THOUGHTS TO AVOID WHILE ON THE JOURNEY OF WEIGHT LOSS

Everybody’s weight loss journey is different and unique. Being able to lose the extra pounds and to maintain it requires a sustainable diet and habits. Another important aspect of this sustainability is how you talk about the entire process and change. Many researchers have proven that positive self-talk during the journey will help you lose more pounds and make it easier to keep the weight off in the event that you miss a workout or find yourself relapsing into overeating.

“When you tell yourself you’ve failed at something, oftentimes it triggers a backslide or a binge episode,” says Rachel McBryan, RD. If you catch yourself talking or thinking negatively, you can reframe it to get back on track quickly. Doing so “supports a better mood and less obsessive thinking about food,” says McBryan. (myfitnesspal).

Here are 5 thoughts that one should avoid:

1. Today was a bad eating day: Defining the eating habits as bad or good can set us up for failure.  “The ‘bad’ days make you feel guilt and shame, which can lead to unhealthy relationships with yourself and food,” says Julia Axelbaum, RD. “The ‘good’ days put an unrealistic expectation and pressure on yourself to keep it up and always be perfect.” (myfitnesspal). Instead of categorizing your day under good or bad, start thinking about what made us choose the food we ate. If you use a  food journal, try to figure out what made you make a healthy choice or what made you overeat. Were you feeling motivated that day or were you stressed?

“We all have triggers that lead to undesirable behaviors, and figuring out what those are is key,” says Axelbaum. “Once you identify them, take a moment to think about what you can do differently the next time you are in that situation. What new, encouraging thoughts can you test to prevent this from happening in the future?” 

2. The scale is not moving. I must be doing something wrong:  When you step on the scale and it does not change towards a lower value, this breaks your heart. This can  increase stress which in turn alters your  hormone levels and might hinder the positive progression of your weight loss. We also have to remember that it’s  not necessary to see a change in the numbers on the weighing scale as long as you are losing inches. As you lose inches, you are losing fat and  as you start losing inches you will in time start noticing a change on the scale. Until then remember that positive changes like feeling stronger, more energetic, faster and happier is progress in the right direction.

3. I totally messed up, I will have to restart again: “An all-or-nothing mentality has no place in creating a healthier lifestyle,” says Axelbaum (myfitnesspal).  Remember that we are chasing progress and not perfection. As long as you are progressing, you are on the right track. Also remember, we are human and we do make mistakes or sometimes make wrong choices, but as long as we are able to realize that and make the necessary changes, we are heading in the right direction on our journey.

4. I really should not be eating this:  There is always a right time and right place for the sweet treats, that pizza slice or those amazing fries. When you are on the journey of weight loss, we have to understand that including these foods in a controlled manner is a part of healthy lifestyle choice. So, before eating them make sure that this is something that you love or like and that you aren’t just having it because it is in front of you.  If this is something you love or like then have it guilt free, enjoy each bite and savor it. If 80% of your diet is healthy food, you can enjoy the other 20% indulging. 

5. Does this make me look fat?: This generally happens while shopping or choosing an outfit. We generally focus on the appearance aspect of it. “The problem is this kind of language reinforces the bad habit of prioritizing your weight’s appearance and only your weight’s appearance as the focal point of your life,” says John Fawkes, NSCA-certified personal trainer and Precision Nutrition-certified nutritional counselor.  However, we should concentrate on :  How does this cloth feel to me? Do I like the color, fabric, and pattern?

To summarize this, make sure that you are concentrating on the positive changes and also regularly engaging in  positive self-talk which will motivate you more to have a successful journey!