Many diets are touted by experts and users, and they have their merits. 

Bookshelves are lined with new ways to nourish your body for better health, decrease in symptoms of various diseases, and facilitate weight loss. There are scientific journals and publications releasing new information daily on the effects of foods, drugs, herbs, and more on the body.  There is also the pharmaceutical perspective versus the holistic perspective, and within these two dichotomies, there are many sub-perspectives.  So, beyond natural weight loss foods and searching around for information on how to lose weight, what other knowledge is valuable?

How do you know what is right?

A better question is, how do you know what is right for YOU?

The answer? Complicated. It can be challenging to find the things that work best for your own body.  Your body is unique and bio-individual.  You have had unique life experiences that have affected your body. You have eaten specific foods that provided information to your body.

No two people have consumed the exact same food, have the same DNA, had the same exact life experiences, and viewed them through the same perspective.

If focusing on which specific foods to eat is the micro-focus on weight management, I want to share the macro-focus.  It is like the difference between talking about the street names in your hometown and talking about the names of solar systems. 

Macro-focus vs. Micro-focus

To let that idea of macro-focus really sink in, remember that there are something like 300 billion stars in the Milky Way. If 10 percent of them have planets, there are around 30 billion planets in our galaxy alone. There are over 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe.   Now, we are talking macro-focus!  But back to our discussion on weight loss…

Most discussions about weight loss address only the micro-focus. They focus on food selection and how those foods or nutrients affect the systems of the body.  The macro-focus on weight loss expands far beyond food. 

Now don’t get me wrong, food has its role in providing the body the correct information that allows each organ and system to properly function. But if you are only focusing on food when it comes to weight loss, you are missing the other 100 billion galaxies that will inform you of the true root causes of weight gain and how to finally stop it.

3 True Root Causes That Hinder Weight Loss

1. Disconnection from Self

The number one cause of weight gain is a disconnection from self.  Each person is born with their own internal guidance system that informs them of how they should conduct their life.  They are born with a certain set of likes and dislikes and inclinations toward certain activities, ways of learning, and things that bring them joy and fulfillment. 

Often, caregivers or the education system guides people away from their natural inclinations or tries to shape them into what feels comfortable to the adults in close proximity. This leads to a disconnect from one’s own internal system. 

This often leads to a sense of feeling lost, unsure, not confident; and leads to an inability to make choices quickly and to trust oneself.  This disconnect can also lead to behaviors of escapism and to addictive tendencies with substances. 

Reconnection to your own inner compass requires deep inquiry into your truth and seeing the ways you are disconnected from it.  A powerful experience that I share about in The Soul Frequency Experience program is how to reconnect to the true voice within and how to tell the difference between fear talking and your truest desires.

2.Unexpressed Emotions

Emotions are the most powerful force in the human experience.  True healing and weight loss can happen when you finally release emotions that have been stored in your body for years and that you have felt afraid to express. 

It reminds me of my client Becky, who loves for me to share her story as it had such a profound impact on her life.  She had an ongoing conflict with a co-worker that had gone on for years.  She had requested a transfer years ago to work in a different division of the company, but she was denied as they needed her skill set in this specific division.  So, she began trying to keep her distance from this co-worker. 

This had been going on for so long that Becky almost believed that she had made peace with the dynamics. Instead, she had just become good at suppressing her anger and frustration.  Like a boiling pot, she continued to add more heat to her simmering emotions. Instead of expressing them, she held them in. 

3. Living According to the Expectations of Others

Expectation is communicated by caregivers, schooling, media, friends, and partners.  It basically surrounds us everywhere.  Some expectations, such as what it means to be a good person, how one should dress, or how to conduct oneself in different settings are obvious. 

But most expectations are more difficult to identify and can be easily missed. Some examples of those are what it means to be a good wife, mother, or friend, what is an acceptable career, what is success, and what can be spoken and felt versus what should not.  Oftentimes, fulfilling the expectations of others equals praise, acceptance, and love. Not fulfilling expectations leads to fear of being judged, shunned, or having love withdrawn. 

These fears are so great that conforming to expectations is often second nature. It’s something we do without much awareness or consideration.  When expectations become too great, the manifestation of weight is often a byproduct; either from the burden of emotions or from stuffing the emotions with the consumption of an excessive amount of food. 

You can begin to be aware of expectations by making a list of things that you do, or ways you behave, to make others happy or comfortable.  You can also write down areas of your life where you feel afraid to say, do, or be something for fear you will make others mad or disappointed.  This is the beginning of the exploration that will set you free from expectations. It will help you live with a deep sense of freedom while allowing your body to come back into balance.

Physiological Stress Caused By The Root Causes

These three root causes of weight gain cause extreme physiological stress in the body, not to mention causing mental and emotional stress.  When the body is stressed, the nervous system moves from parasympathetic (also known as “rest and digest”), which is a calm state of being that allows the body to properly assimilate nutrients; to a stressed state called sympathetic, known as “fight or flight.” 

This stressed state releases more of the hormone cortisol, which can be attributed to weight loss resistance.  It also makes proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients impossible.  This type of stress is commonplace today and is driven by these underlying root causes of weight gain. 

A Fulfilling Life

To encapsulate this macro-focus and distill it down to one core statement: you are meant to live a life that is fulfilling and in accordance with your own guidance system. 

When you become disconnected from your core, you open the door to more stress and block the flow of healthy emotional expression. This will cause you to lose your unique perspective and voice in this world. For many, this can lead to addictive or unhealthy behaviors surrounding food.

The foundation for a healthy and balanced weight is to live a more harmonious life and to feel in resonance with the way you are choosing to live. This does not mean changing everything overnight or being some version of perfect with the right amount of weight loss.  It simply means being courageous enough to look within, to ask yourself the questions, and to be willing to hear your own inner voice of truth.   

By making one small choice at a time and seeking the best information, you make positive steps toward nourishing your body and life in new ways.