What Happens When You Stop Obsessing About Weight Loss (Part 2)
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Weight loss can be very challenging for many people, and sometimes it becomes an obsession. Counting calories, trying fad diets, and hours in the gym. This is all in the pursuit of perfect bodies.
But, it's time to take a step back and talk about something equally important - what happens when we stop obsessing about these things? What happens when we stop thinking about weight loss and stop feeling like we constantly need to change our body?
This is the second part of the two-part series of Embrace Your Real podcast, “What Happens When You Stop Obsessing About Weight Loss”. In this episode, I’m sharing 6 things that changed in my life once I stopped obsessing about weight loss.
What I discuss:
4. I'm happy.
5. I'm More Confident
6. I'm no longer ruled by guilt and shame.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Episode 320 - What Happens When You Stop Obsessing About Weight Loss (Part 1)
Macro Counting Made Simple: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Instagram: @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Free e-book: www.juliealedbetter.com/free-ebook
Macro Counting Made Simple: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-6bda1ca8?ref=cm_sw_em_r_inf_pub_influencer-6bda1ca8_dp_DgsIam9salgfi
Transcript:
Hey. Hey, beautiful human. Can I steal 5 minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with Me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go.
Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode. I am so grateful that you are here spending some time with me today. So what happens when you stop obsessing about your weight loss? I want to ask you, how long have you been in weight loss mode? How long has this weight loss mode been dictating your health, your happiness, your relationships, your progress, your life?
I know what it's like to live in weight loss mode. And I also know what it's like to not live in weight loss mode. And I can tell you that the way that it is to not live in weight loss mode is so much sweeter. It is so much more rich. It is so much more full.
And so in today's the part two of our Part two series, I'm going to be discussing kind of how my life change once I stopped hyper fixating on weight loss. So I mentioned in part one that for a decade of my life, I was one of those people who really obsessed over weight loss. I constantly counted calories. I tried fad diets, I spent hours in the gym, all of this pursuit of kind of the perfect body. But despite my efforts, I was actually never able to be happy with the way that I looked like. The more weight that I lost, the more I thought I still needed to lose weight. And it was just this endless cycle that I could not get out of. I always felt like I could do better, be better, look better. And it wasn't until I really started to let go of my obsession with weight loss that my life actually changed.
So if you can relate and can't really picture what life looks like. Past Weight Loss Mode, this podcast episode is for you. My goal with this series is to really light a fire under your butt, give you that sister two sister real talk and make you realize the life you're missing out on because of your obsession with weight loss. Like, I want you to wake up. And I'm doing this because I wish I would have had this resource ten years ago when I was in my obsession. It was a decade long obsession of just me thinking that I needed to lose weight. I wish I had a resource like this because that would have changed everything.
Okay, so in part one, we talked about kind of the first three things that happened in my life once I let go of my weight loss. Number one, I had more time in my day, right? How many times have you said you wish there were more hours in a day? Well, here's your chance to get more hours. Here's your chance to finally build that business or develop a deeper relationship. Do all the things that you said you wanted to do that you never had time for.
Number two, I finally started experiencing life to the fullest. Imagine having the energy to be present and engage in your day to day life. Imagine the daily tasks not being quite as hard. Imagine having to the energy to really enter into something fine. Whether that's a new hobby that's going for a hike, that's, you know, going to a different fitness class or visiting friends and family or going on that trip, whatever it is, you actually had the energy to actually experience life and not just live your life through the motions.
And number three, I was just overall so much healthier. Like, imagine not having to deal with hormonal imbalances. Imagine not being bloated or constipated 24 seven or not, you know, constantly not feeling your best, combating something that is holding you back from really thriving in your life. Like your health is the number one thing that you have. And so I want you to respect it and I want you to protect it. So that's what we talked about in part one. I will link that in the show notes that you can listen to that if you haven't already after this episode.
But let's dive into the last three points.
So number four, I'm genuinely happy, like the most significant change. Once I stopped obsessing about weight loss is had I experienced joy for the first time in a long, long time. Before I was always thinking about my weight, I was always thinking about what I was going to eat when I was going to work out next. It consumed every aspect of my time, my energy. I didn't have anything left for anything else. And now I'm able to focus on other things that truly bring me joy. Spending time with my friends, spending time with my family, my husband working towards non fitness goals, traveling, doing all the things that I wanted to do before that I just didn't have the bandwidth for. Like, I truly, genuinely feel joy now. I'm no longer letting my weight or physical appearance determine my self-worth or happiness. Instead, I'm really focusing on cultivating this sense of inner peace and contentment that comes from taking care and honoring my body and my mind. I'm prioritizing my spiritual health, my mental health. I'm practicing self-care. Like I'm really just engaging in activities that bring me joy. And this mindset has really allowed me to let go of kind of this stress and anxiety that used to consume me and. I am so much more present. I am so much more mindful and I'm just finding contentment and joy in the small things in life again.
