6 spiritual blocks to weight loss (and how to overcome them)

The desire to lose weight is something that we can all relate to.

It’s hard not to want to shed the extra pounds and fit into your old clothes again.

The obstacles in weight loss, however, may have more of an emotional and spiritual impact than we realize.

The habits forming around eating, exercising, and weight loss are often more about our personal needs than them being “bad for us”.

We can use these unconscious habits as a way to build up a good foundation of healthy thinking.

By remembering how our needs can get in the way of us facing our goals and creating happiness, we can overcome this negative emotional pattern.

Some of the most common weight loss spiritual blocks that people face are outlined below.

By understanding what these are and how to work around them, it will be easier for you to lose weight and keep it off!

1) Fear of what others will think

We often fear the judgment of others.

It’s human nature to keep up appearances and be concerned about how our friends, family, and coworkers will view us.

In a healthy weight loss program, this fear is one that you don’t have to worry about.

Why?

Because your feelings are what drives your actions, not what someone else thinks or says!

This is why not caring what other people think is a great motivator.

If you want to lose weight, but are worried about the effect it will have on others, then you likely need to work with a professional coach who can help you change beliefs that drive negative behaviors.

Spiritually, this fear of what others will think is a block to personal growth and happiness.

How do you overcome this block?

By taking care of your body and loving yourself, you’ll be giving people the opportunity to see you in a different light.

It’s important to use people as a mirror for positive or negative beliefs, but it’s equally important not to let others’ words affect how you see them or change how you treat them.

By showing that you care about your health, it will be easier for others to do the same.

2) Expecting yourself to be perfect in every way

High expectations are a common weight loss block for beginners.

This is because we have put so much emphasis on being perfect and being loved by everyone that we lose sight of what is important in life.

High expectations cause us to feel frustrated and unhappy about the results of our plan.

The truth is that having high standards for ourselves is unnecessary and creates unnecessary stress in our lives.

This is because we are divine beings and can create anything we want.

If you are expecting perfection, then you may be setting yourself up for failure because your standards may turn out to be higher than what is possible for a human being.

If you love yourself, accept that no one can live up to your expectations, and instead let go of them, then you will be able to enjoy how far you end up getting in life.

You will let go of the pressure of being perfect and instead focus on creating a healthy lifestyle that works best for you!

3) The fear of failure

This is another block that will keep you from being at peace with the journey you are taking.

It’s easy to feel that weight loss is impossible because we tend to give power to others in our lives about what’s possible for us.

We allow the voice of others to push our own beliefs into the background because it’s not something we want to deal with.

In this sense, failure can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That’s because if you believe something will fail before you’ve even tried it once, then that thought will carry into your actions in one way or another.

For example, if you think it’s impossible to lose weight, you may put too much pressure on yourself to try and lose weight.

This can cause an emotional habit that makes it harder for you to succeed.

Once we hit a certain point in our life that makes losing weight feel impossible, we start to use different tactics like self-sabotage.

We may start using food as a way of masking the pain inside of us. Once this habit forms over and over again, it becomes easier and easier to use our negative feelings against ourselves.

Once we notice this pattern, we need to recognize the harm that it’s doing us and stop right there.

And when this happens, consider the following ways to relax your mind and body to stop sabotaging yourself:

• Take deep breaths. Focus on breathing in and out. Each breath will help you feel calmer and more relaxed while you allow your body to unwind. Think about something that makes you happy like going on vacation or being with someone special to you. You can also focus on something that’s helping you recently. For example, maybe you just read a good book or saw a funny movie.

• Swim in the sun or go for a walk in nature. Just allow yourself to be where your body wants to be so that you don’t feel as restricted and trapped inside of yourself.

Getting rid of this fear will be easy once you start waking up to these thoughts more regularly.

Instead of worrying about the result, focus on enjoying and loving the journey. It may take some time to notice these patterns, but it will happen after a while.

You may even discover that this newfound love for yourself helps to create a healthier lifestyle, whether or not it is your goal to lose weight!

4) The fear of being deprived

Our comfort zone is very important to us, and sometimes it can be hard for us to go outside of our comfort zone for the sake of losing weight.

Each time we decide to go on a diet, there’s a chance that we’ll feel like we’re being deprived.

