Most of my clients come to me with a whole plethora of sabotaging thoughts around food and weight loss. They’re our convenient excuses – the words we say to give ourselves permission to overeat or indulge when we’re not hungry.
And to be downright honest, these thoughts are one of the top reasons we become overweight and stay there.
Here are a few examples…
- It’s okay to eat this because…I’ve worked so hard today; I’m stressed; It’s just a little taste; I’m sick; I’ve been so good this week; I already blew it; I’ll make up for it tomorrow, I deserve it; etc.
- I just don’t want to deal with it today.
- The cookies will make me feel so much better.
And so on.
The first step is to identify your most common sabotaging thoughts. Pay attention as you reach for the cookies, pull into the McDonald’s drive thru or press B4 on the vending machine. What exactly are you thinking right before taking action? Pinpoint your recurring saboteurs.
Next, create a new response to use when in the same situation. Here are a few ideas using the samples above…
Sabotaging Thought: It’s okay to eat this because it’s just a little taste.
New Response: So what if it’s just a little taste. Every time I eat when I’m not hungry, I’m exercising my “give in” muscle and make it more likely that I’ll do it again the next time. The amount of calories doesn’t matter, it’s about not reinforcing the old habits.
Sabotaging Thought: I just don’t want to deal with it today.
New Response: I can “deal with it” now or later when my clothes don’t fit and the scale has gone up. Either way, I have to deal with it.
Sabotaging Thought: The cookies will make me feel so much better.
New Response: The cookies won’t make me feel better. I’ll just feel guilty and stuffed after eating them. Not giving in is what will make me feel proud and great about myself.
After finding your top sabotaging thoughts and creating your new responses, write the new responses down (post it notes, index cards) and rehearse them over and over.
Like a phone number or name you hear once and forget immediately, your new responses need to be repeated over and over for weeks and months. It’s the only way to make ’em stick.