Self-defeating weight management behaviors.
A habit is something we did once,
Received satisfaction from,
And therefore repeated until it became natural.
Self-defeating weight management behaviors are habits that have become a part of you.
They keep you from reaching your weight loss goal by becoming barriers you find difficult to eliminate.
There are four common types of self-defeating behaviors.
Fears regarding weight loss,
Unrealistic expectations,
Perfectionism,
And comparisons.
Let's discuss them one at a time.
Fears regarding weight loss are a result of experiences,
Both yours and others,
What you have been told and what you expect.
They commonly are fears about how your life will change when you reach your weight loss goal.
Some are,
My spouse will leave me.
I'll leave my spouse.
My friends will reject me.
I won't be able to live up to my expectations.
I'll still feel fat.
I will get too thin.
I will be sickly.
I won't be able to keep my weight off,
And I won't be able to adjust to being thin.
Next is unrealistic expectations.
Unrealistic expectations regarding weight loss consist of those that are too high and those that are too low.
Both are self-defeating.
Expectations that are too high include thinking that you have found a magical cure and that making habit and attitude changes will be easy.
Expectations that are too low include having a negative attitude regarding your ability to change,
Being unmotivated,
Giving up easily,
And looking for excuses to quit working on weight management.
The third type of self-defeating weight management behavior is perfectionism.
Research has shown that most individuals with chronic weight management problems are perfectionistic.
If you are,
Your standards are too high regarding your ability to make behavior changes.
You expect too much too soon from yourself and are therefore disappointed.
You don't acknowledge small accomplishments and you cause yourself stress by having too many shoulds and ought tos.
The fourth self-defeating weight management behavior is comparisons.
By making comparisons,
You are setting yourself up for failure.
Some comparisons are,
At least I'm not as fat as so-and-so.
I don't eat as much as so-and-so.
I'll never be as thin as so-and-so.
And I don't lose weight as quickly as so-and-so.
Now that we have taken a look at these self-defeating behaviors,
Take time to determine which ones you are exhibiting,
How they affect your weight loss efforts,
If you have any reason to continue the behavior or behaviors,
And what alternative behavior you could practice in place of the self-defeating one.
Start with fears.
Write down one of your fears.
Then explain how it affects your weight loss efforts.
Then state what,
If any,
Reasons you have to continue it.
And then determine what alternative behavior you will practice in place of it.
Do this exercise with each fear.
Do the same thing with your unrealistic expectations,
Perfectionistic attitudes,
And comparisons.
Begin working on practicing changing your ideas to behaviors.
If need be,
Work on one self-defeating behavior at a time until you feel comfortable with it.
And remember that it will take time to make the new behaviors habit.