Number five I am more confident and ironically, I truly am more confident. Like for years you guys, I lacked confidence. Like my confidence was so wrapped up in my appearance that it was like if my legs could just be a little bit thinner, if my stomach could be a little bit flatter, then I'd be more confident. But then my legs would be skinnier, my stomach would get flatter, I would feel less. And as a result I would think that I would get more and more confident. But yes, yet I would be less and less confident. Like the deeper I dug myself into this weight loss hole, the less confident I felt. It was the weirdest, most defeating feeling that I could ever talk about like it was so defeating. I always thought that confidence was found in like reaching my weight loss goal. Like it was always tied to what my body look like, what I did or didn't do in terms of my workouts, what I did or didn't eat. And what I've learned about confidence is that has nothing to do with my body. Like it really has nothing to do with my body. And I have really let go of my obsession with weight loss.
I have learned to love and appreciate everything that my body does for me. I have this deep found respect for my body, and I really think that it's because I have been super intentional in growing in my spiritual maturity that I just found like, man, God doesn't care. Like, he doesn't care about any of these esthetic things. Like he cares about those, the deeper things. But then also, like he created us, he created our body, he created us to have these quirks and all the different things that make us us. And so for me to sit here and just tear myself apart is not honoring God like that's not honoring his creation. And so I really looked at it through that lens, and I've been able to appreciate everything that my body is and does for me. I've really stopped criticizing myself for every small imperfection and just started embracing the little quirks and the things that are unique about me. And I really feel like because I looked at confidence through a new lens, like I have this newfound sense of confidence that I have never had before, like I used to hide behind like oversize clothing because I was so insecure about my body, I was so self-conscious about it. And now I'm able to to kind of go back to that. Like, I also I would never in a million years wear shorts working out. I would never wear shorts during the summertime, like I did a whole podcast episode on that, which I need to do a new podcast episode or just kind of a different take. On why embracing shorts has been game changer for me. And like just that simple shift in my mindset has really changed everything.
When I started to really embrace like wearing the shorts and being so proud of like the cellulite on my legs in a sense, that's like, Man, my legs take me so far, like celebrating everything about my self instead of tearing myself down. But that's a whole different topic for a different day. But now I'm able to frickin wear the shorts. Like if it's I remember it being like 90 degrees and I would not even wear shorts. I would wear leggings because I was so insecure about my body. But now I'm able to stand tall. I'm able to stand proud and confident and wear the frickin shorts when I'm working out, wear the freaking shorts when I'm out in public and it's summertime and it's hot. Like, I don't have to worry about that anymore because I was constantly fixated on my weight. I was constantly fixated on my appearance. And the the ironic thing about that was that I was never satisfied with how I looked, no matter how much weight I lost, no matter how toned my body was, there was always something else to change about my body. Like I would always find something else to change. But now that I'm not so focused on my appearance, I've been able to appreciate and love my body for what it is, what it does. I'm able to appreciate all the different parts that make me unique, and as a result, I'm just a lot more confident in my own skin.
And number six, I am no longer ruled by guilt and shame. So when I was fixated on losing weight, I often felt guilty. I felt ashamed about the food I was eating, The by the way that my body looked, I would beat myself up for eating that slice of cake or skipping that workout. I would feel like a failure when the scale wouldn't budge. And now I'm not focused on weight loss. In fact, I'm not focused on weight at all. I've been able to really let go of all of that guilt and shame, and I've learned to really listen to what my body needs. And this is also come from educating myself, which is why this is like a foundational pillar of this podcast.
I feel like the more you can educate yourself on food and on all these different you work out, how much do you work out? What does it look like to honor your body? What does it look like to honor your mind? All these things like constantly. Evolving and educating. You just feel a lot more empowered around those situations. So, for example, when I educated myself about how to properly feel my body, I, as a result of putting in the work to educate myself, I now I'm able to listen to my body and give it what it needs, whether that's a nourishing meal on a rest day or, you know, indulging in something, but not going overboard because recognizing that everything in moderation is the most sustainable approach and just not feeling guilty for those things. And that has just been one of the biggest blessings in my life. And I want that for you. I don't want you to live in this weight loss mode because I lived there for a decade plus in my life. And you guys, it was a hellhole. It truly, truly was. It was so discouraging and it was defeating. But I want you to know if you're in that place right now, that there is hope, like I'm on the other side of it. And if there is no one else that has told you that you can get through it, I will tell you I will be your cheerleader every step of the way, telling you like not only is it worth it, but it's possible. And you can take one step in front of the other. And those small steps that you take daily, even when you have to be like, literally pick up like someone pushing you.
