We are in the season where goal setting is at an all-time high, with around a third of people feeling the pressure to set a new year resolution. However, New Year’s resolutions are notorious for being dropped before the end of January. Here are four reasons why New Year's resolutions around weight loss might not stick, and a few tips for overcoming them.
1. You are motivated by something a bit scary or unpleasant
Unpleasant motivators to lose weight are common, and range from things like placing an unflattering photograph on the fridge, to the fear of a health risk. It seems sensible that something we find unpleasant, or that we feel a strong desire to fix, or get rid of, should motivate us. But, this seldom works in the long term. When we look at the psychology behind this, it shows us that repeatedly thinking about an unpleasant motivational thought is exhausting, and the brain shuts off from it after a while, in self-defence.
What you can do: Training yourself to tap into a motivational thought that is positive, and takes you towards something that is important for you in life, is shown to bring motivation that you can sustain over a long time. Spend some time working out what is important to you, and how you can find ways of bringing that into your decision making about food. To start with, pick one area to focus on improving and play around with your new motivational focus.
2. Your brain got left behind.
Lots of diets I tried in the past told me very clearly what I should eat. What could be easier? Isn’t it great for someone else to do the thinking for me, all I have to do is follow instructions.
And, it is great . . . and it is easy. Until we remember that we are not robots. The upshot is that if someone else has done the thinking, our thinking about food and eating has not changed. We’ve raced on with changes to our eating and dragged our minds along for the ride. This means that the old habits, and ways of thinking about food are still there, they are just tucked away in a box, waiting to break out later down the line. Perhaps when we decide the diet has worked and we can stop with the plan.
What you can do: A different approach is to try to understand why you are eating when you are not hungry, to work out what you are doing, and bit by bit, to work out how you can do things differently. Making one small change at a time, helps your thinking to keep up with the changes you are making. Do the thinking and bring your brain along with you.
3. Results are not happening quick enough
One study found the most common reason for dropping out of a diet programme was because people were not seeing results quickly enough, and this dented their confidence.
Slow and steady weight loss is better for health, and more sustainable in the longer term, leading to less likelihood of weight regain.
What you can do: Setting aside the number on the scales, think about what else might show you that you have been successful. It might be about self-care, it might be about very small but noticeable changes to your snacking, or it might be that you notice other aspects of your health improve, such as sleep. Find a way of tracking these small changes over time. Focus on the small improvements, and the bigger improvements will happen almost by themselves. Bring your focus to the small changes. Regular tracking keeps motivation up and bolsters your confidence, because you remind yourself regularly that this is something that you can do.
4. Being in ‘diet mode’
This is a feeling that dieting is something you need to switch on (or off). This can feel like something which is personally challenging for you, and which is going to require a lot of effort. Perhaps it is something that you can grit-out for the foreseeable future, but probably not forever. I call this 'the diet mindset'. It can be hard to overcome, because culturally, we have all known what a diet is, and what it means, for most of our lives.
What you can do: What alternative can you offer yourself to the diet mind set? This is where all the above tips come together - re-learning our motivation, getting in tune with your natural hunger and fullness, and working out why we eat, and what we can do differently. In short - it is bringing in the thinking. When the thinking comes before making the changes, you are setting yourself up for success in the long term.
If you are ready to discover your new mindset and say goodbye to diets forever, then bring your brain along for the ride, and get in touch to find out more about weight management coaching with NeverDiet. Make this the last time you repeat the same resolutions!
About Dr Wendy Nicholls
My approach at NeverDiet is based on the psychology of eating. I have been researching eating for over ten years and published over 20 papers and book chapters on weight management, emotional eating, cravings, mindful eating, and obesity. I am a registered coaching psychologist and Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and an accredited Practitioner Executive Coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
You can book a free 15 minute consultation to find out more about the practical and simple steps you can take to make some big changes to your eating and health.
Booking diary: https://calendly.com/drwendynicholls/15_minutes
Dr Wendy Nicholls | wendy@neverdiet.co.uk | 01905 571239 www.neverdiet.co.uk
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