by CeeDub1
Can I lose Weight by changing the way I think?
Answer:
Changing the way you think about yourself is the only way you will be able to sustain weight loss! Diets have been proven to have minimal lasting effect. Exercise is somewhat more effective than dieting … and the reason for that is because when you adopt a lifestyle change such as regular exercise, often you will actually begin to change the way you think about yourself.
You are what you think … more accurately said … you are what you believe about yourself.
If you hate your body and see it as fat and ugly … then every time you see your reflection you will affirm that belief. Without realizing it, you are actually reinforcing that thought and no matter what you do, you will retain the weight.
You may tell yourself … “I weigh too much because I eat too much” – but the reality is that you eat too much because you believe that you're overweight. The more you focus on being overweight, the more you will struggle with it.
The body is a reflection of the mind. It's that simple. The physical picture fits the mental out-picturing. Your belief conditions the body to respond in a way that will verify what you think. Our behavior and physical appearance come out of our beliefs – not the other way around.
What we focus on expands … this is one of the principles that apples here. What we concentrate our attention on gets bigger. With weight, this is literally true! The more time and energy you spend thinking about your “weight problem” the more you will find that your weight is a problem.
What to do instead?
(1) Concentrate your energy on accepting yourself as you are right now. Start by focusing on what you like about yourself. Do the things that put you more in touch with that.
(2) Focus on what is working well and think of ways to facilitate that even more. For instance, when you eat well, affirm yourself for that and notice how good the body feels in response
(3) Practice appreciating yourself more by doing things that build your self image. For instance, “I really enjoy my morning walks … think I will walk more often.”
(4) Avoid dieting or “shoulding yourself” about your weight. .
(5) Instead of trying to figure out how to lose weight, focus on enjoying what you eat.
(6 Refuse to get preoccupied with your weight or food intake.
The key here is to begin to accept yourself where you are. Try this affirmation… “I recognize that I could not weigh an ounce less and be fully me right now. Therefore I embrace me as I am and look forward to all that I can learn from my present expression of self.”
It all starts with self acceptance.
The other recommendation I would make is for you to take time to sit down and write your beliefs about your body. Take each negative thought about your body and apply Byron Katie's four question process to those beliefs as a way to begin to become less identified with a mental concept that weighs you down.
When you begin to shed the old beliefs, the physical pounds will fall away. I know from firsthand experience that this is the way to come into a slimmer self.
Lynne