It seems that I just loves to sabotage my success. Whenever I have tried to lose weight in the past, I have always sabotaged my success. For instance, I have lost an amazing 23 pounds, I am thrilled and my life and health are so much better for it. But...I'm not done. I have a long way to go. I am thankful for my success but if I don't re-commit today, I will be right back were I started.
I truly believe somewhere in my mind I feel like I don't deserve this or maybe I cannot be successful or maybe I won't be able to sustain it so why try???
Not sure, just my thoughts today. Maybe it's because I went off the rails yesterday and cheated???
I feel this exact way today. I think, after much soul-searching, that fat is my protective barrier. Yes, I hate it. More than anything else, but in my life it's one of the few constants. We fear change. We fear failure even more. If we choose to fail, then I isn't really failure, it's a choice. I raided the fritos yesterday. Ate 6. While I was walking into re kitchen, I kept thinking how I shouldn't be doing it. While I ate the first...etc. I don't know. I hate food. I love food. Dang.
This is pretty much the topic discussed in the article I referenced in another thread... Why You Can't Lose Weight... it says that the number one reason most of us can't lose weight is because we "don’t have the confidence to do so. [Our] self-esteem is injured… especially if [we’ve] tried and failed to lose weight multiple times in the past."
Read the whole article, if you have time... it's long, but worth it... describes me more than I like to admit...
Something I am learning is that for the past thirty years, I have rewarded myself with food. Food that I love, comfort food, baked goodies, ice-cream. No matter what, food was my best friend.
My husband followed suit and rewarded me with food. Bought my favorite chocolates, took me out to eat, bought me gallons of ice cream because it made me happy.
When I would lose ten or twenty pounds in the past, I would give myself permission to have a reward or go out to eat. Of course I would tell myself I deserved it and I am losing weight so I can have this one thing and get back on track tomorrow. Sometimes that tomorrow turned in to days or weeks.
I am learning about food and about myself. I just realized that I haven't had any ice cream for five weeks. It was my nightly treat for the last seven years!
I love learning that I feel good after eating vegetables cooked the way I like them or even trying a new recipe and finding out how delicious they are. I thinkg with IP, I am finally eating the right portions and truly learning the difference between good and bad carbs.
I am finding that I am feeling way better about myself when the weight and inches come off that having that 1/2 cup of ice cream every night.
Now the ultimate reward comes with knowing that I can do this and that I am worth it. I am learning to love myself and not the food. And that truly brings me joy.
This is pretty much the topic discussed in the article I referenced in another thread... Why You Can't Lose Weight... it says that the number one reason most of us can't lose weight is because we "don’t have the confidence to do so. [Our] self-esteem is injured… especially if [we’ve] tried and failed to lose weight multiple times in the past."
Read the whole article, if you have time... it's long, but worth it... describes me more than I like to admit...
hugs
Just read the article. So true and helpful. Thanks for sharing~Pat
I'm reading "If I am So Smart Why Can't I Lose Weight?" by Brooke Castillo (downloaded to my kindle for $5). Very insightful. I haven't yet completed any of the challenges she gives to figure out why I eat (or I should say "ate") the way I do; I want to read through the book completely and then go back through the challenges.
hawndragon- "love myself and not the food".... i like that!
i definitely have an issue with self sabotage! I don't know whether i'm afraid of failing, and want an excuse. or if i'm scared of change- as in forever-change. i'm thinking alot about that for the first time. i always told myself in the past that i just had no willpower. but i really don't think that's it anymore. i've got more thinking to do on this, but at least i'm thinking....
I read the article, thank you. I also spent the afternoon going through my closet getting some things together for a trip with my hubby. I have to say, that is good motivation. I can wear things I have not been able to in years!
Something I am learning is that for the past thirty years, I have rewarded myself with food. Food that I love, comfort food, baked goodies, ice-cream. No matter what, food was my best friend.
My husband followed suit and rewarded me with food. Bought my favorite chocolates, took me out to eat, bought me gallons of ice cream because it made me happy.
When I would lose ten or twenty pounds in the past, I would give myself permission to have a reward or go out to eat. Of course I would tell myself I deserved it and I am losing weight so I can have this one thing and get back on track tomorrow. Sometimes that tomorrow turned in to days or weeks.
I am learning about food and about myself. I just realized that I haven't had any ice cream for five weeks. It was my nightly treat for the last seven years!
I love learning that I feel good after eating vegetables cooked the way I like them or even trying a new recipe and finding out how delicious they are. I thinkg with IP, I am finally eating the right portions and truly learning the difference between good and bad carbs.
I am finding that I am feeling way better about myself when the weight and inches come off that having that 1/2 cup of ice cream every night.
Now the ultimate reward comes with knowing that I can do this and that I am worth it. I am learning to love myself and not the food. And that truly brings me joy.
