Hi Wellness Warriors! Last month, I wrote a bit about where body fat goes when you lose weight. The First Law of Thermodynamics is straightforward in concept and something that most trainers or coaches learn fairly early on. The other shoe, though, is the Second Law and I want to focus on that a bit today.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states (in my very unscientific terms) that there is a natural order of processes in a system such that entropy always increases. Entropy, for those not living with an engineer, is a state of disorder or randomness. Basically, the Second Law states that all systems have a tendency towards chaos and the amount of chaos will always increase.

Why am I writing about this on a wellness blog? Good question. And it actually has a very simple answer. You can’t create order from chaos.

Since I am sure that explanation made perfect sense (#sarcasm), let’s back up. In my previous article, I talked about conservation of energy as it has to do with weight loss. But consistency has to be acknowledged. In a nutshell, our bodies want homeostasis. They want similar conditions to live under from day to day. For weight loss to occur, we need to manage the energy equation such that the body can let go of excess without shocking the system. But what happens when we have shiny object syndrome?

Specifically, what happens when we are constantly on and off different diets? What happens when we are restricting calories like crazy and then bingeing to make up for it? Or, on the expenditure side of the coin, what happens when we are on and off different programs every month or so? And constantly searching for the workout with the biggest calorie burn?

Short answer: we create chaos in the system. Our body then has no idea what to expect. “Whoa, she’s eating gluten again?!?! What do I do with that?” Or, “What’s up with all these sprints, I don’t have the correct fuel for that!” Usually, that results in some sort of crash so the body can return to something stable and similar. Which then results in a Monday pledge that this week will be different.

But it very rarely is. To break the cycle of dieting and bingeing, or on-again off-again relationships with exercise, you actually have to return the system to order. Which isn’t easy to do after years of creating chaos.

When your internal system, or your physiology, has no idea what to expect from week to week or day to day, the only pattern it can settle on is chaos. You have to step away from the strict rules and allow the system to reset. And believe it or not, this has more to do with mindset and consistency.

The mindset needs to be one of moderation and compassion. Food is fuel, but food is also fun. One piece of cake on a birthday won’t cause a three pound gain. One beer to celebrate good news isn’t going to ruin anything. There is no need to beat yourself up for enjoying what you consume.

Exercise and physical activity are purposeful, but again, can be fun. Taking a break for a walk with friends won’t derail progress on your 5K time. Playing a game of catch with your family isn’t going to wreck weight loss. Trying to “win” the game of most calories burned is just mentally and physically exhausting.

Let mindfulness and consistency be the balance. Making sure to check in with hunger cues before, during, and after eating is critical to managing intake without resorting to measuring cups and fad diets. Consistently moving your body, and finding the joy in being able to do so, will lead to better adherence than the most detailed program.

So, the next time that you feel a detox is in order or you’re telling yourself you’ll get back on the wagon on Monday, remember that a new program is probably not the answer. After all, you can’t create order from chaos.

Until next time, be well friends!