What could be the harm in a little self-deprecating humor about your oversized belly or derriere? It may seem like as long as there are no calories in your sarcasm, there is no way it could be harming your goals of achieving a healthy weight. But the truth of the matter is, addressing these negative thoughts and prohibiting yourself from speaking them can help you succeed at the fat loss that has been eluding you!
So many of our thoughts are automatic. That is because they come from our subconscious, animal brain. Think of these thoughts as computer programs that are set to run every time you boot your system up for another day! Changing these programs may feel as difficult as cracking the code to a new computer coding language. But truly it begins with how you react to these automatic thoughts.
When you experience a negative thought regarding your self-image or self-worth, you must immediately address it. For example, if you look at a recent photograph of yourself or spot your reflection in a mirror, your brain may hyper-focus on your least favorite body part out of habit. You may feel a “ugh” when you think about your desire to lose weight and how hard you feel you’ve tried to lose the extra pounds. In these instances, look up at your face. Smile, stand up straight, and express gratitude for your body for getting you this far in life!
Your legs have allowed you to walk miles in the school halls or college campus. They have helped you climb the stairs to your job or the proverbial ladder of your career. Your arms have allowed you to express love to your family and friends. They have helped you carry others when they didn’t have the strength. Your belly may have carried life. Your back helped you stand tall in the face of injustices. You are a badass!
Back to this computer programming analogy. Your automatic thoughts are based on a lifetime of learned behaviors originating from your childhood. If you struggle with self-acceptance as an overweight person, it is likely that you received messaging from family members, peers, bosses, coworkers, television, movies, magazines, etc. that is was no OK to carry extra body fat. You may even have vivid memories of these messages you received in your formative years. As a result, you these programs play in your head when you think about yourself.
These programs sabotage your weight loss efforts. By believing that you are doomed to be overweight, you pick up the extra cookie. You binge drink on the weekends. You choose the fries instead of the side salad at dinner. You sneak the extra cupcake. This inner saboteur must be tamed.
In order to achieve weight loss, you must upload new programs. Just because you have never successfully lost weight before does not mean it is not possible for you. Every day, people overcome their struggles regarding losing weight. Every day people do new things. Here are the new programs you must upload:
I make healthy choices at meal times.
I stop eating when I am full.
I eat when I am hungry to avoid binging later.
I fill my plate with low calorie vegetables!
The healthy meals I prepare nourish my body and help me lose weight!
You must not only believe that it’s possible to lose weight but KNOW that your past failed attempts were largely because of your negative mindset and not because your body can’t or won’t lose weight. It’s not because of your lack of willpower. It’s not because of stress alone. We’ll be talking more about weight loss mindset in future posts, but for now, read the following aloud:
I know I can lose weight. I see others losing weight and I am just as smart as they are. I am ready to commit myself to a weight loss journey now. I am ready to release this fat that no longer serves me. I love being healthy and active!
LipedemaVegan 