In today’s post I’m going to answer a question I get asked quite regularly: Do you do weight loss programs?

And the answer is: sort of …

A weird answer, I know, but let me explain.

It is very clear that being overweight increases the risk of a number of serious illnesses. So being overweight makes you unhealthy.

But the reverse isn’t automatically true: losing weight does not necessarily increase your health. There are many ways you can go about losing weight that will be unhealthy (fad diets anyone?) or impossible to stick to so you’ll put it back on again, and perhaps some more.

Another consideration is this: when you set a weight loss goal – say you want to lose 10kgs – you’re more or less plucking a number out of the air. It may be the amount of weight you think will get you to a certain dress size; or back to a certain weight you were at some point that seemed a better weight. But is it the right goal? And is measuring the amount of weight you lose a good indicator of your progress towards better health?

I don’t think so. Let me give you an analogy to explain.

Let’s say you want to drive to Brisbane. And you’ve set your goal to fill up the petrol tank twice. Will you get to Brisbane?

You might. Or you might not, depending on how much petrol was already in the tank; driving conditions; how heavily loaded the car is; whether there are detours; etc. Or maybe the 2 tanks were never going to get you to Brisbane.

In this example, Brisbane represents your optimal health. The amount of times to fill up the tank is the weight loss goal.

Just as 2 tanks of petrol don’t necessarily get you to Brisbane, a certain weight loss goal may not automatically get you to optimal health.

When you are in optimal health, your body will get to its natural weight.

Your natural weight is what your body will automatically get to when you eat the exact right nutrients in the exact right amounts for you. It is your personal perfect weight when you’re in optimal health.

Not many people know what their natural weight is. You’d need to be in optimal health for quite some time to see your body weight stabilise and find out what your personal natural weight is.

Okay, to get back to the question: Do I do weight loss? When I work with clients, our focus is on achieving optimal health. And in the process, and over time, their body will achieve its natural weight. Which may, or may not, be the dress size they had in mind, or a certain amount of kilograms.

It will be a weight that minimises their risk of a great number of diseases and will make them feel strong and energetic.

And to get onto that journey, and stay on, will require small steps to avoid triggering your body’s and brain’s alarm systems.

But that’s fodder for another post!

If you’ve been wanting to lose weight to achieve better health, thinking that that would do it, and would like to focus on your optimal health instead, you might like to check out my 30-day “Eat Healthy And Find Your Natural Weight” program.