Losing Weight Without Feeling Deprived

Losing weight and feeling deprived go together like peanut butter and...chocolate! Suffering through these feelings might be acceptable if you’re goal is short-term weight loss, but if you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off, you need a different strategy.

Why Do We Feel Deprived During Weight Loss?

Satisfying your food cravings feels so good because it releases dopamine in your body, activating your brain’s reward system. It goes like this:

• I want that food [craving]
• *eats food [action]
• That felt good [rewarded with pleasurable dopamine hit]
• I want that food again because it felt good [craving – cycle begins again]

When you try to use will power to ignore cravings, you experience feelings of deprivation because you are literally depriving yourself of not only the food, but also the dopamine hit that follows.

Stop the Cycle, Start Losing Weight

⚠️Spoiler Alert: True joy is not found at the bottom of a brownie sundae. Trust me, I’ve checked.

Sure, you get that dopamine hit your primal, pleasure-seeking brain begged for, but satisfying food cravings is not the only way to get your “feel good hormone” pumping!

Dopamine (technically a neurotransmitter) can be activated many different ways. What does this mean? It means you can still get your reward without self-sabotaging your weight loss efforts! Losing weight without feeling deprived becomes easier.

In fact, there are tons of fun and, dare I say, healthy ways to feel the addictive effects of dopamine reward, including:

• being in nature
• exercising
• cold plunges/cold exposure
• listening to music and/or dancing
• crossing off items on a to-do list
• meditation
• sitting in the sun (*always practice sun safety)
• laughing/spending time with friends & loved ones
• getting adequate sleep
• participating in hobbies and/or sports
• completing goals
• gardening

Always Have a Plan

We all know that little voice that will not be hushed when a food craving strikes. She can be very persuasive, even sounding logical sometimes. The truth is…she means well. She wants you to feel good.

Now that you know it’s just your brain looking for its reward, you can have a back-up plan so you don’t feel like you’re saying “no” to feeling good. Consider adding some of the activities mentioned above to your daily routine so you know where your next “dose of happy” is coming from.

You Are Always Saying “Yes” to Something

Saying yes feels more rewarding than saying no. Ask yourself, what are you saying yes to in the long run? A healthier version of yourself; a vision for your future that you’ve wanted for so long; a balanced mood and rested mind. And, yes, sometimes a brownie sundae. But that brownie sundae will be enjoyed with intention and on your terms.

You are not striving for perfection here. You are learning new ways to give your body what it craves. You can lose weight without feeling deprived when you understand what you are saying yes to!

XO- Erin