You may remember Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, the loveable donkey with a pin-on tail whose catchphrase was “Oh bother.” For Eeyore, the sun was never shining and anything that could go wrong always did.
When you approach every day with this sort of negative attitude it can seem like negativity is everywhere. A mindset filled with doom and gloom is only going to bring your mood down, and during a medical weight loss program, this can make it difficult to stay positive and optimistic about your health goals.
Getting Positive for Weight Loss Success
It is common to feel disappointed when you don’t meet a goal, but that is no reason to beat yourself up. Stay positive by eliminating negative self-talk from your vocabulary. Negative thinking patterns like all-or-nothing thinking or doomsaying will only make staying on track with your weight loss progress even more difficult.
All-or-nothing or black and white thinking refers to the idea that if it isn’t 100% perfect, then it is all bad. This just isn’t true! Look for a small bit of good everywhere you can. Doomsaying is the practice of predicting the worst outcome, assuming that because you made a mistake once you are going to make that mistake every time.
The best way to combat these negative feelings is to use positive self-talk. This refers to what essentially amounts to a personal pep talk.
Here are a few positive strategies that can help you overcome negative thinking patterns:
- Develop a positive mantra that you can repeat to yourself when you are feeling down. Something even as simple as “I can do this” can help you stay on track.
- Write notes to yourself and keep them around the house so that you can find encouragement during moments of need.
- Acknowledge when you are being unreasonably hard on yourself and give yourself the respect of being allowed to make a mistake and learn as you grow in your weight loss program.
Try to find ways to stay more positive as you lose weight. Simply being a better friend to yourself might make a huge difference in your ability to meet your weight loss goal. If you find that you are having a hard time keeping your spirits up on your own, then reach out to your medical weight loss center for additional support. Connecting with a weight loss support group may be all that you need to be successful.
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