Gained weight for “no reason at all?” Why you just might need to shed something deeper.

by Anita Avalos

Have you ever gained a few extra pounds for no “logical” reason and felt stuck trying to figure out why?

I surely have experienced this.

Even though I have been on the other side of my body-food journey for over 7 years now, I would be lying to you if I said my weight never fluctuates.

Sometimes, for no apparent reason, my jeans feel looser.

And other times…for no apparent reason…the pants feel a bit more snug.

Seriously, for no “real” reason at all, it feels like I’m carrying 5 extra pounds. (I know it’s not just in my head either because my clothes are super honest with me.)

Interesting enough, it’s not because I’m about to get my period, that I’ve been eating any different, moving any less, eating late at night, or that the holiday goodies have been passed around one too many times.

Nope…I can’t blame it on “the typical suspects.”

But out of the blue…extra weight.

Now I don’t weigh myself like I used to so I don’t know for sure if it is 5 pounds or what, but that’s what it feels like in my clothes, in my body…and I used to get so puzzled as to why this happened.

In fact, I came up with a name for this “instant weight gain”….I call it the “Phantom 5 Pounds.”
These 5 pounds come on out of the blue, stay for a while, and then leave. It’s like a mystery to me!

In fact, they came around (uninvited and without a logical reason) this summer.

But I think I finally understand why the Phantom 5 come and visit my body every now and then.

It’s because there is something in my life that needs to be released. Quite often, it’s a truth that needs to be shared.

Now you’ve probably heard me use the word “release” instead of “losing” when I talk about weight and it’s for good reason.

It’s because when weight comes on our bodies, (especially “out of the blue”) it’s sending a message that something in our life needs our attention, needs to be explored and many, many times it’s feelings and/or situations that just have not been fully digested or explored.

For me, especially this summer, there were some uncomfortable conversations that needed to happen, in particular within my relationship with my partner.

Trust me, I did not want to have these conversations. Like really. I wanted to be able to smooth things over in my mind, say an affirmation and a prayer, and trust that it would be better.

But it wasn’t really happening.

Swallowing and pushing down my truth, my feelings, my desires was only causing my body to speak to me louder and louder…through dreams, a lingering sense of anxiety, a tightening in my chest, a knot in my stomach, and extra weight that came on without “logical reasoning” and wasn’t budging.

And where as in the “old days” (my dieting/deprivation days) I would have assumed that I needed to go on the Master Cleanse or up my workout routine, the Eating Psychology Coach in me knew better….I had to get honest, first with myself and then with him.

It wasn’t without help though. Lucky for me, this summer I was in an incredibly supportive environment with my mentor Marc David and my fellow Institute for the Psychology of Eating Teacher Trainees.

There, in Boulder, I found the safety to really break down and own what had been brimming under the surface. I began to speak my truth and then gain insight and courage to do the same when I returned home.

And so I did. Upon returning home, I shared with him the dark corners of my heart and released what I had been holding on to so tightly. To be honest, it hurt like hell and was highly uncomfortable to own what wasn’t working for me in our relationship anymore and what I wanted to create for myself, to share the deep longing I was feeling. (That felt selfish at first, but it was my truth.)

But from that place, a shift began to happen, even in uncomfortability. Within a day, I felt a positive change in my body. Though I still wasn’t sure how we would navigate these new waters, I felt the tightening in my body release and my clothes began to fit normally again.

Even though I still had fear and “stuff” to move through, my body was able to relax more because I had shared my truth and I had released the tension I was feeling by holding back.

About a month later, we are still navigating some uncharted waters but we are in a much more honest, real, and loving place now…and whatever flows from that, I can rest assured that I have been true to myself. My body is happy about that.

Though releasing your truth isn’t always comfortable or immediately leads to a “perfect” happy ending, it is the only way to go. The more we resist, the more the body will find some avenue to get your attention. For me, I have noticed it’s the Phantom 5 Pounds…and usually digestive upset.

Weight gain without reason can mean many things: protection, potential energy, unexpressed desires, excess stress, feeling stuck in your life, stored feelings or traumas…so many things.

And yes, even if the weight can be traced back to “overeating” or “hormones”, we must then ask ourselves why are we are wanting to binge on cookies at midnight or what is not working in my life that is causing my hormones to go haywire?

This is why working with a coach or mentor can really make the difference in moving forward and getting clear what needs to be addressed beyond just “what should I eat?”

But one key way to get the ball moving is to REALLY tune in and ask yourself, “Is there a place in my life where I have been holding back my truth? Is there an emotion or incident that I am wound so tightly around that I need to release?”

And listen…trust me, you will get insight, even if you don’t like the answer that emerges. This is such a big part of what it means to be embodied and sensual…being connected to your body wisdom and using your senses to guide you.

And if you need some support, know that I am here and would love to help you on your journey.

The next time the Phantom 5 come to visit you without “good reasoning”, know that they do have a beautiful reason indeed, even if it is uncomfortable. Listen, trust, release…and repeat.

Your body will shape-shift as needed, no crazy diet or punishing workout required!

What are your thoughts? Have you ever had the “Phantom 5” come and visit you? Was there a truth that needed to be released? Did this make a difference in your body or health?

I’d love to hear from YOU!

Sending you so much love,

P.S. Registration is officially open for my first weekend workshop, “Embodied, Beautiful, and Free: Returning to Your Authentic Sensuality™ and Transforming Your Relationship to Body and Food,” happening October 18-20th in beautiful Santa Monica, CA.
If you have been stuck around weight, food, and are ready to feel beautiful and happy in your body like never before, this weekend intensive is for YOU!

Dance, yoga, powerful teachings, incredible coaching from yours truly, and amazing women…I’ve got it all here for you!