There is so much more to weight loss than just losing weight. Weight loss includes thought work, boundary setting, healing your relationship with your body, and growing massively in many areas of your life. If weight loss is your goal, I want you to go deeper. In part two of the so much more than weight loss series, I talk about weight loss as a secondary effect of improving your life.   If Weight Loss Is Your Goal Find the right nutrition plan for your unique body type Strength train to preserve muscle mass Adopt a long-term, sustainable strategy Make space for massive growth: mentally, emotionally, socially Maintain your boundaries   Heal Your Relationship with Your Body Can you remember the first thing you were ever told about your body? The first time you were aware of your body? You were likely a young child. I know I was. I also know how much these moments can impact and alter your body image for many years afterward. My focus on it is that it is so much more than weight loss – it’s about healing your relationship with your body. It’s about detaching yourself from the number on the scale. It’s about body neutrality and feeling neither good nor bad about your body. Your body is unique to you, you can’t compare yourself to someone else. For me, much of this comes down to understanding your body type, but it goes further than this - to your individual body’s needs.   Weight Loss is Your Goal Practically speaking, if one of your goals is to lose weight, there are some basic concepts you need to understand. It will be difficult for you to exercise while fasting; your body won’t have the nutrients it needs to thrive through a workout and recover. It’s also vitally important that you maintain your lean muscle mass. Regular strength training (there is an optimal number of strength sessions to aim for each week!) and eating enough protein to encourage muscle recovery. To lose weight effectively, you need to keep your lean muscle mass. But this is all so much more than weight loss. It’s reclaiming your life! It’s showing up for yourself, making space for the massive growth that will occur in every aspect of your life. And it’s honoring your boundaries. Why do you want to lose weight? What will happen in your life if the number on the scale goes down? Think outside the number about how your life will improve and let me know in the comments on the episode page!   In This Episode  What so much more than weight loss has to do with healing our relationship with our body [6:00] What happens when you on body neutrality [10:15] How understanding your body type can help you reach body neutrality [11:00] The conflict between fasting and exercise [15:00] The optimal amount of time to strength train for [19:45] Why it’s so important to maintain lean muscle mass when losing weight [21:30] What your relationships have to do with how you view yourself [25:45]   Quotes “The idea is that a lot of what we started to believe about ourselves and our bodies started very young.” [5:13] “I’m 42. I can tell you that I’m in better health now than I was at the age of 18. It is possible, but you have to go through the steps. It is so much more than weight loss. If your goal is a number and all you care about is the number, we have to dig deeper if you really want to change that number. Just focusing on it and doing everything you can if you want to alter that number is not going to be something that will create long-term, sustainable results. We have to allow this to be a secondary effect.” [7:55] “One of the things we know is that as we lose weight without prioritizing keeping the good stuff, we will drop our Basal Metabolic Rate.” [18:21] “This is so much more than weight loss. This is reclaiming your life! What do you want for your life?” [25:50]   Resources Mentioned Transform Interest List Check out the full episode page here Find Life Coaching for Women Physicians Online Follow Dr. Ali Novitsky on Facebook | Instagram  Subscribe to Life Coaching f