Self-Talk
Being overweight can often trigger thoughts of
self-loathing. However, disparaging yourself does not help you lose weight. On
the contrary, it is actually easier to stay focused and motivated on your
weight loss goals when you appreciate yourself. It may seem like a paradox, but
when you appreciate your body, healthy eating and exercise habits become
easier.
You can help create a new positive mindset by monitoring
your self-talk. One way to do this is with a journal and focus on your feelings
about your body. By being vigilant about what you're saying to yourself, you
can start seeing how negative thoughts are untrue and unhelpful, and start
substituting them with beliefs that support your goals. By believing you are
capable and worthy of a healthy body, losing weight will be that much easier.
Neglecting Rewards
In addition to negative self-talk, one of the other things
that many people do to sabotage their weight loss efforts is neglect to reward
themselves regularly. By receiving feedback and positive reinforcement, you
help yourself stay excited and involved in meeting your weight loss goals.
Start by breaking larger goals into smaller chunks, and
reward yourself every time you meet a milestone. Rewards do not need to be
expensive, and can include things like time with friends, reading a good book,
or spending time on a hobby that you enjoy.
Emotional Eating
One of the major stumbling blocks for losing weight is the
problem of emotional eating. Many people use food as medication. By eating, they
relieve or soothe their negative thoughts and unpleasant emotions. When you
uncover your emotional eating triggers, you can recognize when you grab food in
times of emotional upset. By being more aware of when and why you eat, you can
stop yourself from emotional eating more often.
A great way to do
this is to have some substitute activities lined up whenever you feel tempted
to reach for food. Exercise, for example, is a great way to shift your mood. If
you can distract yourself with exercise, you will feel better and remove much
of the need for emotional eating. If exercise isn't an option, another
effective technique is to distract yourself for 5 minutes, and check your mood
again. Set a timer if you need to. In many cases, you will have distracted yourself
enough to release the immediate need to eat.
You can increase your chances for weight loss success by
realizing that your weight loss journey is a mental and emotional one as much
as a physical one. Losing weight requires harmony with the mental, emotional,
and physical aspects of you. When you remove some of the common stumbling
blocks, and focus on creating a positive mindset, your weight loss success will
increase dramatically.
