subject: Losing Weight Is Not About The Diet! [print this page] Author: Donna Deming Author: Donna Deming
Lets face it we all know how to lose weight: Eat right and exercise and there are many successful diets to choose from. If we all know what to do to lose weight how come obesity is so prevalent? Why is weight loss a billion dollar industry in this country? Its Not About The Diet! Research shows it is about our individual thought process. Recent research shows that one of the most effective treatments in treating binge eating is cognitive and behavioral therapy. Meaning the problem lies in the distorted way we view our self and our place in the world. It is about the automatic negative self-talk we engage in without even realizing what we are doing. Here are a few common distorted ways of thinking: All or nothing thinking you view everything as black or white. Im a success or I am a failure. Rather than I succeeded this morning, didnt do as well this afternoon but I am back on track. Catastrophizing fortune telling. All your thoughts about the future are negative. You eat one cookie and then think to yourself, Ill never lose weight or Ill never stick to a diet. Emotional reasoning you think something must be true because you feel (actually believe) it so strongly. You ignore all evidence to the contrary. Yes, you have been finding it challenging to stick with a diet routine but the thought that I will always fail is not really true. Think about a time in the past when you lost weight. Even if you havent lost weight in the past why cant you lose weight now? Each day is a new day. Labeling you label yourself and others without even considering evidence that might lead you to a different conclusion. Im a loser or hes no good. You box yourself in with this type of negative self-talk. Allow yourself to be human. Life is a journey with ups and downs. Every day is new it is a day youve never lived before and you can make choices that lead you to having more joy in your life. Learn to fail or fail to learn. You can learn from the times you fall down. The key is to find the learning and quickly get back up. We all fall down. Dont be fooled by media. The media continues to throw images at you of how should look. The whole purpose of advertising is to sell you products that will supposedly make you look the way they tell you to look. More than 97% of the population doesnt look like a supermodel. We are various shapes and sizes unique in our own way. Dont get obsessed about losing weight. Your body is the shell that carries you through lifes journey. Learn to take care of your shell. Treat it with loving-kindness. You are not your shell. Try and see if you can catch yourself in distorted thinking. Reference: Cognitive Therapy, Judith S. Beck Copyright Donna Deming, 2010 http://www.BreakThroughLifeCoaching.netAbout the Author:
