The Easy Four Step Holistic Approach To Losing Weight

It goes without saying that losing weight is hard to do. Between making time to exercise, getting enough sleep, and finding the right diet, there are many factors to consider. This struggle is one that emergency and integrative medicine physician Eudene Harry knows all too well. She told Mindbodygreen that while her health looked fine on paper, working 60 hours every week was causing a lot of stress and her body was suffering.

Tired of being stuck in a cycle of losing sleep, losing hair, and gaining weight, Harry set out to make a serious change. "I decided there has to be more to health than what [I was] currently doing," she said. Eventually, Harry discovered a holistic way to achieve true health — a 4-step system that allowed her to drop 90 pounds. While the results definitely didn't come overnight, this approach put the ball back in her court, and could potentially help you lose weight for good, too.

Harry shared with Mindbodygreen that change happens in the mind first. Instead of focusing on her weight, she set her sights on just feeling better. As a result, she was able to tackle goals one lifestyle shift at a time instead of setting strict guidelines. With that came the realization that it would take at least a year to lose the weight and keep it off, but acceptance of that fact was a critical step in the process.

Next, Harry took stock of how stress impacted her well-being. "Once I started getting that in order, other things started to fall into place," she said. Yoga and meditation became her go-to methods of stress management.

Living every day with purpose was the next step of her journey. A 2020 study published in Preventive Medicine found that a sense of purpose is linked to a reduced risk of physical inactivity, sleep problems, and an unhealthy BMI. Connecting her weight loss goals to her purpose sealed the deal on transforming her strategy into a holistic practice.

Lastly, Harry refused to compromise on her healthy habits. Instead of checking off milestones, she made healthy changes just part of her identity. Just as brushing her teeth or showering weren't optional, neither was prioritizing her self-care.

With these 4 practices, you can position yourself to tackle goals in a holistic manner. With endurance, consistency, and commitment, you can go the distance.