Five Ways Dieters Sabotage Themselves
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Five Ways Dieters Sabotage Themselves
By diane_petrella on Jun 02, 2011 10:00 AM in Dieting & You
By Diane Petrella, MSW
Weight loss is challenging enough without getting in your own way. Learn to stop self-sabotage and take charge! Here are five common pitfalls and how to overcome them.
Self-Sabotage #1: You disregard the power of your thoughts and think weight loss happens only through physical effort.
We're conditioned to believe that releasing weight is only about diet and exercise. Of course, that's important. But the thoughts in your mind are just as important as the calories you consume.
Solution: Discover what limiting beliefs hold you back. If you're not sure, listen to your self-talk and how you speak to and react to others. Become aware of fears or doubts that hinder your progress. Learn new strategies to empower yourself with encouraging words.
Self-Sabotage #2: Instead of focusing on your goal, you dwell on being overweight.
Until you shift negative attention away from your current weight, and focus on where you're going, you'll remain stuck. Criticizing yourself keeps you attached to what you don't want. It's like trying to drive forward in your car while still in "park." You're not going anywhere.
Solution: To keep the image of your goal in mind, regularly practice visualization. This helps you create the feeling of excited anticipation of having the body you desire. This new mental model of success gently guides you towards your goal.
Self-Sabotage #3. You punish yourself for setbacks instead of moving on.
Every path to dieting success has its ups and downs. What you perceive as a setback stops your progress only when you think it does.
Solution: Be gentle with yourself. You will make huge strides when you simply say "I'll make a different choice next time" and let it go. Practice self-forgiveness. When you release shame and guilt, minor slips become meaningless.
Self-Sabotage #4: You want to change your body, but don't accept it as it is now.
It may seem strange to think of accepting a body you want to change. But, ironically, what we resist, persists. Remaining at war with your body keeps you stuck and keeps weight on. Being at peace isn't about accepting excess weight, it's about accepting yourself.
Solution: Give your body a daily gift. In doing so you're honoring yourself, and your body. Your gift could be a ten-minute walk, a glass of water, or lotion on your hands. By consciously offering your body daily devotion you're creating a pathway to self-acceptance and self-love.
Self-Sabotage #5: You become discouraged when you don't see immediate results.
Permanent weight loss takes time. Patience is necessary to emotionally grow into the new person you're becoming. Allow inner transformation to happen along with the outer change of reducing pounds. One reason yo-yo dieting is so common is that weight is released but self-sabotaging thoughts are not.
Solution: Even when you don't see visible results, have faith. You are making progress. Recognize that your tendency to find evidence of failure is your fear-based mind trying to discourage you. Hold faith in your heart. Just because you haven't reached your goal yet doesn't mean you won't. You will.
Your thoughts...
How will you stop sabotaging yourself and move forward?
Diane Petrella, MSW is a psychotherapist and life coach. She offers her clients a spiritual approach to weight loss and helps them develop a loving, respectful relationship with their bodies. Receive a free copy of Diane’s Seven Easy & Effortless Weight Loss Secrets by signing up for her free monthly e-newsletter, Living Lightly, for spiritual insights and tips to release weight with confidence and love. To contact Diane directly visit: www.dianepetrella.com
By diane_petrella on Jun 02, 2011 10:00 AM in Dieting & You
By Diane Petrella, MSW
Weight loss is challenging enough without getting in your own way. Learn to stop self-sabotage and take charge! Here are five common pitfalls and how to overcome them.
Self-Sabotage #1: You disregard the power of your thoughts and think weight loss happens only through physical effort.
We're conditioned to believe that releasing weight is only about diet and exercise. Of course, that's important. But the thoughts in your mind are just as important as the calories you consume.
Solution: Discover what limiting beliefs hold you back. If you're not sure, listen to your self-talk and how you speak to and react to others. Become aware of fears or doubts that hinder your progress. Learn new strategies to empower yourself with encouraging words.
Self-Sabotage #2: Instead of focusing on your goal, you dwell on being overweight.
Until you shift negative attention away from your current weight, and focus on where you're going, you'll remain stuck. Criticizing yourself keeps you attached to what you don't want. It's like trying to drive forward in your car while still in "park." You're not going anywhere.
Solution: To keep the image of your goal in mind, regularly practice visualization. This helps you create the feeling of excited anticipation of having the body you desire. This new mental model of success gently guides you towards your goal.
Self-Sabotage #3. You punish yourself for setbacks instead of moving on.
Every path to dieting success has its ups and downs. What you perceive as a setback stops your progress only when you think it does.
