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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    I’ve never had a serious relationship before and I know it has to do with my confidence..Advice?

    Related Topic
    Relationships
    I’m not confident in myself mainly because of my weight. I’m not depressed- I am a friendly happy person, but I really don’t feel comfortable with my body. I do go to classes at the gym but don’t seem to lose weight. Advice??
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    Karen Amos

    Counsellor, Personal Trainer

    Walk and Talk is just what you need to begin living a life that you love. I'm Karen Amos and at Walk and Talk Australia … View Profile

    I'm a personal trainer and a counselor and I deal with people all the time whose feelings about their body dominate their life as opposed to feeling happy within themselves. My advice is to find a place where you feel comfortable. You may need to try a different tactic like joining a group of people who exercise together that are not at a gym, like a group training class or a boot camp for instance. Or by asking your personal trainer to come on-board, which will help you to target the weight loss that you seem to be seeking.

    In terms of your confidence, I'd be looking at how you feel about yourself and what beliefs you carry around with you. That can be perceived through counseling. You need to look at your self-beliefs and how to increase your self-esteem.

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  • Dr Richard Wong

    Personal Trainer

    Qualified with a B: Human Movement Science and Certificate. I grew up with sport. I competed succesfully at a state and national level as a … View Profile

    Hi I would recommend you seek the help of a personal trainer. Here at vision personal training castle hill, we partner up with you to take you each and every step with regards to exercise and nutrition. You are probably not losing weight from a number of reasons. Your nutrition plan will be the most important to get right first. A good nutrition plan will be specific to you in regards to a level of carbohydrate, protein and fat.  You should be eating frequently, every 3 hours and reducing your carbs as the day goes on, with meat and green veg at night. That's a start. In regards to your exercise, your program should include a structured weight training program so you can keep your metabolism high and mostly low to moderate cardio like walking. Low to moderate will help to burn fat and save muscle tone. Remember muscle burns fat, the more muscle you have the more fat you can burn. 

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  • Mary Jane Beach

    Counsellor

    Family Therapy is my passion, I worked at Redbank House for 10 years, working intensely with families, primarily with children with behaviour difficulties. Then and … View Profile

    I think very few people are really comfortable with their bodies. Lots of people think they are fat when they are not, because it's such a focus in the public arena. Sometimes it may not be in a person’s DNA to be slim. Look at your family and see what body shape they have. If you have been eating correctly and still not losing weight and doing exercises, I think sometimes people do have to accept that they are not going to be slim and appreciate themselves for who they are. I know quite a few people who are overweight and yet are still very confident. Those two things are not necessarily linked.

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  • Lisa Renn

    Dietitian

    Lisa is an APD with 12 years experience, specialising in helping people identify and change habits that impact negatively on their health. Inspiring change, Lisa … View Profile

    Hi there,
    As mentioned above body dissatisfaction is quite common place but that doesn't make you feel any better!
    An Accredited Practising Dietitian, with a counselling focus and/or non-dieting approach, is able to work with you to focus on your strengths and to help you define yourself separately from your body at the same time as helping you make better food choices. If you are unhappy with your body sometimes this causes people to make poor food choices- when you understand this you can come a bit closer to creating some positive changes to not only your diet but also your self esteem.
    All the best.

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  • Maria Di Martino

    Counsellor

    Passionate about the counselling field, and how we can constantly improve ourselves to be the best we can be. I have ten years experience working … View Profile

    Not being comfortable about the way you look, could also be connected with negative self perceptions you may have about yourself. Low self esteem can sometimes manifest as negativity towards personality and sexuality.  I would suggest perhaps seeking out a counsellor or psychologist who can assist you in addressing some limiting beliefs you may have about yourself. This can be extremely helpful in gaining some insight and self awareness, as to why you feel this way. You can then work towards building your strengths and confidence, as well as working on healthy eating, and an active lifestyle. Once all three areas have been addressed confidence and well being can be restored. Good luck with this.

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  • Mr Max von Sabler

    Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist

    http://www.mvsgroup.com.au/ Max is a clinical psychologist working in the public and private health sectors. He currently holds several appointments at Monash Health where he provides … View Profile

    Hi there,

    I'd recommend talking to your GP about weightloss or seeing an allied health professional that can help you achieve your goals.

    Sometimes issues like those you describe (confidence) can appear to be related to things such as weight, and they may well be! However, the underlying cause of issues with confidence can also often be psychological. If you find that you still have these issues after you achieve your desired weight, don't be alarmed. Just recognise that weight may not have been the whole issue. I'd recommend talking to a psychologist about this if you're finding that you're struggling with these issues. A GP can orgnaise a referral to you, or you can find someone you like online through 'APS Find A Psychologist' service.

    Best wishes,

    Max.

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