OMG this so rings a bell! Exactly for me too! Chapmans cappacino espresso flake icecream EVERY NIGHT......... ONLY 26 carbs ! wow... what i did not know then........ figured I was going to the gym for an hour class...so this is OK.... then wondered why the weight was not coming off? I looked back at the chart I keep for my food log every day... saw I was taking in +100 g of carbs EACH day! now try to keep below 30......... and yes, boyfreind knew that i love camembert (or any cheese) with wine... and what was a weekend treat became almost every evening........NO wonder i got to 220 lbs! Thank you for posting this...........now when I have my IP snack in the evening...i take my time enjoying it......... and knowing I am doing good for my body.
OMG this so rings a bell! Exactly for me too! Chapmans cappacino espresso flake icecream EVERY NIGHT......... ONLY 26 carbs ! wow... what i did not know then........ figured I was going to the gym for an hour class...so this is OK.... then wondered why the weight was not coming off? I looked back at the chart I keep for my food log every day... saw I was taking in +100 g of carbs EACH day! now try to keep below 30......... and yes, boyfreind knew that i love camembert (or any cheese) with wine... and what was a weekend treat became almost every evening........NO wonder i got to 220 lbs! Thank you for posting this...........now when I have my IP snack in the evening...i take my time enjoying it......... and knowing I am doing good for my body.
Your welcome. Believe it or not, my dietician said it was okay to have that ice cream (20 g carbs) if I planned for it! Counted it as one of my carbs for my night time snack.....madness....yeah, it is good we are thinking about why and what we eat. Same thing for me about the gym, walked 3 miles on the treadmill everyday so that one 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream was gone right?..
I am so happy for us now on IP. With all the results, I KNOW WE CAN DO THIS! WooHoo! Have a great week.
Something I am learning is that for the past thirty years, I have rewarded myself with food. Food that I love, comfort food, baked goodies, ice-cream. No matter what, food was my best friend.
My husband followed suit and rewarded me with food. Bought my favorite chocolates, took me out to eat, bought me gallons of ice cream because it made me happy.
When I would lose ten or twenty pounds in the past, I would give myself permission to have a reward or go out to eat. Of course I would tell myself I deserved it and I am losing weight so I can have this one thing and get back on track tomorrow. Sometimes that tomorrow turned in to days or weeks.
I am learning about food and about myself. I just realized that I haven't had any ice cream for five weeks. It was my nightly treat for the last seven years!
I love learning that I feel good after eating vegetables cooked the way I like them or even trying a new recipe and finding out how delicious they are. I thinkg with IP, I am finally eating the right portions and truly learning the difference between good and bad carbs.
I am finding that I am feeling way better about myself when the weight and inches come off that having that 1/2 cup of ice cream every night.
Now the ultimate reward comes with knowing that I can do this and that I am worth it. I am learning to love myself and not the food. And that truly brings me joy.
wow what a great post! I drive through Port Orchard every Tues on my way to work in the Bremerton. I will wave next Tues haha
Thanks for bumping this thread, Jolie... I'm still struggling with this... here's an article I came across this morning that sort of deals with this topic... from FitBodyFix...
Quote:
What Excuse Have You Got for Not Having Your Dream Body?
Before we can get stuck into achieving our health and fitness goals, we need to stop making excuses.
We need to accept that we are in control of our actions: everything we do (or don’t do) will either take us a step closer to our goals, or a step further away.
We need to be realistic about where we are now, and why. If you are overweight, it is because the calorie balance has been going the wrong way for an extended period of time and you need to change things to get it going the other way.
If you blame your genes or lack of time or any other ‘reason’ you are more likely to let action pass you by – whereas in fact if you have these factors working against you it means you just have to put extra effort in!
Everyone has different challenges, but they make success all the sweeter! Cultivating a ‘can-do’ attitude is the first step to lasting success. Nothing worth achieving is ever easy and there are usually sacrifices or compromises to be made.
Next time you are trying to justify that piece of cake, or not taking some exercise, listen to what you are saying to yourself. The idea that ‘I deserve it’ can be very destructive – we really deserve to treat ourselves well and be healthy! Ask yourself if you are giving a valid reason or if it is just an excuse – you can usually tell because excuses tend to sound feeble when you listen to them properly!
Imagine there is another person in the conversation (such as a Personal Trainer) and that you are explaining yourself to them. Every time you hear an excuse forming in your mind, stop it in its tracks and even take the mickey out of it – as if you are listening to someone moaning about something you have no time or sympathy for (even pull a face as you do so – it helps!). This will help you see your ‘excuses’ as feeble and immediately cause you to shift your mindset and approach to life to a more positive ‘I can do it’ attitude!
It won’t just be your fitness and fat loss results that improve, but your whole quality of life! It will take you from the rut of seeing yourself as a victim of circumstance, and propel you into a world where you are in control!
You really do have the power to change your body for the better – it takes some inspiration and guidance, but more importantly, it needs YOU to take control and go for it!
Self-sabotage....
