I used to be one of those people who lamented the fact that I "couldn't lose weight no matter what I tried." I'd "tried everything." I was "just destined to be bigger." I'd desperately look up weight loss pills, waist trainers, liposuction, slimming teas, appetite suppressants because I felt I couldn't lose weight on my own. I'd feed my self-hatred with reckless abandon, indulge in negative self-talk, and often drive myself to a place of utter anger and despair over how I looked and what I weighed. I'd binge, have mental fights with myself about whether or not I should get that burger, and of course I'd get the burger, and then I'd spiral. I hated myself for just not having self control, not having willpower, and just for plain old not doing it.
For the entirety of the time I had been "failing" at weight loss, I had been telling myself that I "should" lose weight. I "shouldn't" eat that. I "never" stuck to my diets or workouts. I had many cognitive distortions that caused me to downplay the victories that I had accomplished. I had actually lost 25 pounds on my own before therapy, but didn't allow myself to celebrate those victories.
Therapy, specifically DBT (dialectal behavioral therapy) and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), changed everything. My therapist suggested that I ban certain words from my brain. I was no longer allowed to say "should or shouldn't", "could or couldn't," "always or never," "all or none." I was no longer allowed to feed into lies like "you're too fat, you're useless, you're ugly, you're unsuccessful." As soon as I started implementing these very simple mental changes with the guidance of my therapist, all of the "should"s and "shouldn't" became "I will, or I won't" and "I want to, or I don't want to." The maybes became realities. For the first time in a long time, I worked out whenever I wanted to and I made my action actually match my thoughts.
A month after starting therapy, I committed to a 90-day fitness challenge. It's Day 23, and I'm still going strong. I can treat myself and stay in control, and I work out when I say I will. And when I don't reach a daily goal, I'm gentle with myself, forgive myself, and just keep going the next day.
I know that it hasn't been that long, and there's still a long way to go, but somehow I know that it's different now. Something has shifted. It's not like my life is perfect, and neither is my resolve, but this is truly the first time that I feel like I'm on the same page with myself, the first time I can trust myself.
So much of the weight loss journey is mental, we all know that. Until I went to therapy, I didn't realize just how true that is. It took a total readjustment of my thought processes to get me to stop making excuses and cure the cognitive dissonance that had been gnawing at me for years. It feels like gunk has been removed from the gears in my brain, and they can turn smoothly now.
For the first time since I started my weight loss journey years ago, I am confident that I will accomplish my goals. I'm excited, I'm ready, and I'm doing this because I want to, not because I "should." All this time, the secret weight loss magic pill I'd been looking for was therapy. Hopefully my experience touches someone who feels the way I did. Please, don't overlook the effect of mental health on weight loss. Your brain is your whole world!
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/3igKzQJ
No comments:
Post a Comment