You’ve decided to lose weight, let’s say 10Kg or 22lbs for example. You read up on how to do it, you select a 'plan', and you go out and buy some new exercise clothing as you feel excited and motivated. The first week goes really well and you see the scale dips down a bit. Exciting!
You decide to keep going with the plan, but at some point during week two you catch yourself sitting on the sofa watching television in your nice, new workout clothing gobbling down a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (other brands are available).
Sound familiar?
If so, you’ve fallen into one of the most common weight loss traps, which is self-sabotage. It’s sneaky, it’s difficult to pin down, it’s confusing and it’s totally undermining your weight loss efforts.
Defining Self-Sabotage
Self-sabotage is when people do (or don’t do) things that block their success or prevent them from accomplishing their goals. It can happen consciously or unconsciously.
So you know what you need to do but you don’t do it, or you know what you shouldn’t do, but you do it anyway.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oh gosh, I do that all the time!” then STOP IT! (Maybe read my quietening your inner critic article?!) Chastising yourself for self-sabotage isn’t going to help anything, and now is a great time to start challenging that negative self-talk.
Are You Really Ready to Stop Self-Sabotage?
You say you want to lose weight but you’re not successfully doing it. Chances are you’re possibly feeling discouraged, ashamed and/or confused, or one of the other miriad of feelings that come with it.
Perhaps you also have diet fatigue (tried every single 'diet' out there and none of them 'work'?) and you lack confidence because you don’t believe in your ability to lose weight anymore. None of us likes these feelings.
The tough reality is that you’re likely sabotaging your weight loss efforts because of those feelings. In order to overcome sabotaging behaviours, you first have to look at what’s causing the behaviour in the first place. This is why I always provide my clients on a 6+ week programme with a booklet all about thoughts and behaviours that can sabotage their weight loss efforts, to bring awareness to these.
If you truly want to lose the weight and keep it off, you’ll have to face your fears.
Here are some of the fears that people can have over and over again that keep them from losing the weight and keeping it off:
They’re afraid of being successful (yes, really!). This can look like a fear of outshining a family member, or a fear of really showing up in life.
They’re afraid of failing. Everyone can relate to that! The pressure of trying to lose weight and not succeeding can feel overwhelming.
They’re afraid of not doing it perfectly. If you’re a perfectionist (this used to be me) I have some bad news for you; you’ll never do it perfectly! None of us will ever do it perfectly. It’s just how life works. You have to let that go and be kind to yourself and be realistic. Do not be proud of the 'all-or-nothing' attitude because it really will hold you back. Learn to be happy with being perfectly imperfect!
These fears will manifest differently in everyone’s journey, but the important thing is that you’re able to identify them and really see them for what they are.
If you truly want to lose the weight and keep it off, you’ll have to face these fears. Otherwise, you’re in for many more years of fad diets, unsuccessful attempts at crash dieting, and possibly poor health.
You're NOT Alone!
58.4% of UK Women and over 65% of women in the USA are overweight or obese. That tells me that self-sabotage isn’t something to shake a stick at; it’s a serious problem that many people deal with, so please don’t beat yourself up!
If you’re really willing to change your life, then come and talk to me about getting the ball rolling in a free, no-obligation call. Life waits for no-one!
During our 20-30 minutes together, we'll discuss:
Ways in which you sabotage yourself. They might look like procrastination, avoidance, over-eating, not getting enough sleep.
Name your fears about weight loss. Remember, fears are usually irrational, so when you put them down on paper they might seem silly and that’s okay!
Discuss whether or not working together may be a great step for you, or whether something else may suit you better.
All you have to do is click the link below to book your 30 minute call. You'll be amazed at what one chat can do to jumpstart your weight loss, and I really mean it when I say there is absolutely no obligation to sign up for anything afterwards. I am only interested in working with clients who really want to work with me and who are truly ready to get started on improving their health and waist line.
Book your FREE chat HERE!
Please note: This article is intended to be for educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or replace professional assessment or personalised advice.
I do not hold responsibility for the information on any links to external websites within this article and information within these links/websites may change at any time or no longer be accessible. Any website pages/links added are also for education purposes only.
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