Weight Loss - Its in Your Head
When you truly consider the weight-loss process, the battle waged is mostly in your mind. "Should I eat the corn muffin with butter or would it be better for me to have margarine or better yet, have jelly? What am I doing eating this muffin anyway? It's so caloric and filled with saturated fat. I'm such a pig. I have absolutely zero willpower." It's no wonder you'll eat that muffin with the butter and slather jelly on top to quiet that negative self-talk.
What you need more than a diet is a way to shift those negative self-defeating thoughts to more adaptive, positive self-statements. As with most things worth doing, this requires a bit of practice. First, become aware when you're using a negative statement, then determine what about that thought is faulty and finally, replace it with a self-defense response or coping thought. In the corn muffin example, instead of listening to "I'm such a pig" which clearly mislabels who you are, respond with "Pigs are animals and I am human. I don't have to be perfect."
Many people cannot change their eating habits until they change their thoughts about food, eating and drinking. By shedding "distorted" thoughts and replacing them with productive ones, eating habits can be changed. It is possible to rid yourself from many self-critical thoughts, but like any ingrained habit, it takes vigor and vigilance to change. Here are some other thinking distortions to challenge:
Shoulds. Should statements are more about other people's values, not ones chosen by the person who wants to lose weight. Additionally, should statements reflect an attempt by the dieter to motivate herself without really believing in the value. Better to determine what works for you. "I will eat up to two Hershey kisses daily and thoroughly enjoy them."
All-or-Nothing. This kind of reasoning is the foundation for perfectionism. An all-or-nothing individual views the world as black or white. Since there is no allowance for gray areas, the behavior is either perfect or a failure. "I've ruined my diet by eating all that pizza. I can't stay on a diet and I'll just always be fat." Maybe the problem does not arise from the behavior... maybe the problem is with the diet that does not allow for pizza. "I do not want to give pizza up for the rest of my life, so what I need is a way to include pizza in my diet without feeling like a failure. Let me try having a salad (dressing on the side) before the pizza to take the edge off my hunger."
Good Foods/ Bad Foods. If the truth be told, foods do not misbehave. Foods are not good or bad. While it is true that some foods have more nutrients or are more fiber-dense than others, all foods can be enjoyed. How we think about food colors what we eat and how much we eat. If a food is labeled as bad (such as fries), then for many individuals that food is taboo. When one eventually succumbs to eating the forbidden, French fries, bingeing may result. Rather than continue with dichotomous thinking of good food/bad food, shift to allow space for all foods you like without judgement. Instead of "I ate those fries which are so bad for me" to "I really enjoyed that small portion of fries. They really satisfied me."
Body Distortions. Rather than dwelling on how fat or thin you think your body is, it is extremely helpful to view your body in terms of what it can do for you. For example, when you look in the mirror, instead of zooming in on your stomach which "looks five months pregnant, although your last baby was nine years ago" tell yourself "my body has given life" or "my body enables me to go where I want to and allows me to have fun."
The conversations that are going on inside your head cannot be stopped. However, what you can do is to be aware of negative self-talk and understand that it has little to do with actual reality. When you believe this, you can respond to the critical voice with a more objective, coping thought. Although negative thoughts may not be stopped entirely, they can be quieted by listening to your compassionate, caring voice. In much the same way you would sympathize and listen to a close friend, listen to yourself. Be your own best friend and chances are you'll have greater weight loss success.
Helene Haber
Holistic Nutrition Coach
Helene Haber, HHC is a board certified health counselor. She designs personalized wellness solutions for women of all ages looking to enhance their lives, get their bodies back in shape and their health back on track. Email: TopCatHelene@aol.com.
http://www.integrativenutrition.com/graduates/HHaber.aspx
WNQA Articles:
Quick Weight Loss Fitness Camp
A special program referred weight loss fitness camp is conducted for kids, teens and adults. Weight loss is a special programs offered to the people who wants to be fit and slim throughout. Different sorts of activities will be conducted for the trainees in the program under various courses. Academic programs, athletics, horse riding, aerobics, bicycling, gymnastics, swimming, hockey, fencing and many other educational and social skills will be developed.
Get Rid of Stomach Fat - Anaerobic Exercise
Let's get something out of the way right now. Exercising a specific part of your body WILL NOT help you get rid of fat in that one area. For example, doing sit-ups will not make you get rid of stomach fat. It will make your stomach stronger and it might have you hiding a six-pack under that stomach fat, but what good is that?
Biker Dating Community Just Got Better
Bike America Online announced its new site up and running.
Gay Dating Tactics: Your First-Date Dos & Donts
IntroductionNothing gets the heart pumping quite like the nervous anticipation that goes along with going out on a first date with a guy. Whether it's a blind date or someone you're already acquainted with, the first meeting with a dating prospect brings with it a host of emotions, more commonly a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Home Care and Care Management Services for Elders and Their Families
Older adults and families overwhelmed by issues of aging will be glad to know they can turn to two experts in the field of eldercare: Kerry Boland, RN and Ethan Kassel, LCSW, co-founders of Garden State Eldercare, who announce the launch of their company web site, gardenstateeldercare.com.
Interracial Dating and Love
Interracial dating in the past has been considered taboo. But as time passed by, more and more people came to understand and accept relationships of people from different races. Although there are still quite a few who are uncomfortable about the idea of interracial dating, most people in the society nowadays are open-minded.
Self Defence 7: Isometric Exercise And Brime
Exercise without moving as muscle? Yes, of course. A tried and tested system ? perhaps not to turn yourself into a man or woman of steel, but nevertheless an accepted and documented way of reviving much of your younger days? tuning.
Rapid Weight Loss - What to Do When You Are in a Hurry?
Before talking about how to lose weight fast, I can't help myself but quote this oriental adage which says 'Money and food, if given in excess to anyone will always cause trouble' I am not so sure about the money part but for food, definitely yes
Do's and Don'ts in Dating Russian Brides
Dating over the Internet has been one of the most popular way of meeting your life partner. There are a lot of websites that profile women of different age and background that you can choose from. And one of the most popular women that marriage agencies feature are from Russia.
Weight loss: Pills vs. Diet Programs
Many people consider weight loss as an important goal to achieve optimum health. Both men and women are naturally conscious of how they look, including how much they weigh. Being fat or obese can be quite self-destructive, since it can affect a person's self-esteem and also his self-confidence. By knowing what to eat, and how much should be eaten, people can more or less control their weight. Aside from limiting food intake, people should also regularly exercise and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. But there are people who find it hard to go to the gym or simply cannot resist eating more than they need to. To lose weight, they often look for weight loss pills which they consider to be the sweat-free way of losing the extra pounds....
Weight Loss Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken
Enjoy the sensation of fried chicken without the extra calories of deep frying. This recipe is sensational either hot or cold and is great for taking to work to avoid the unwanted 'canteen calories'.
Say NO to New Weight Loss Drug
Dr. Len Lopez shares his thoughts on why we should stay away from the new over-the-counter weight loss drugs.
Long Term In-home Care Options
Are you worried that you may lose all your life's earnings and nest egg due to the rising costs of in-home long term care? As you get older do you have the necessary finances to protect yourself from going broke while slightly incapacitated? Many seniors are worried about are worried about the costs of long-term health care.Are you worried that if something happens to you, that you may run out of money and burn thru their reserves and all your nest egg.