Can you use your thoughts to help you with weight loss? Of course you can.
Stop and ask yourself: How many times have I been motivated for weight loss? I start down the right path. I’m watching everything that goes in my mouth. Success is in site. THIS time I will do it right.
And then you have a bad day. And you think, “I am exhausted. I don’t want to do anything tonight. I DESERVE pizza. Just this one night of course.”
If you are anything like me in my weight loss journey, you have done that a thousand times. You eat the pizza. You did deserve it after all. And then you think, “Well, I’ve messed up tonight already. Why not a little candy for dessert?”
And, from that thought forward, your healthy eating this-is-going-to-be-the-time-I-really-do-it is done. Back to the old habits. Those negative thoughts are destroying your weight loss. Why not use positive thoughts to fix it?
Positive Thoughts for Weight Loss
Start by thinking about your biggest emotional triggers for eating. Those are times that you are eating that you are not physically hungry. What is the thought that goes through your head to cause those emotions?
Let me share my favorite emotional eating trigger: REWARD-DRIVEN EATING. The true emotion behind this, for me, is pleasure. And I believe that for most of us, pleasure is the biggest reason for eating emotionally. For some it may be sadness, boredom, or joy but I bet reward is near the top of your list.
I reward myself for just about anything – I finished a blog post. Snack. I worked hard today. Pizza. It is the end of the day. Milkshake. To start deciphering what is driving this eating, I ask myself, “What are you thinking when you feel the need for pleasure through pizza?”
That’s the easy part. It’s nearly always, “Eating pizza will make me feel happier.”
Does food REALLY make you happier?
And here’s where it gets really interesting. Does eating pizza to reward myself for working hard REALLY make me feel happier?
Maybe for about 2 minutes if I’m being totally honest. If I said, no, not at all, you would know I was a liar. After about 2 minutes, though, three things happen:
- My stomach starts to hurt because I ate too much pizza again – because who can stop at one piece? Not me.
- I start to beat myself up for eating pizza to reward myself AGAIN. Insert self-loathing.
- Maybe not after 2 minutes, but after a few days, my pants start getting tighter and I become more miserable. I feel bad and then I eat MORE to make myself feel better.
How to Use Positive Thoughts to Turn Your Weight Around
So, how do I turn this around? That, for me, is a life-long battle. But one that I can win on a day to day basis. And any win, in this area, is a win overall.
I am CHOOSING to think other thoughts that will serve me better. It takes awhile to get used to as you have to learn the right thoughts for you to make it feel right.
The reward times are coming no matter what but what I choose to think in those moments can change my internal brain circuits forever. And the more times I pick the new thought over the previous, the more successful I will be in changing emotions and habits. Deep, huh.
What Questions Work to Change Your Mindset?
Only you can answer that in the end. Let me suggest a few that work for me:
- Having a healthy body that I can be proud of is more pleasurable than 2 seconds on the lips.
- Being able to shop and know that clothes will fit me feels better than eating pizza.
- Being healthy to be around for my children is more important to me than this pizza.
- I will have more energy (because I actually do) if I eat food that nourishes me.
- Setting a healthy example for my daughters brings me more pleasure than pizza.
Thoughts that will never work no matter how hard I try:
- I will eat perfectly every day.
- Skipping this pizza will make me look like a supermodel.
- I will NEVER eat pizza again.
My goal for you this week is to pick your BIGGEST emotional trigger for eating. I want you to isolate the thought behind it and then I want you to start trying out alternative thoughts. See what sticks! Will you be perfect? I doubt it but you will be mindful and that, my friends, is where we all start.
Simple Solution: Thinking of positive thoughts to redirect your need to eat emotionally is key to ongoing weight loss. Try it on your biggest trigger this week.
For More Blog Posts on Emotional Eating, start here: https://doctormome.com/post/lets-talk-about-obesity/
And then head to: https://doctormome.com/post/why-dont-you-lose-weight/
Interested in joining my Weight Loss for Modern American Moms Group? You can schedule a consult right here https://emilyvinzantmd.as.me/schedule.php