t change your whole world, but you can control what has the biggest influence on you. Becoming aware of the factors that are potentially damaging your weight loss efforts can put you in a better spot to overcome those obstacles as you develop a healthier lifestyle.
