Beliefs That Hinder Long Term Weight Loss

Louisa Latela · April 8, 2010

I have observed 3 traits common to most people who are unable to “stick to a diet” or make the lifestyle changes necessary to maintain healthy weight loss:

1. They believe that a particular diet plan, fitness expert, book, doctor, or personal trainer, holds the magic formula that will forever end their weight woes. They see the answer to their weight issues as lying outside of them and set themselves up to assume a victim status. You cannot turn your power over to someone or something external and expect to live an empowered healthy life. You must learn to connect with your inner wisdom and act on its guidance. In terms of your body and weight you must get clear about your intention to treat your body with love and respect. When you do that and check in with your internal guidance, you know what you must do to have a healthy and strong body. You will be intuitively drawn to any external support you need like nutrition or fitness experts, books, or support groups. You follow what feels right and let go of anything that conflicts with your inner wisdom. You lose weight from the inside out, which really is the only way to make lifestyle changes necessary for you to be at peace with your body and food.

2. Inherent in the diet mentality is the core belief that being overweight is bad, which translates into “I am bad or weak if I am overweight,” and that the solitary act of losing weight is the key to happiness and self acceptance. It promotes the thinking that “When I lose weight I will really love and accept myself and then I can be happy.” Actually, the opposite is true. Once you love and accept yourself just as you are, and give yourself permission to be happy, you will release your excess weight. Permanent healthy weight loss is a consequence of self love and respect, not the cause of it.

3. The majority of their thoughts are focused on how much they do not like their body, and how much they don’t like being overweight. This way of thinking leads to feelings of anger, frustration, and depression, which attract to them more life experiences that leave them feeling angry, frustrated, and depressed about their weight and their body. Your life is a physical manifestation of your predominant thoughts and feelings. If you want to lose weight you must stop thinking and focusing on how much you don’t like your body and weight the way it is now. You must start to imagine and feel what it will be like to be at your ideal healthy weight, to be at peace with your body, to truly love and nurture yourself. You must look for ways and reasons to feel good!

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If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you..

email me at louisa@louisalatela.com or call me at 856.429.9799

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Jachut · April 8, 2010

great post. I firmly believe in all those principles.

I think the biggest one is giving up dieting and thinking that it is the answer. To me, that means your doctors plan, it means journalling, it means EVERYTHING. Until you learn to listen to your body and until you really believe that its OK not to be perfect all the time and that your hair wont fall out if you miss a gram of Protein today then you're not "cured". When you can eat what you want, when you want and those "wants" are mostly healthy, THEN you have the tools for lifelong weight control.

Its not easy, it takes a LOT of courage to let go of the "rules".

Louisa Latela · April 19, 2010

Yes, it does take courage to "let go and trust yourself".. and in the midst of letting go... we sometimes have to face some hard truths about ourselves... There is a great quote from Cristiane Norhtrup that speaks to this process

:

“The closer we get to uncovering ourselves, the more difficult it becomes to face the truth. Sooner or later we stop running, out of sheer exhaustion

and desperation, and turn around to face our image. The pain that we go through during this

revelation is negligible compared to the State of Grace that we enter into when we

have finally moved on." Christiane Northrup

Remember: You're worth the effort of working through it!!

All the best!

Louisa

www.liveyourhighestgood.com