[BetterLikeMel]

I think it's interesting that at my first weight watchers group, I was encouraged to stick a picture of a really fat me on the fridge to put me off going in there... this article suggests the opposite to remind you of what you're going to be jeopardising by binging. I find that the most interesting part of that article. I guess it is a case of focusing on pride rather than shame.

[SouthLake]

Originally Posted by BetterLikeMel

I think it's interesting that at my first weight watchers group, I was encouraged to stick a picture of a really fat me on the fridge to put me off going in there... this article suggests the opposite to remind you of what you're going to be jeopardising by binging. I find that the most interesting part of that article. I guess it is a case of focusing on pride rather than shame.

Funny you mention this. A few weeks ago I found a picture of DH and I when we were dating (maybe engaged) where I was probably 60 pounds lighter than I am now. I put it on the fridge with other pictures of us (because its a cute and funny picture of us). Last night, I caught myself staring at it before I opened the fridge, and ended up feeling happier about my on plan snack.

I find I usually have to focus on how proud I'll feel, but sometimes I switch to how bad I'll feel. The difference is I focus on how great I'll feel physically and emotionally, or just how bad I'll feel physically. No amount of pride will keep me from snagging a few handfuls of movie theater popcorn, but knowing how sick I will feel afterwards will. Same thing with overly sweet desserts. I know that I'll feel proud of myself if I say no, but the icky sick feeling I'll feel if I give in is usually what convinces me otherwise.

[Rana]

I liked the article too. I think because I am an optimist that I tend to fall in the group that works much better with positive reinforcement/support, rather than shame. I tend to rebel against shame!!!!

BetterLikeMel & SouthLake - I did something similar, kind of. I started off with the really bad pictures of myself at 200 to remind myself that I was overweight and that I needed to lose the weight. I kept a poster of those pictures up by my front door to remind me that every thing I did that day had to be centered around losing weight.

That didn't help too much.

I changed pictures and put pictures of my slimmer self around the house, especially the bathroom, to remind myself of what I used to be. That helped tremendously!

[Beach Patrol]

While I am generally an "upbeat/happy/gregarious" type of person, I do have successes and failures in all parts of my life, and this includes weight loss efforts.

Having said that, I maintain that I take credit for my successes and responsibility for my failures. And this, too, includes dieting.

While I don't view foods as "good or bad", I do view them properly as to their nutritional value. Some foods are "better" (nutritionally speaking!) than others. And while I also believe "all things in moderation", I have learned, through calorie counting, that a Skinny Cow ice cream bar is MUCH BETTER than a sundae from the Ice Cream Palace. 100 calories VS 780 calories ... easy decision! That doesn't mean I won't ever have the 780cal sundae, but it does mean that I am more likely to make better choices when considering it.

ETA: I have pictures of skinny me & fat me all around the house. I tend to look at the pictures of skinny me much more often than fat me. Not out of shame; just out of preference.