If you’d like to lose weight, consider evaluating your stress levels and mood patterns. Sometimes releasing mental weight can make physical weight loss much easier. Discover how changing basic habits can improve both your mental health and weight loss process.

A 2018 Gallup Poll reported that Americans experience some of the highest levels of stress in the world. According to the ADAA, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. and affect nearly 1 in 5 adults every year. Anxiety develops from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events. Long-term exposure to stress and anxiety can have significant effects on the body.

Also, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) data brief], the prevalence of obesity has increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, over the past 20 years. There are a growing number of health concerns related to weight issues including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, increased chance of cancer, diabetes, gout, gallbladder disease, poor circulation, decreased energy levels, as well as the onset of depression.

 

How Mental Health Affects Weight Loss

Losing weight can already be super difficult. Genes, exercise, diet, sleep and stress all affect weight loss. By creating healthy habits to cope with stress and anxiety, you can also develop similar habits to address weight loss.

Weight loss and mental health go hand in hand. Eating junk food can reduce our mental capacity to think clearly. Choosing more nutritious foods may provide more effective relief from stress and anxiety. 

A 2014 Frontiers in Psychology study explains, “Reward and gratification associated with food consumption leads to dopamine (DA) production, which in turn activates reward and pleasure centers in the brain. An individual will repeatedly eat a particular food to experience this positive feeling of gratification. This type of repetitive behavior of food intake leads to the activation of brain reward pathways that eventually overrides other signals of satiety and hunger. Thus, a gratification habit through favorable food leads to overeating and morbid obesity. 

If you find yourself reaching for comfort food, consider creating healthier eating habits by having more nutritious foods on hand. You can also try these 3 tips to improve mental health and weight loss.

 

1. Track Your Mindset and Diet Habits

The first step to creating new habits is to understand your existing ones. If you’d like to objectively measure your mental health and weight loss habits, try using a tracking app to record what you eat for a couple of weeks. The See How You Eat app allows you to take a photo of each meal and track your choices easily. You don’t have to log every ingredient or count calories and macros. Simply observe the types of foods you tend to eat frequently. 

For the most effective record-keeping, try documenting why you’re eating. Aside from the obvious reason, hunger, we often eat when we’re running low on energy, feeling sad, bored or stressed. Write down how you feel before and after eating. Write down how certain foods affect your mood and energy levels.

2. Choose One Habit to Change

By tracking both your mental health AND eating patterns, you can discover correlations between the two. You may discover that a mental health issue is a trigger for poor diet choices. For instance, if you happen to reach for comfort food before an important meeting or conversation, you may be trying to build confidence subconsciously. Instead, try healthier ways to boost confidence such as reciting affirmations or standing in a power pose.

Try experimenting with one, specific scenario for a few months and evaluate your results. Start small and focus on one simple variable that will help you feel more balanced. If you’d like to lose weight, there are a variety of habits to consider changing. Don’t try all of them once! Choose just one that will feel easy when added to your current schedule and lifestyle. 

Here are some examples that most body types can benefit from…

• Drink one less cup of coffee per day to reduce anxiety.
• Eat one less serving of refined sugar per day to increase energy.
• Eat one less serving of processed food per day to improve mood.
• Exercise for 5 minutes to feel more motivated and inspired.
• Drink one more glass of water per day to feel more refreshed.

All of these examples can promote weight loss and mental wellness. Choose one that feels easily attainable for you or choose your own habit based on your tracking data.

3. Test New Mental Health and Weight Loss Habits

The key to a sustainable mental health and weight loss routine is specificity. The more specific you can be with your new habits the better. The more you can identify the specific trigger and your specific response, the easier habit formation will be. 

Test out your new diet and mental habit for a couple weeks and make adjustments as necessary. If you forget your new methods, try setting phone reminders or leaving notes on your refrigerator. If you discover more triggers throughout the day, keep documenting them and slowly add in new routines.

Don’t expect to see results immediately! If after a few months, you discover you’ve lost a few pounds and are feeling more balanced, make sure to congratulate yourself and celebrate! Your brain loves rewards, so give yourself a healthy reward each time you make progress!

4. Get Support To Change Mental Health and Weight Loss Habits

If you’ve tested out your habits and you’re still struggling to find solutions, that’s ok! Many of us have complex triggers and need additional support in developing healthier mental health and weight loss routines. Some triggers indicate chronic underlying conditions that may require in-depth testing, supplement support and long-term maintenance programs. 

If you are concerned about your mental health, diet, weight and health risks, Natural Bio Health can help you create healthy habits and maintain balance for life. Natural Bio Health provides customized mental health and weight loss solutions that you can rely on for fast and effective results. Our unique approach identifies underlying triggers and diet issues and we create customized programs based on your body chemistry. Our weight loss programs can help you feel more energized, healthier and confident. We provide ongoing motivational support every step of the way with personalized diet plans and nutritional guidance.

 

Weight Loss Program Overview

 

1. Initial Visit

Our initial visit begins with a review of medical history and a wellness evaluation by one of our providers, to fully understand your goals and expectations. The evaluation includes a private weigh in, and a body composition analysis which gives BMI and estimates muscle and body fat percentage. The provider will discuss, in detail, the recommended weight loss program for your specific needs. 

Customized Weight Loss Programs

The Natural Bio Health weight loss program has a choice of a 26 day or 43 day plan. Our weight loss program was created by our providers and includes a specific scientific combination of supplements, HCG and natural foods to optimize weight loss faster and safely. The weight loss begins pretty immediately within the first week. Most patients lose 3-5 per week.

The program includes the following:

• Guidance on meal plans
• Daily HCG Injection
• Daily all natural supplements to help optimize weight loss and support the body
• Cleanse Max. This is a two-part liver and colon support system. It uses natural ingredients to promote healthy detoxification. Cleanse Max supports cleansing of the colon and detoxification of the liver.
• Weekly weigh ins and consult with weight loss MA

Our providers also recommend that you complete a comprehensive blood panel to look for hormonal abnormalities that could interfere with your results.

2. Follow-Up Visit

Follow-up visits are scheduled weekly, for the duration of the program. At each visit, you will have a private weigh in, body composition performed, and a review of your personal Health Journal. You will meet with a provider to discuss all aspects of your program including efficacy of prescribed supplements, diet and exercise compliance and/or challenges. At each visit, you will be educated and given tools to help you continue or maintain your weight loss.

3. Maintenance Program

At Natural Bio Health, we understand that “keeping the weight off” is a challenging obstacle for anyone who has lost weight. Our wellness team will continue to support you and provide continual education, health tips, and ongoing support after your weight loss program is completed. You are part of the Natural Bio Health Family!

 

Contact Natural Bio Health Today

Our team is dedicated to helping you understand the numerous factors that may be preventing optimal health. Learn more about taking control of your health. Join the wellness journey to achieve optimal health, fight disease and boost immune health to combat viruses. Visit naturalbiohealth.com.

Our team of specialists understands our patients’ concerns about office safety during the time of COVID-19. We are proud to offer telemedicine services through video and phone calls. We are also seeing patients in person at our offices, but are abiding by new, strict safety precautions. To schedule your appointment, contact us here. We serve patients in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Round Rock, and College Station.