BE A HERO

Do you position yourself as a victim or a hero when it comes to controlling your weight? A victim would have thoughts such as, “ I’ll never reach my weight goals,” “I’ve always been overweight,” or “Making changes in my lifestyle won’t help me now.” Thinking like a victim affects your actions. If you think making changes in your behavior will not help, why would you want to make any? If you feel like you don’t have the power to do anything about your weight, then you probably won’t bother to take any steps to lose pounds.

It’s time to start positioning yourself as a “hero!” Start taking responsibility for your weight. Accept the power you have to make better food choices and become more physically active. Changing your attitude and believing that you have the strength to reach your weight loss goals, can help you become your own hero.

PATIENCE

It is very frustrating to feel like our weight loss is not happening as fast as we would like it to be. High expectations and unrealistic goals can cause unnecessary pressure and disappointment when goals are not achieved. It’s hard to remain patient when we don’t find ourselves progressing.

One good way to address this is by setting practical, achievable goals. First, accept the fact that reaching your weight loss goal is not something that can happen overnight. Changing your eating behavior and lifestyle is not any easy task. Next, think about the guidelines of your Diet Center program. What habits do you need to work on (drink more water, limit sodium intake, practice portion sizing, stop skipping meals, etc.)? Make a list of the behaviors you need to adapt. Then, put these items on a realistic timeline. For example, you can start keeping track of your water intake today, and be drinking at least 64 ounces by the end of the week. Maybe next week, you can start meal planning to fit at least three meals a day in.

Making behavior changes can be overwhelming, so it’s important to try to develop patience. Approaching small goals, one at a time can help you appreciate the smaller achievements that will help you reach your ultimate weight loss goal. Setting realistic goals can help you develop the patience you need to stay on a path of success!

Assessing Your Body Image

Wanting a “new body” is often a motivating factor in wanting to lose weight. However, body image can be a complicated issue. Looking good and feeling good can certainly go hand in hand. However, being overly critical about your physical features can set you up for failure. You may find yourself trying to confirm your negative self-criticism; instead of focusing on positive aspects of improving your body. Therefore, it is important that you make a realistic assessment of physical features, and of nonphysical attributes as well.

When assessing yourself, look at every physical feature (i.e. your hair, eyes, fingers, smile, etc.). Ask yourself which features are attractive, and which are not. You may benefit from consulting a good friend because you can exaggerate what you do not like. Some experts even suggest having a friend outline your body by laying on piece of paper on the floor, and tracing it. Experts feel that some people view their proportions differently on paper than in a mirror.

Try to take note of what your standards are. Are you comparing yourself to images of 20 or 30 year olds? Are you comparing yourself to your age group? If you’re not, you may need to work on accepting that your body image will change as you age. This can help you adjust your goals to more realistic standards.

Note your positive physical features and your negative in two lists. Next, think about your non-physical attributes. These could be personality traits such as honesty, kindness, and integrity. You should find that your positive features outweigh your negative ones. Try to keep that fact in mind whenever you start thinking negatively.

The negative attitude that accompanies harsh, self-criticism; typically ends up being counterproductive. If you find yourself being too self-critical, try working on changing your body image to a positive one. A positive image can have a strong, positive effect on your weight loss results.