Think Thin
Adapted from "Think like a Thin Person” by: Judith Beck – Reader's Digest, Jan. 2009. Thank you to ‘K' for showing us this great article.
A lot of us think that by changing what we eat we'll lose weight. In fact, it's more important to change how we talk to ourselves…
When we struggle with weight loss, many of us will criticize ourselves, our bodies or the diet we're trying to follow. It's possible, however, that there are other reasons we may not be successful; perhaps we just didn't know how to diet in the first place.
Figuring out strategies will help you to resist the temptations of food, avoid "cheating” and teach you how to cope with cravings, stress, hunger and negative emotions without turning to food for comfort. The following ideas will help you change your mindset:
1) ALTER YOUR THOUGHTS…While most of us aren't aware, we always have a thought before we eat. Our thoughts influence what we do. If you think to yourself, "It won't matter if I just have one cookie,” you'll be more likely to go ahead and eat it. But if you think, "I'd like to eat that, but I won't because I've been so on-track with my eating today” you'll be more likely to leave the cookie alone. There are sabotaging thoughts and helpful thoughts; the key to staying on track with eating is to turn sabotaging thoughts into helpful ones. By doing this, you strengthen your tendency to resist temptation.
2) ELIMINATE EMOTIONAL EATING…Some of us eat when we're anxious, overwhelmed, bored, angry, sad or lonely. Food can distract us from these emotions temporarily, but it won't solve the underlying problem. Negative emotions are extremely common; it's important to find mindset & behavioural techniques to get through feelings of distress. For example, label exactly why you're feeling the way you are: "I'm upset because I'm disappointed; this has nothing to do with being hungry.” Also, you can distract yourself with something other than food: watch TV, read a magazine or book, call someone, have a bath, go for a walk, etc. Emotional eating is one of the number one reasons many of us gain weight. Finding new ways to take control of our emotions will help eradicate emotional eating.
3) DARE TO BE HUNGRY…People who are naturally thin tend to make an easier distinction between when they're truly hungry and when they simply have a desire to eat. For those of us struggling with weight loss, we may label any desire to eat as "hunger” and then eat whenever we feel this urge. The solution? Pay attention to how your stomach really feels before and after meals. Keeping a journal for meals might help you become more aware of what triggers your eating. You could also allow yourself to get hungry on purpose – this might help you learn to recognize what genuine hunger feels like. For those of us with weight problems, it's typical that we may overestimate how strong our hunger or cravings are. Some of us may even experience hunger & cravings as emergencies. Be aware of your hunger pangs and try to determine whether you're feeling true stomach hunger or "head” hunger (i.e. cravings).
4) GET REAL ABOUT YOUR INTAKE…For those of us who struggle with dieting, we might deliberately not notice what we're eating because we know we'll feel bad if we really paid attention. We might think, "If I'm not fully conscious of what I'm doing, it's okay to keep eating.” We tend to justify eating too much when we're eating out, celebrating or on holiday. Or, we'll make an excuse if food is free or someone is urging us to eat. Tune in to the voice that convinces you that your eating doesn't matter and respond effectively – remind yourself that you are in control of eating healthy portions and that you won't succumb to thoughts that steer you towards overeating.
5) FORGET FAIRNESS…For those of us struggling with diets or weight loss, we often ruminate on how unfair it is that others can eat whatever they want. The fact of the matter is, those of us struggling with weight loss not only underestimate how much others restrict themselves, but we also focus too much on the injustice we feel. This kind of thinking leads us to stray from our food plan or give up on ourselves completely. While it's natural to compare ourselves to others, it's not helpful to constantly reflect on what we perceive to be "unfair” when we're trying to stay in control. Focus your thoughts on your food plan, the day ahead and how you will cope with any food temptation that may arise. The most important person in this weight loss journey is YOU!
6) EAT SITTING DOWN…When we grab small amounts of food while doing other things, we don't tend to notice how much really goes into our mouths. For example, tasting food as we're making dinner, snacking while talking on the phone or grabbing a few candies while at a colleague's desk are all small instances that tend to be forgotten. However, "calorie amnesia” tends to prevent weight loss and promote weight gain. Awareness is the key to changing this behaviour. If we commit to sitting down before putting anything in our mouths, we'll tend to be more psychologically satisfied than if we ate standing up. We need visual satisfaction; it's important to see all of the food in front of us and make the most of every bite. Learning to sit down and eat slowly are essential tools for both weight loss and long-term weight maintenance.
7) BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT…For those of us struggling with weight loss, ‘falling off the wagon' tends to be perceived as a complete catastrophe. We think: "I can't believe this! I'll never lose weight! I'm a complete failure!” Rather than turning to disastrous thoughts, learn from what happened and recommit to your diet right away. Jump right back on that ‘wagon' and remove the feelings of guilt. For most of us, weight loss starts off easy because we're motivated and confident. As time goes on, though, it tends to get harder. Things happen in our lives that make dieting a real effort. Cravings increase and we may panic. It's normal to feel discouraged or overwhelmed at times…the best way to keep ourselves motivated is to be our own best weight loss coach. Remind yourself that you CAN and WILL succeed; treat yourself like a good friend and say "no big deal” the next time you've gotten off-track with your eating. Just get right back on track. Believe in yourself – you'll wake up feeling in control and ready to take on whatever challenges may come your way.
Changing our thinking is the absolute best way to conquer weight loss and succeed with weight maintenance. It doesn't happen overnight. We must practice positive thinking and self-talk whenever possible. Awareness of our thoughts and their consequences helps us to tune in to which feelings bring about which outcomes. Keeping a journal helps us remember the "why & when” of food decisions. More than anything, practice changing negative thoughts into positive ones! The more you do this, the more natural it will become.
Believe in yourself! You WILL succeed!
Dr. Doug