IS YOUR THINKING SABOTAGING YOUR WEIGHT LOSS? Part I

Our battle with weight loss (or any battle for that matter) starts with us. It starts with our thinking. It’s not for lack of wanting a great outcome. That is a true desire most of us have, but something seems to get in the way of making those desires materialize, whether it’s finding the motivation to take the first steps or finding the ability to keep going after the going gets tough.

Motivation is definitely important, but there’s also this annoying little word we often hear called “willpower.” But there has to be much more to weight loss or the ability to reach our goals than willpower. Willpower only seems to take us so far. It can also put a lot on us emotionally and mentally, too. Willpower takes a lot of energy, and sometimes we have energy to give and sometimes we don’t, depending on our circumstances.

So, the question looms as to how we can keep that motivation and willpower consistent over the long haul. How can we make this struggle with food no longer a struggle but an ability to more easily step away from that line in the sand that we will not cross?

If you change your thoughts, you can control much of your life. Even if you can’t control outcomes, you can control how you choose to respond to them. If you think you can, you will; if you think you can’t, you won’t; if you think you are defeated, you are; if you think you will fail, you will. It’s not so much about what you are going through, but what you think about what you are facing that makes the difference.

Life is hard… decisions are hard…implementing decisions can be very hard, and sometimes we don’t always get it right. So, if life knocks you down, get back up. You’re not defeated until you stay down. In other words, we all fail to succeed at some things, but you can learn from those failures, those shortcomings… just remember, it’s really only failure if you choose to give up. As long as you learned from it, you can still push forward with the confidence that you can do it.

Your thoughts become words in your mind, your words turn into actions and your actions determine the quality of your life. It really is that simple; however, you have to recognize the defeating thoughts and conversations you have in your head first, before you can turn them around.

Any time you are having some kind of negative emotion, stop and allow time to consider what types of thoughts you are entertaining that are leading to those negative and painful emotions. Identify them and choose to see things differently.

Look, we aren’t saying that difficult emotions don’t have their place. We aren’t saying that someone shouldn’t have a right to be angry, sad, feel devastated over a loss, etc. We aren’t saying to put your head in the sand and pretend things aren’t real. There is a time and place for these things. But don’t stay stuck. It won’t help you.

And while everyone is different - their circumstances and issues are different – many things happen to us that we all have in common. So, if we are talking in general, we are responsible for what we think about, worry about, dwell on or brood about. It is our choice what thoughts we allow to entertain and to determine our decisions and the quality of our lives. Our thoughts can be our best friends or our worst enemies.

So, while we all may be “capable” of making this journey into a new healthy lifestyle of eating, it’s our motivation that will determine our decision to begin the change, but it’s our attitude that will determine how well we do it. How we choose to perceive it, and how we think about this journey, will determine the path we take.