UNHELPFUL THINKING STYLES/SABOTAGING THOUGHTS
Changing your body and improving your health requires mental skills that help you stay focused and motivated to achieve your weight loss and fitness goals. You need to learn to identify emotional triggers around food and how to cope with cravings.
CBT examines your eating patterns and the thoughts associated with food to change unhealthy behaviour and help you lose unwanted weight. Most unhelpful eating choices come out of emotions and habits and learning to understand how your thoughts are connected to your behaviour and emotions will help you achieve your weight loss and healthy lifestyle goals.
Changing long term habitual behaviours depends largely on how you manage your thoughts and CBT provides you with the tools to do that.
Sabotaging thoughts undermine your healthy eating and fitness plans in the following ways:
They encourage you to eat – those are the permission giving thoughts.
I know I shouldn’t eat this, but I am really tired, and I deserve a bit of chocolate.
I had a hard/stressful day, so it’s ok to have a glass of wine/beer
I really want it.
They undermine your confidence – usually happens when you eat something that is not on plan.
I have eaten cake, now I am never going to lose all that weight.
I’m so weak; I’m useless at this!
They make you disregard everything that you know about losing weight
I don’t need to write goals down, they are in my head.
It’s ok not to prepare food in advance I am too busy today.
I don’t like drinking at least 2 liters of water a day, it’s pointless anyway.
They increase your general level of stress.
I need to do this perfectly all the time.
I have to keep everyone happy.
I can’t say no to…….
I must go to the gym every day otherwise I won’t lose weight.