Solution: Be gentle with yourself. You will make huge strides when you simply say "I'll make a different choice next time" and let it go. Practice self-forgiveness. When you release shame and guilt, minor slips become meaningless.
Self-Sabotage #4: You want to change your body, but don't accept it as it is now.
It may seem strange to think of accepting a body you want to change. But, ironically, what we resist, persists. Remaining at war with your body keeps you stuck and keeps weight on. Being at peace isn't about accepting excess weight, it's about accepting yourself.
Solution: Give your body a daily gift. In doing so you're honoring yourself, and your body. Your gift could be a ten-minute walk, a glass of water, or lotion on your hands. By consciously offering your body daily devotion you're creating a pathway to self-acceptance and self-love.
Self-Sabotage #5: You become discouraged when you don't see immediate results.
Permanent weight loss takes time. Patience is necessary to emotionally grow into the new person you're becoming. Allow inner transformation to happen along with the outer change of reducing pounds. One reason yo-yo dieting is so common is that weight is released but self-sabotaging thoughts are not.
Solution: Even when you don't see visible results, have faith. You are making progress. Recognize that your tendency to find evidence of failure is your fear-based mind trying to discourage you. Hold faith in your heart. Just because you haven't reached your goal yet doesn't mean you won't. You will.
Your thoughts...
How will you stop sabotaging yourself and move forward?
Diane Petrella, MSW is a psychotherapist and life coach. She offers her clients a spiritual approach to weight loss and helps them develop a loving, respectful relationship with their bodies. Receive a free copy of Diane’s Seven Easy & Effortless Weight Loss Secrets by signing up for her free monthly e-newsletter, Living Lightly, for spiritual insights and tips to release weight with confidence and love. To contact Diane directly visit: www.dianepetrella.com
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Replies
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thanks for sharing this!!0
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very nice.. I know that most of the battle is in my mind, I just need to be reminded of this again and again0
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thanks for posting! :flowerforyou:0
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Thanks for posting!0
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That post really hit home for me. I"m so hard on myself. Instead of being happy now, I'm like I want more more more weight gone. I had pizza Monday night. I was 182.4 and it took me till today, Thursday to get back to 182.4. It so wasn't worth it and I was so mad at myself wasting 3 days trying to get this pizza weight off, when I had already lost these 3 lbs last week. I have to learn to forgive myself. I think that is the key for me, revamping my outlook on my body and my weight loss journey.0
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Awesomeness! Thanks for sharing this!0
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bump0
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I don't think I do any of that stuff. I have never hated my body. Occasionally I hate individual organs, but lets not single anyone out here.0
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every one of those ways ring true with me. Some I have overcome, some I am still working on! Great post!0
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Excellent! So many women need to read this.0
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GREAT info! Thank you!!0
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That was a wonderful post, and it typifies why I love the MFP community. It fosters a healthy, empowered attitude that makes it so much easier for me to work towards my goal. That culture is so supportive whether you have a longer race or a shorter one. Every day I read things that are about having a good attitude regardless of what we're faced with, and that attitude makes such a difference.0
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I am a huge believer in the Power of Positive Thinking! You will become what you think!
Thanks for the reminders!:bigsmile:0 -
For me, positive thinking means taking responsibility and making healthy choices.
Thinking nice thoughts is all very well but the bottom line is that if you carry on eating more than you're burning you're going to carry on getting fatter.
Realising that that simple fact was reality, not cruelty, was a major step forward for me.0 -
Man I agree, there's a thread or two everyday where someone is all wrapped up on themselves about having a setback or overeating or slow results or etc, etc...
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn't end with diet and exercise, and the better you get at doing it the more you begin to realize that it doesn't start there either. It begins with the proper mental attitude. Attitude is a catalyst for positive and negative results and with a greater understanding of that comes a more effective lifestyle change.
Have you ever met a uber fit person who's always like "man, I hate myself, I wish I didn't eat so much..." probably not, in fact most of the seriously healthy/athletes in my circle take the positive attitude to ad nauseum.
Get your mind right!0 -
Great post!
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great post!!!0
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Thank you for this reminder that it's not all physical things we do, but also mental.0
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Great advice!0
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great post!0
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Thanks!0
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[-uses AED on dead post that needs a jump-]0
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Some *great* advice there, thanks heaps. I totally agree that getting my head straight is the only way I can keep making good choices. If I start to lose focus and not pay attention to what I'm thinking and feeling then the eating goes AWOL and no weight loss happens.0
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Amazing post! Sometimes we just need some motivation... THANK YOU!0
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bump0
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