Losing Weight and the Impact It Has on Your Mental Health

If you are like most people, you may have a few pounds you want to lose. For some, the annoying last five pounds may be difficult to lose, but for others, the excess weight hangs like a millstone around their neck and can bring both mental and physical problems.

If you are thinking about beginning a program of weight loss, here are some facts about the changes you may find yourself going through that can help spur you on as you lose those unwanted pounds.

For many years you might have heard that you should eat organic foods and drink plenty of water, but did you know why everyone stresses the benefits of healthy eating? Your body is like a self-replicating machine that takes whatever you put into it and creates a virtually new you every seven years.

Yes, almost every cell in your body is rebuilt, recreated, and exchanged for a new one during that period. Although it is difficult to believe, your body can even improve itself during that time by making changes that can enhance your physical as well as mental health, and mobility.

When you want to lose weight, you often feel guilty after enjoying some sweet treat that your mind has encouraged you to relish. But there can be more to the after effects than a feeling of guilt. When you eat sugar, it damages your gut bacteria and keeps you from losing the weight you so desperately want to shed.

So, what is going on with your body? Your body has a complex mixture of microbiota, intestinal bacteria, and microbes that keep your internal systems working. There are both good and bad bugs that help break down the foods you eat and help your system thrive when it is in balance.

Eating sugar can cause an imbalance, and many people find they suffer from yeast infections when that happens. But there is help! From lactobacillus to acidophilus to probiotics, you can help your body maintain a balance, but stay away from the sugar!

If you lose even five percent of your weight, your body goes through a metamorphosis that is still puzzling doctors. Your body’s chemical makeup can begin to alter, which in turn can lower your blood pressure, clear clogged arteries, reduce diabetes risks, and improve sugar levels.

Not only that, but many people find they no longer need medications they have taken for years, all because they have lost those extra pounds. Although doctors may be puzzled at the way the body reacts to weight loss, you can jump for joy as your pain decreases, and your mobility increases after losing a few unwanted pounds.

As with other puzzling changes that take place in the body as it loses weight, doctors are still researching why the levels of serotonin, dopamine, and many other endorphins rise as the body sheds its weight. Not only that, but the release is not temporary, which means a myriad of mental health advantages that occur with weight loss.

From improved sleep to a better self-image to more confidence, you may find your outlook on life changes dramatically as you lose weight.

If you are like most people, losing weight is about much more than changing some of your eating habits or setting a more strenuous exercise program. It is also about more than losing a few inches off your waist to fit into something you wore 10 years ago.

You want to lose those extra pounds to become the best version of yourself that you can be, and your body can experience dramatic changes as you lose weight – and they are positive.

Don’t forget that your body can use your help with its gut health so you can have the best possible nutrients to rebuild your body every seven years. Start today to find the new you!