When I begin working with someone who is significantly overweight, I hear a lot of negative self talk: “I don’t think I can ever lose this weight. I hate the way I look. I feel so big.” And so on.
How they think about themselves eventually comes out of their mouths and shows what is in their minds. How they think about themselves and their weight will direct their course when it comes to weight loss.
As I begin working with someone, I ask them to try behavior goals. The first week we’ll work on food preparation and planning. The next week we’ll work on journaling food intake. The next week we’ll make exercise goals.
At first the client is simply doing what I ask. He does not yet believe in himself. He is still filled with negative thoughts and feelings of failure. Over time, with successful steps in behavior change, he begins to believe he can actually do this.
That’s when the light bulb comes on. Now I start hearing a change in what he says, which means he’s thinking differently: “I didn’t even touch the donuts at work. I walked every day. I want to lose five pounds this week.”
Once that switch happens in his mind, he begins to set his own goals and find motivation within. He is now thinking about what he wants and how he can do it. He now has the mind for weight loss.
Do you realize how powerful your mind is? It’s like the rudder of a ship, steering you in the direction you go. How you think about situations and people is how you’ll act about and toward them. How you think about yourself is what you are or what you’ll become.
