How Root Cause Analysis Could Transform Your Health and Weight Loss Journey

We're diving into a topic that could fundamentally shift the way you approach your health and wellness journey. It's a concept I've seen make a huge difference in both business and personal life, and it's called root cause analysis.

What Is Root Cause Analysis?

Root cause analysis is something I was introduced to in the business world. It's especially prevalent in industries like manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare. This approach has been around since World War II but became famous when Toyota used it in their car manufacturing, leading to the development of what's now known as Lean manufacturing.

The idea behind root cause analysis is simple yet powerful: when something goes wrong, don't just fix the symptom. Instead, dig deeper to find out why it happened in the first place. By identifying the root cause of a problem, you can put measures in place to prevent it from happening again.

Brené Brown talks about this as critical awareness. She distinguishes awareness from critical awareness. Awareness is about knowing that something exists. Critical awareness is when you understand why it exists, how it works, and its impacts.

Root Cause Analysis in Action

I remember my early days working in companies that manufactured and installed complex systems for storage tanks where a million things could go wrong. During one root cause analysis session, we mapped out every single input and output in the process, identifying points of failure.

At each failure point, we analyzed how often these failures occurred. If a particular point showed a high failure rate, we didn't just apply a quick fix. We developed strategies to address it at the root. This proactive approach mitigated risks and allowed the company to become more efficient and ultimately more successful.

I had seen the impacts from a business standpoint loud and clear. And like many things in life, it's easy to see it in one area but miss it in others. Many women tell me, "I don't know why I can be so successful at work or managing a family, but fail in my efforts to lose weight and take care of myself." It's an interesting human paradox.

Applying Root Cause Analysis to Weight Loss

Just as businesses use root cause analysis to avoid repeated failures and optimize their processes, we can apply the same principle to our wellness journeys.

For years, I was so focused on eating less and exercising more to lose weight that I didn't understand why I couldn't stay consistent, why motivation would fade, or why, despite my best efforts, the weight kept coming back. I couldn't see the forest for the trees.

That's where root cause analysis comes into play for weight loss and health. If we don't do a similar deep dive into our personal lives, we'll stay stuck in the same patterns, repeating the same behaviors and wondering why nothing changes. It's like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. No matter how pretty you make it, the ship is still sinking.

Seven Root Causes That Block Weight Loss Success

What are the root causes that keep us from achieving our health goals? It's easy to think the problem is simply a lack of willpower or discipline, but more often than not, the real issues run much deeper.

Low Self-Esteem

When we don't believe in our own worth, it's incredibly challenging to stay committed to taking care of ourselves. Low self-esteem can sabotage our efforts because deep down, we don't feel we deserve the success we're striving for. You can have the perfect meal plan, but if you don't believe you're worthy of health, you won't follow through consistently.

Fears

Fear is a major obstacle. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of change can all hold us back. We might fear that even if we do lose the weight, it won't solve our deeper issues, or we might fear the attention that comes with transforming our bodies. Sometimes we're comfortable in our current state because change, even positive change, feels threatening.

Identity

Our self-identity plays a huge role in our behaviors. If we've always seen ourselves as someone who struggles with weight, it can be hard to break out of that identity. We become attached to these limiting beliefs about who we are and what we're capable of. Our identity becomes our destiny unless we consciously choose to rewrite it.

Beliefs

Our beliefs shape our reality. If we believe that losing weight is too hard, that it's impossible to sustain a healthy lifestyle, or that we're destined to fail, those beliefs will manifest in our actions or lack thereof. These beliefs run quietly in the background, influencing every decision we make about food, movement, and self-care.

Dysregulated Nervous System

Chronic stress or trauma can leave our nervous system in a constant state of dysregulation, making it difficult to manage cravings, maintain energy levels, or stay motivated. A dysregulated nervous system often leads to emotional eating or the inability to stick with healthy habits. Your body is stuck in survival mode, making sustainable change feel nearly impossible.

Chronic Stress

Stress is a root cause for many of us. When we're stressed, our bodies and minds go into survival mode. We might reach for comfort foods, skip workouts, or abandon our health goals altogether because we're just trying to get through the day. Stress doesn't just make healthy habits harder; it fundamentally changes how our body processes food and stores fat.

Lack of Emotional Resilience

Emotional resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Without it, every challenge feels like a mountain, and the slightest disruption can throw us off course. Emotions begin to rule us, leading to decisions that don't align with our health goals. Building emotional resilience is like building muscle; it requires consistent practice.

The Mental Work That Creates Lasting Change

Once we've identified these root causes, the next step is figuring out how to mitigate these risks. This is where the real work begins, and much of it is mental.

The truth is, just like you need to develop skills to eat right and exercise, you also need to develop mental, emotional and somatic skills. These skills include building self-esteem, managing fears, reshaping your identity, and regulating your nervous system. But these aren't one-and-done tasks. They require practice, practice, and more practice.

Many of us avoid this work because it's hard, it's uncomfortable, and it may even open up old wounds we've long buried. But this is the work that sets you free. It's the work that creates lasting motivation, discipline, and action.

Yes, it involves facing your fears, building up your self-esteem, and healing from old wounds, but let me tell you, the work is so worth it.

Why Surface Solutions Keep You Stuck

When we only address surface symptoms like "I need to eat less" or "I need to exercise more," we're ignoring the deeper issues driving our behaviors. It's like taking pain medication for a broken bone. The pain might temporarily decrease, but the bone is still broken.

Surface solutions create the start-stop cycle so many people experience. You start a diet or exercise program with great intentions. You might even see initial success. But because the root causes remain unaddressed, old patterns eventually reassert themselves, and you find yourself back where you started, feeling defeated and confused about why it happened again.

Your Root Cause Analysis Action Plan

If you're serious about your health and weight loss journey, I encourage you to take a step back and do your own root cause analysis. Dig deep into the underlying issues that may be holding you back.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What patterns keep repeating in my wellness journey?

• When I abandon my health goals, what's really happening underneath?

• What am I afraid of if I truly succeed?

• How do I see myself, and does that identity support my goals?

• What beliefs about health, weight, and myself am I operating from?

It might be uncomfortable at first, but remember, just like in business, identifying the root cause is the first step to real, lasting change. Once you've done that, you can begin to develop the mental tools and skills you need to overcome those obstacles and achieve your goals.

This is the deep work that transforms your relationship with health from a constant battle into a sustainable way of living. This is where true wellness mastery begins.

Ready to dig deeper and discover what's really holding you back from lasting health transformation? Listen to the full episode of Wellness Mastery with Jen Hoyer for more insights on applying root cause analysis to your wellness journey.

Listen to Episode 5: How Root Cause Analysis Could Transform Your Health & Weight Loss Journey