The Spooky Side of Weight Loss
One of the things I find most rewarding as a Dietitian is seeing the positive progress of my patient’s health through healthy weight loss. It is always fun to hear success stories. If you are in this group of successful weight loss or are in the process, there is something that I have also found…weight loss can be SPOOKY!
Yikes! I know what you are thinking, “why in the world would I want to lose weight if it has SPOOKY side effects?” Stay with me!
While you may be thinking doom and gloom, the fact of the matter is, the SPOOKY part of weight loss is it actually makes you feel more comfortable in your own skin instead of making your skin crawl! How is that for SPOOKY?!?
When people see someone else taking charge of their health, they may feel compelled to make positive changes to their own health. Your actions may benefit others! Again, how spooky is that?!?
Once you start seeing success in your lab work, when your clothes start feeling more comfortable, or when you are having an easier time moving your body, you start feeling good. Again, that can also be SPOOKY! That ‘good feeling’ you get in turn stimulates the production of a neurotransmitter, which is a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine controls the brain’s reward system and helps us remember what behavior led to that feeling of ‘good’ so we will do it again. Here begins a ‘healthy habit”. So SPOOKY!
My spooky list keeps growing, but instead of torturing you through my thoughts, here are 25 SPOOKY Signs of Weight Loss!
#1 Balanced mood
Exercise tells the brain to release feel-good chemicals like endorphins leading to a more balanced mood and positive attitude.
#2 Stress may disappear
Foods with a high fat, sugar, and salt content, especially processed foods, can trigger high levels of cortisol, which is the stress hormone. Healthy weight loss can reverse this.
#3 Work gets easier
When people feed their body nutritious foods with a variety of vitamins and minerals, this could also improve cognitive function making a job seem less overwhelming.
#4 Mental clarity
Unhealthy amounts of salt and sugar can screw up the brain chemistry leading to brain fog. This tends to disappear when people eat a healthy diet and have a healthy weight loss.
#5 Better memory
The brain requires adequate vitamins and minerals to function. When people lose weight, they tend to consume healthier foods that are higher in antioxidants resulting in improved memory.
#6 Increased energy
Carrying extra weight requires the body to use a lot of energy. When someone loses weight when supplying it with nutritious food, his or her energy levels will be plentiful.
#7 Less headaches
People who suffer from headaches or chronic migraines might notice once they have lost weight these symptoms go away.
#8 Improved organizational skills
Monitoring physical activity and eating behavior helps keep
the mind focused for good organizational skills.
#9 Better immune system
Added weight puts a lot of stress on the immune system. This leads to more colds and other illnesses. Losing weight helps support the immune system and improve overall health.
#10 Clearer skin and Healthier hair
High sugar foods and simple carbs put the kidneys and liver through a lot of stress. Improving the diet takes a lot of pressure off the body’s filtration system, which means clearer skin and healthier hair.
#11 Better sleep
After losing weight, people tend to sleep throughout the entire night and experience higher quality of sleep.
#12 Balanced hormones
At a moderate weight, the thyroid can function more efficiently which promotes balanced hormones.
13 Reduced joint pain
Less weight means less stress and inflammation in the knees, elbows, and hips.
#14 Less doctor appointments
Improved health means a lot less doctor appointments.
#15 Less prescription medications needed
Better overall health means reduced need for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or mental health medications.
#16 Food starts to taste better
Salty foods desensitize flavor receptors on the tongue. Food might taste bland at first, but after a short period of time everything tastes much, much better.
#17 Crave healthy food
The body will crave healthy food instead of chips, candy, and other junk. After losing weight healthily, people tend to no longer crave salty, fried or highly processed foods.
#18 Learning to cook
People losing weight healthfully will learn to cook in order to control the foods they consume. It is fun to learn new recipes and try out new techniques in the kitchen.
#19 Reduced hunger
When people feed their bodies healthy food full of nutrients,
they’re less likely to feel hungry throughout
the day. Less weight also means the body requires less calories to function
property.
#20 Daily tasks get easier
The benefits of weight loss impact every part of life. Sitting, standing, going up the stairs are all immensely easier with less weight.
#21 Saves money
Delivery and fast food meals are unhealthy and expensive. Nutritious alternatives can be made at home for a lot less money.
#22 Better social life
People who lose weight tend to spend a lot less time sitting around the house. Instead, they get out and go to new activities where they can meet more friends.
#23 Exploring new goals
Losing weight changes lives. Some people may feel compelled
to explore new career paths or make big life decisions.
#24 Enjoying new activities
The benefits of weight loss aren’t restricted to physical health alone. Losing weight opens up a new world of activities that were previously impossible: amusement parks, carnival rides, swimming, hiking, etc.
#25 Discover your Adventurous Self
Losing weight is a difficult task. After people drop the pounds, they may feel compelled to keep up with this adventurous attitude by trying new things they would have never considered in the past.
So there you have it! The 25 SPOOKY sides of weight loss.
Here at Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating we know that with a little help from
our Amazing Chef and Team of Dietitians, it will be easy for you to experience
this GREAT FRIGHT! 
Now THAT is SPOOKY!
