The Psychology of Sustainable Fat Loss: The Helix of Change
One of the most frustrating parts of creating new habits and working toward a fat loss goal is feeling like you’re stuck in a loop. You tell yourself you’ve learned, you’ve grown, and you’re making progress, yet somehow, you find yourself bumping up against the same struggles again and again.
Late-night snacking. Skipping workouts. Stress eating after hard days…
It can feel like you’re spinning your wheels - like a hamster on a never-ending loop.
But what if you’re not going in circles at all?
The Spiral, Not the Circle
Instead of thinking of behavior change as a flat circle, imagine it as a spiral staircase.
Yes, you might be revisiting the same barriers and sticky spots - but you’re doing so at new levels. Each time you hit those familiar challenges, you’re not back at square one. You’re actually higher up the staircase, and you’re equipped with new skills, insights, and experiences.
^^ this perspective shift changes everything.
Growth Doesn’t Always Look Like You Expect
Let’s take emotional eating as an example…
Maybe you’ve struggled with eating at night for years. Even after months (or years) of working on healthier habits, you notice you still find yourself in the kitchen after dinner, searching for something sweet...
At first glance, it might feel like nothing has changed. But look closer, because you might not be giving yourself credit for the ways you’ve grown. Maybe now you can:
recognize the pattern sooner instead of regretting it the next morning
stop mid-way through the overeating episode instead of plowing through the entire bag of chips
recover faster instead of letting one night of overeating spiral into an entire week/weekend
recommit to your goals with less resistance and more self-compassion
That’s not failure. That’s progress.
Redefining Progress in Fat Loss
Making progress doesn’t mean you’ll never stumble or resort to old, comfortable coping mechanisms.
Real progress looks like:
Stumbling less
Bouncing back faster
Navigating challenges with more skill, awareness, and resilience
Every time you revisit an old struggle, you have an opportunity to practice handling it differently. And each repetition - though it may look the same from the outside - is actually helping you strengthen the “muscle” of resilience.
The next time you feel frustrated because you’ve “messed up again” or you think you’re back at square one, pause and reframe:
What did I do differently this time compared to the last time I faced a similar challenge?
How quickly was I able to recover?
What tools or strategies am I using now that I didn’t have before?
You might find that you’re not stuck in a circle at all, but you’re climbing the spiral staircase of change, one step at a time.
Because growth isn’t about avoiding old habits forever. It’s about revisiting them at higher levels and handling them with greater skill, wisdom, and self-compassion.
It’s not a loop - it’s leveling up.
