Without a doubt, feelings and opinions of one’s self play an important role in a weight-loss program. Our daily lives are shaped by our self image – how we view ourselves and value ourselves in the world.
Your self image can be your best friend and motivator – or it can be your worst enemy and totally defeat you, depending on your perceived strengths and weaknesses. Developing, maintaining and rehearsing a positive self image provides you with an inner feeling of self acceptance and self respect that will allow you to love yourself, to love others, and not to turn to food as a substitute for what you really need in life.
Think about it for a minute. How often do you eat when you feel stressed, anxious, bored, sad, alone, depressed, happy, upset, etc.? Everyone uses food every day for many purposes, but few of which are related to nutritional needs. (It’s important to remember that this is a universal human trait, not a habit of just the overweight.)
We all have an image of who and what we are – and an image of what our potential is. Much of this is based on a combination of childhood ideals, day-to-day reality, and secretive pressures and influences. Our self image tends to mesh with our repetitive thinking, particularly those negative thoughts that may be repeated over and over during the day – especially during times of negative feelings. It is these feelings or this self image that keep us where we are. For example, “I wish I looked like him/her,” “I am so fat,” and “I just can’t do anything right to lose this weight.” These negative thought patterns ultimately make one feel bad about themselves and may lead to them to avoid any future effort in making positive changes for fear of failure.
The easiest way to break the trap of a negative self image is to allow yourself to project ahead to what you want to be, and begin to form an image in your mind of the new thin person that you want to become. You might not be able to achieve it all, but the point is for you to get the ball rolling towards having a new mindset!
To help you get in touch with your thin self, write down some of the characteristics of the thin person inside you. Let go of your fantasies and try to express what you really hope for! Fill in the blanks on the following sentences:
- My ideal weight is _____.
- My ideal clothing size is _____.
- When I am at this ideal weight, I will _____.
- The clothes I will wear will be _____.
- My day-to-day life will be _____.
- My social life will be _____.
- My home life will be _____.
- My spouse/partner and I will _____.
To improve your self image, it is necessary to change any negative thought patterns and replace them with more positive and encouraging thoughts. Here are some tips to do just that:
Write a list of your positive attributes and keep these in mind by repeating them to yourself throughout the day.
- Believe in what your body can do – not what you believe it can’t do.
- Ignore the fashion/media industry, which promote unrealistic body images.
- Involve family members and friends in your weight-loss journey for support.
- Put appearance in perspective. Remember that weight and appearance do not define who you are.
By changing your perception of how you see yourself and improving your self esteem, your weight-loss program will be much more effective. Getting rid of negative thoughts can be a difficult process, but with determination and the help of your MRC weight-loss consultants, you can and will get there!