I know. I know how hard it is, but I also know the feelings of life and joy and fullness that I have been able to experience since getting to the other side. And so I just want you to know it's possible if you missed out on part one, I quickly want to share that two things that really helped me to switch out of weight loss mode. And the first thing is really fueling my body optimally through utilizing the tool of macro scanning. So if you've ever been curious about like how to properly fuel your body, I personally think one of the most powerful ways to educate yourself in that realm is to learn the tool of macro accounting. There's tons of different approaches to macro accounting. I actually have a podcast episode on the five different approaches to macro accounting. I think oftentimes people think it's kind of an all or nothing approach when it comes to nutrition. They think like, Oh, I have to go all in. That's super overwhelming. And there's tons of different approaches that you can take with macro accounting. But just learning the fundamentals of macro counting really did give me structure without obsession, like it ensured that I was eating enough that I wasn't depriving myself and ensured that I was nourished and energized while still feeling like I was working towards my goals.
So if you're stuck in kind of this cycle of deprivation and punishment with food and don't really know how to get out, I just encourage you to check out Macro Counting and learn more about it. Give it a shot, like just give it a try because it seriously changed my life and I truly believe that it has the potential to change yours too. If you want to get started. I do have an online academy, I'll link that in the show notes below. We really tried to condense everything in a simple approach without taking out like the most important thing. So it's still a comprehensive approach, but in the simplest form, if that makes sense. Like I really wanted to make sure that I simplified it because I remember when I first heard about macro counting, I was like, Oh my gosh, that's so stressful. There's no way. And it really I mean, just like anything new, it's going to take a little bit of time getting used to it and just learning how to look at food in terms of protein, carbs and fats and also recognizing that your body needs a specific amount of protein, carbs and fats based on where you're at and what your goals are. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. And so we do have an online academy that you can learn more about. I will link that in the show notes below.
The second thing that really helped me switch out of weight loss mode was to stop spending so many hours a day on the cardio machine and instead be very intentional about dumbbell workouts, resistance training. I remember I specifically remember when it was the time that I decided, okay, I'm done being a cardio bunny, I'm going to try this strength training thing. And I remember picking up the dumbbell. I was so scared. I was so fearful that I was going to become like, bulky, and yet it was one of the most empowering changes that I've ever made in my health fitness journey. And it is so much easier to see results through resistance training versus spending hours upon hours on the cardio machines. Like I realized that I was making being so much harder than they needed to be. It was actually kind of mind blowing how much harder I was making things when really all I needed to do was be intentional about following an effective plan and staying consistent, you know, three, four or five days a week, 30 to 45, sometimes 55 minutes, doing these dumbbell workouts. It was one of the best revelations I've ever had, honestly. So if you are wanting to kind of jump off the treadmill and start using your time more efficiently in terms of resistance training, I do have an app. It's called Julie. I give you five training workouts every single week and I give you 60, 30 minute variations that require minimal equipment. Like when I say minimal, I'm talking a few pairs of dumbbells, a small space. If you have an adjustable bench. Amazing. If not, I always give you alternate so you never feel like you have to have the best. But I'm telling you, people do these workouts in a guest bedroom. They do them in their bedroom, they do them in their living room. The kitchen I've seen them on in the basement where I do them. If you follow me, I'm majorly you know, I do all my workouts in my unfinished basement. I've seen them on a deck. I mean, I've seen them during playtime, I've seen them during naptime. I've seen them on their lunch break. I've seen them before. Everybody wakes up. I see them before or after everybody goes to bed. Like the convenience with dumbbell workouts at home is unmatched. So if that's something that you're interested in learning about, it can save you so much time but also be so much more effective because you are actually putting in the proper work and you're following an effective plan that is ensuring that you are working all your muscle groups effectively so you can head over to sale That's Sally dot move Julie dot com. I will link both of those things in the show notes below. But again, that was part two of a two part series. What happens when you stop obsessing about your weight loss? I will be sure to link part one as well as my macro accounting meets simple online academy and then the Julie app, so you can learn all about those things by clicking the link in the show notes. That is all that I have for today's episode. I hope that you found this series helpful. I want you to stop living in weightless mode in Twain two or three. All right? You hear me? I love you. I mean it. And I'll talk to you in the next move.
Move, move, move, move, move, move, move.Move, move! All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie, A lot better. Yes. It's women in the middle for that daily post workout. Real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace the real because you're worth it.