You’ve probably heard me say it before - because it’s one of my 10 Laws of Weight Loss (stay tuned for this upcoming email)- weight loss is HARD.

If it were easy…it would be easy, right?

I don’t care what the advertisers tell you, there is no single program out there where you will lose weight completely effortlessly, without effort, eating pizza and ice cream every day. It’s just not possible!

It IS possible to find the sweet spot where you are taking action (effort) and feeling some symptoms, and where you can manage the discomfort that is necessary to cause weight loss.

I created my proven method to eating according to macros as a way to help you minimize the very uncomfortable symptoms of weight loss. (click HERE to get my free 14 page Macros 101 Guidebook)

Even the most intelligent diet program will result in some degree of discomfort as you take action to lose weight. After nearly 25 years of coaching people, I have never once witnessed someone lose weight without some symptoms of fallout.

The name of the game is to understand and be able to spot your personal symptoms of weight loss!

Today I’m sharing with you 5 of the most common symptoms of weight loss that you might not even realize are happening to you. If you don’t learn to recognize these symptoms, they could trick you into taking alternative action that goes against your weight loss efforts.

You’ll want to know these top 5 symptoms in order to be successful!

Check out this week’s new video below.

This Week’s Exclusive Content

5 Sneaky Symptoms of Weight Loss (and What to Do About Them!)

1. Hunger! This one is the hardest! Some considerations: Your hunger is in direct proportion to how aggressive your weight loss efforts are. The more aggressive you are in your efforts, the stronger and louder your hunger will be. What to do: Be SURE to eat every 3-4 hours without exception. The goal is to avoid getting hungry in the first place. The real skill lies in begin able to work through moments of hunger without eating. Hunger is one sign that your body is about to burn off some extra body fat. Therefore, you need to lean into hunger just a little bit, knowing that it is a temporary symptom of the very thing that you want. Drink extra water, sip herbal tea, emphasize lots of healthy vegetables at meals, and BREATHE!
2. During phases of weight loss, your hormones get destabilized. This can lead to sudden onset moodiness at times. I find the best rememdy to moodiness is mindset techniques. Grab a journal, piece of paper or whisper to yourself positive affirmations about your weight loss. Consider “I am working through the temporary symptoms that come along my journey to achieving my better body. I am safe, I am ok, and I have the ability to work through this uncomfortable moment. I am not my thoughts, and I release these feelings of negativity.”
3. Unusual fatigue. During the process of releasing extra body fat, your metabolism slows down temporarily. When this happens, you may feel moments of deep fatigue and lethargy. Here it’s helpful to engage in very light, restorative movement to gently nudge your metabolism back up. 5-10 minutes of gentle stretching, deep breathing, or even walking can help a ton. I will often lay down on the floor and move into any position that feels good for a few minutes, finding stretches that boost my mood and energy.
4. Abandoning your goals. This one is extra sneaky! It usually occurs over the weekend or at the end of the day when you’re tired. You’ll find yourself allowing excuses for taking action that isn’t in alignment with your goals to lose weight. For me, this would be “Oh whatever….I REALLY want the cookie. I’ve got the rest of my life to lose weight.” Or, “I don’t care, I’m tired, and I don’t want to hit the gym- my body is fine and I don’t care if I lose weight or not.” The TRUTH is, that you DO want to lose weight. Be sure to hold TIGHT to your goals and dreams. Ask yourself, “What do I REALLY and truly want for myself and my future?” It’s important to pull back from the immediate moment, as if watching yourself from afar, and remind yourself of your original commitment to lose weight.
5. Specific food cravings. This one is different from hunger (above) because it comes in as very specific cravings for foods that you wouldn’t normally want. I’ll never forget a time when I was getting ready for a video shoot and was following a very strict diet to drop a few pounds. I smelled a shrimp burrito and thought I might die if I didn’t eat it. I didn’t eat it, and don’t think I have EVER eaten one. It’s just not a food that I choose normally. But that day it smelled like heaven. You have two choices on how you want to navigate this one, and it depends on your personality. You can either 1) allow yourself a reasonable portion of the food that you are craving or 2) find a healthy alternative to allow, and practice the mindset tip suggested in number 4 above. If you can give yourself something that is similar to what you’re craving, you will give your body something close to what it wants. Then, remind yourself of WHY it’s important that you stay committed to your goals. It’s important that you reach your goal, and it’s helpful to remind yourself of that.

Want to hear even more on this topic? Join me live every Wednesday on Facebook and Instagram and I’ll be talking more in depth and answering your questions. Check out “LIVE with Holly” by clicking HERE.

Stay strong, friend!