This feeling of deprivation is dangerous because it will prevent us from making progress in any situation.

If we keep eating when we don’t have an appetite, then that’s going against our instincts.

This will cause us to feel depressed, sad, and bored. By eating food that doesn’t satisfy us, we’ll never progress in the long run.

If we’re enduring this behavior repeatedly, then it’s important to consider if other things in our life are contributing to this problem.

For example, maybe someone close to you has a weight problem and is making you feel like you compete with them.

 You may be trying to lose weight so that you don’t feel like a constant threat to them anymore.

We need to be aware of how our emotional baggage can get in the way of being healthy.

If we end up using weight loss as a way to hide from our problems, then we will continue to reap the emotional consequences of these habits.

Once we become aware of what’s causing our emotional pain, it’s easier to make positive changes that are going to liberate us in the long run.

5) Using food as a way to control feelings

Many people who are overweight may not realize it, but food may be something that they use to control their feelings.

When we overeat or even binge eat, we are tapping into our need to control our emotions.

Even if we don’t consciously realize it, our actions take place because there is a sense of urgency in dealing with a negative feeling that we have.

For example, imagine you felt hurt by a comment your mother made the night before.

To relieve this negative feeling, you spent most of the day binging on unhealthy foods and becoming more upset with yourself and your body.

Overeating or binging becomes a way for us to deal with these uncomfortable feelings at the moment.

This is one of the most common spiritual weight loss blocks that people face. This can be dangerous because it’s easy to slip into a cycle of eating as a way to cope with our emotions.

When we’re going through tough times, it’s easy to feel that things are difficult and there’s nothing we can do about them.

Focusing on our food intake is one way for us to comfort ourselves with food when we’re not sure what else we should do.

This feeling of helplessness is a big issue in many people’s lives because it can cause us to isolate ourselves from the world permanently.

However, by taking time each day to meditate and reflect, we will be able to get in touch with what we are truly feeling inside.

Instead of using food as a way to block out uncomfortable emotions, you will be able to use it as a source for nourishing your body and creating a healthy lifestyle!

Notice when you’re feeling helpless and write them down in a journal.

For example, “I feel like I’m nothing without my food,” or “I don’t like myself.”

Being alone with your thoughts is a good way for you to get in touch with what’s going on inside of you.

Look for solutions instead of feeling sorry for yourself.

For example, if you have something heavy on your mind that’s making you feel depressed, then reach out to friends and family so that you can open up about it and get help from others who care about YOU.

Remind yourself that you have the power to control your attitude about your situation.

When you feel vulnerable or helpless, think about all the ways you can take care of yourself and get help from others.

Don’t forget that there are other people in this world who want to see you succeed.

And lastly,

6) Lack of energy or motivation

This is a common block that people deal with during weight loss.

It can be difficult to get through the day when you have low energy and motivation.

The truth is that if you are living a life where you are constantly tired and uninspired, then you may need to make some changes.

When it comes to stress, this is something that only we can change.

If you’re stressed and tired all the time, it will likely be much more difficult for you to find motivation and energy for healthy dieting habits.

In these times, it’s even more important not to beat yourself up about what’s “good or bad” for your health.

If you find yourself stuck in this particular block, it’s important to create new habits that keep you motivated for longer periods rather than just for short spurts of time.

To lose weight effectively and enjoy the journey, you will have to become more active throughout your day.

This means that making an extra effort to get moving is what will help you lose weight, not something else.

If you find yourself not wanting to exercise or eat healthy foods, then you are likely taking the path of least resistance!

This is because your body and mind are being lazy and are asking for instant gratification.

To overcome this block, it’s important to understand what works best for your body and make adjustments accordingly!

Conclusion

And that’s it!

Losing weight is hard, but it doesn’t have to be forever.

We may have been taught to feel guilty about our eating habits when we were little, but that’s not how an overall healthy lifestyle should be done.

If you’re constantly focusing on your food intake and the fact that there are people who don’t share your views, then you’re more likely to feel lonely and worried.

These feelings can be overwhelming and cause you stress, which will make it easier for you to continue living in this destructive cycle of negative thoughts.

We have to remind ourselves that we deserve the best in our lives and we can get there through inner strength and willpower.

There are countless people who are going through the same thing that you’re going through, so don’t feel alone in your weight loss journey.