Weight loss is certainly a focus for many women but in many cases, this focus can lead to poor choices.
When we focus on weight loss, it is usually about what we can't eat and people live in a state of deprivation, which is unsustainable. When we change our focus to one of health, it is all about what we can do, and can eat and it comes from a beneficial, more abundant state.
When we focus on taking care of our health, weight falls into place.
Is sustainable weight loss harder after a certain age and why?
There is evidence to suggest the metabolic rate slows as we age, but this can also be attributed to diminishing muscle mass. There are also hormonal changes for women, which can trigger fat storage hormones.
If it were true that this was fully the result of ageing, then all older people would be overweight and they aren't. We need to remain responsible for our wellbeing our whole lives. No one else can do it for us. And we don't want it to take a health crisis to remind us that without our health we have nothing.
Maintaining muscle mass needs to be a major key focus for weight maintenance.
Why is it a common scenario for women to go on a diet or healthy eating kick with a hiss and a roar, maybe lose 5kg, only to put it back on again?
This rebound weight gain can occur for a number of reasons.
It typically occurs because the beliefs behind the original weight gain have not changed and our behaviour, including our food behaviour, is the reflection of our beliefs, something I will cover on the "A to Z of Sustainable Weight Loss'' tour.
Rebound weight gain can also be because people make changes they couldn't implement long term. For many people, as soon as you say you can't have something it becomes increasingly more appealing. People tend to be very black and white with food.
For example, all in or all out. It can be incredibly helpful to have a bit of grey in your life.
It's also important to consider your focus. Focus on health not on weight. Far too often people make grandiose statements about dropping a dress size or losing a certain number of kilograms.
While the intention is good, focusing on weight often means a focus on deprivation, which can't be sustained and hence leading to poor long-term results.
Instead, focus on your health and approach weight loss with more health-specific results in mind. For example set goals around increased energy or feeling happier. That way, losing weight will be an added bonus rather than the driving force and you will make sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Plus you'll be happier and healthier as a result.
Do you think women have a weight their bodies settle on so this makes it harder to lower?
I believe we all have our own unique shape but there are also a number of biochemical and emotional factors that can limit long-term weight loss. I will go into this more at the seminar.
How does the mind influence weight loss?
The mind is the most powerful tool for weight loss.
Emotional health is at the heart of many people's health and wellness challenges. Understanding why you do what you do when you know what you know is literally life-changing.
Many women know how to eat healthily, yet just lack the willpower, for example, cannot resist chocolate or wine because either it is just so nice or it is a good stress relief. Why is this so? And how can we resist the temptation?
I don't believe this scenario is the result of a lack of willpower. People have beliefs about food and about themselves that they have no idea they have.
We are governed by how we feel and many people link certain foods or drinks to specific feelings whether they realise this or not. Getting to the heart of this emotional health picture is game-changing and makes great food choices simple.
What will be the key messages of the seminar?
Too many people struggle to achieve sustainable weight loss and it's the most common topic that people approach us about wanting to get a resolution around.
We hear so often how people lose and gain the same weight over and over and never feel as if they have the answers to what might be driving their body to behave in this manner.
Whether weight loss is a focus for you or not, this 90-minute seminar will cover the mechanisms the body uses to burn body fat as a fuel - vital information for everyone and information that doesn't just affect how your clothes fit you, but how well you sleep, your level of energy and your mood. Emotional eating will also be covered.
What sort of people will it benefit i.e is it for men too? People of a certain age?
The seminar is suitable for men and women, and people 16 years and above. I believe everyone benefits from understanding their body and mind better.
Are you a rushing woman?
No, but I was! I call myself a retired rushing woman and it allowed me to write my book Rushing Woman's Syndrome.
Living as a rushing woman is not sustainable and it forced me to rethink how I wanted to live my life, but more importantly how I wanted to help the women I was seeing everyday with their rushing and the symptoms and health challenges that drives.
My recent TEDx talk touches on many aspects of this and can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ0SME6Z9rw
What are your food "vices'' and do you drink wine?
For me there are no such things as vices or treats. I am in touch with what nourishes me and if I feel like something that may not be considered nourishing I have it.
I very rarely feel like anything like this. Almost all of the time the way I eat is full of nourishment. I want people to understand it's what you do every day that affects your health, not what you do some of the time.
I don't drink wine, but a beer on the occasional hot day can be nourishment for the soul.
Dr Libby is in Tauranga on Thursday April 10 at 6.30pm.
For more information or to buy tickets to Dr Libby's Tauranga event "The A-Z of Sustainable Weight Loss'' visit www.drlibby.com