Your Faulty Thinking - By Dr. Phil

  • How many of these strike a nerve in you ?


    Your Faulty Thinking

    You can't "think yourself thin," but because your thoughts powerfully program you, you need to take a look at your faulty thinking, and then change the interactions — with yourself — that are in direct opposition to your weight loss goals.

    Dr. Phil identifies 10 of the most common self-defeating messages that can undermine your weight-control efforts.

    Externalizing/Internalizing
    Realistically asesess what you can control and what you cannot, and take action to make a difference.
    What's your weight locus of control?

    Labeling
    If you label yourself as fat or a failure, then you will live to that label, even letting it define who you are.

    Frustration Thinking
    You tell yourself: "It's too hard. It's easier to stay fat. I can't be bothered with exercise." You may be avoiding frustration, but you quit before you even get to the starting line.

    Fortune-Telling
    You just believe that you can predict the future with thoughts like, 'I'm going to blow it anyway, so I'll just eat the cake now.' This negative internal dialogue can become a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy, setting yourself up for the outcome you don't want.

    All-or-Nothing Thinking
    Because you ate a piece of pie, you tell yourself, 'I've blown it, I might as well eat the whole thing.' All-or-nothing thinking can turn a bite into a full-blown binge.

    Catastrophizing
    When you evaluate events, do you exaggerate their meaning or significance? It's not a success-only journey. Don't overreact to the bumps along the way.

    Pipe Dreaming
    If you chase after impossible dreams you're bound to be disappointed. You have to get real about what you can really achieve.

    Gut-Level Reasoning
    Your transient, unreliable feelings are not absolute truth. If you believe it, you don't process more accurate, reliable information.

    Self-Downing
    When you come down on yourself, your internal dialogue cranks up its volume, becoming so loud that it crowds out other, more relevant and truthful information. When you treat your internal browbeating as truth, it becomes reality for you.

    Poor Me Thinking
    If you go on a diet that is overly restrictive, you find it hard to envision ever being able to enjoy a party, go on vacation, eat what other people can eat, etc. You start feeling sorry for yourself and may end up overeating or binging.
  • Gee leens, I think a lot of this stuff strikes a nerve. I did read the book and like many others saw in print what I have known for a long time.
    There were parts of the book that I really felt discribed me and made me look at my lifestyle and see the lies I tell myself and what i need to do to change them.

    As far as negitive thinking, I must have some because I can't seem to stick to program too well.

    I must say I think the biggest sabatoge of all is setting some # to reach instead of finding a place where you feel good and function well. We kill ourselves to got to some # on a chart but can never maintain it then tell ourselves what loosers we are. I saw a woman post that she reached goal and gained back 9 on maintanance. i wanted to tell her maybe that is the best place to be instead of the constant punishment of never being able to reach that goal again and then throwing in the towel.

    Anyway, I think the negitive thinking is by far one of the biggest sabatours around. And a BIG KEY to forever weighloss.
    -L
  • L the power of the mind eh~

    The one that describes me to a T would be this one:

    All-or-Nothing Thinking
    Because you ate a piece of pie, you tell yourself, 'I've blown it, I might as well eat the whole thing.' All-or-nothing thinking can turn a bite into a full-blown binge.

  • LOTS OF FAULTY THINKING HERE!
    Mine is thinking "who's kidding who, I'll always be fat"...I am scared I will get to some point and then give up entirely cuz I don't look/feel like I think I should, or as I expected to!

    Also being unrealistic in goals.....at 5'3 I know I should be around 115-130, but would never ever be able to maintain that, so I am shooting for 145 which is healthier than I am now, but I still won't be a lightweight! I am trying also to be realistic about short term goals also, realizing that my weight loss will slow down and 4-5 lbs per month may be all I can lose!

    Froufy
  • HEY 4 TO 5 POUNDS A MONTH IS GREAT, I WOULD TAKE THAT
    KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK WITH SHORT TERM GOALS, AND WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS WEB SITE IS CONSTANT MOTIVATION AND WE SEE WE ARE NOT ALONE THAT THERE ARE ALOT OF PEOPLE WITH OUR SAME PROBLEMS.

    DINKI
  • I'm with you Froufy! I'm also 5' 3" and according to the Dr. Phil chart should be around 125 but that ain't happening. His book definitely made me look at habits and thought patterns in a different light.

    I enjoyed the book (I need to sit down and reread it one of these days) but haven't really connected with any of the people on the show.