How NOT to Lose Weight

by Jari Love

So much of what we do (or do not do) is "in the mind". It is entirely possible to sabotage our best efforts right from the start. Take dieting...we might schedule ourselves to begin a diet on Monday morning and by Monday afternoon we truly believe that if we cannot have that cake/cookie/candy/pizza/etc. we are going to lose our minds.

It is a trick of the mind that makes the "forbidden" things the most desirable things.

This tells us that our minds can be one of the biggest hurtles that we have when weight loss is concerned. Just consider these things that we can "convince ourselves" of:

I just ate, so I can't exercise

I am too tired now, I'll get up and exercise in the morning

I have to lose all of this weight within the next few weeks

I ate one cookie I might as well forget about it and eat the whole bag

I am so upset about work today that I am going to eat my body weight in ice cream when I get home

Yes, these things, and many more like them, race through the minds of millions of dieters every single day. They are just a few of the reasons or ways that people don't lose weight and yet they are all "of the mind".

Emotional eating, procrastination, and lack of concern about consequences are all saboteurs to our diets. However, simply knowing that you might be your own worst enemy is a very good tactic for success.

When you decide that you are truly going to commit to a diet it is helpful to know in advance that you may find yourself struggling with many of the challenges we listed above. If you accept these things as fact, it then becomes possible to develop methods for overcoming them.

Let's review those thoughts, and consider how to handle them if they arise:

I just ate, so I can't exercise - Call a friend or choose an exercise buddy who won't let you get away with this.

I am too tired now, I'll get up and exercise in the morning - You will feel worse for not going, so give yourself a moment and then head out the door.

I have to lose all of this weight within the next few weeks - This is unrealistic and not a feasible way to set goals - calculate one to three pounds per week and then choose your "deadline".

I ate one cookie I might as well forget about it and eat the whole bag - One cookie is easy to recover from, a train wreck is not. It was a mistake, move on!

I am so upset about work today that I am going to eat my body weight in ice cream when I get home - Emotional eating leads to worse emotional stress. Take a hot bath, a long walk, or keep a single "emergency" chocolate on hand for such moments.

There will be many reasons NOT to lose weight, don't allow yourself to be one of them!