Beyond Discipline - Getting your Head Right
Article written by Rochelle Trail.
“The second week of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second week you’re off it.” Jackie Gleason1
Jackie Gleason was an American comedy actor who often made fun of his weight. Can you relate to getting started on your own weight loss journey with a hiss and a roar and then feeling flat within a week or two?
Want to learn how to get beyond the second week of your weight loss program? This is the first in a three part series looking at motivation – what is it and how you can employ it to achieve your goals. Motivation can be essential not only when trying to lose weight but even when beginning any new habit such as a new hobby e.g. painting.
In this article we will be discussing the following topics:
- Motivation
- Self Sabotage
- The False Hope Syndrome
- Pleasure vs. Happiness
Motivation - What is it and who needs it?
When it comes to staying on track we all need motivation. Our motivation may be a desire to fit into those jeans or run around with the kids. Motivation is the power from within that makes you behave in a way consistent with your weight loss goals. At the end of the day, motivation may be the only thing left standing between you and that slice of chocolate mud cake. Motivation is what you need when you know that self discipline will ultimately let you down.
Are you a Self Saboteur?
“Self –sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn’t happen .” Alyce Cornyn-Selby1
Unfortunately some people, no matter how desperately they want something, will sabotage their goals because of unconscious beliefs they have and don’t even know exist. For example, you may have a belief that you are a failure when it comes to dieting. Thus you will set yourself up to fail. The pay off for this is that you get to be right!
A good example of self sabotaging behaviour was when I told a customer that it was better value to get the two months’ supply of fibre. She responded by saying, “well I won’t be needing that much - I’ll be lucky if I’m still on this diet in two weeks time!” Sound familiar?
The False Hope Syndrome
At first glance, losing weight may seem like a nice idea, I mean who wouldn’t like to fit into those skinny jeans but are you really ready to execute this plan? How committed we are to achieving our goals is often about the structures that we are prepared to put into our lives in order to make it happen. In his book, ‘Weight loss for Food Lovers’, Dr George Blair West talks about what is known as the “The False Hope Syndrome”. Dieters often set themselves up to fail by creating false expectations. He refers to four common expectations that may be used to self-sabotage success:
- An expectation to lose more weight than realistically possible
- An expectation of losing weight too quickly
- The expectation that losing weight is easier than it really is
- Finally, losing weight will bring about indirect benefits such as success of some kind whether it is in their professional or personal lives
The Pleasure Paradox and the Pursuit of Happiness
Pleasure and happiness can be easily confused. Pleasure describes a relatively short term feeling that results from external experiences such as eating. Eating is a strong biological need essential for survival so consequently the resulting feeling of pleasure can be very strong. However, because it is fleeting it must be pursued again and again. Happiness on the other hand is a more enduring state that is not about experiencing lots of pleasure but follows from gradually realising a worthy goal.
Food can be closely associated with our emotions and eating can be the highlight of many people’s day. If this rings true for you, then it is important to pursue happiness in other areas of your life. You will find it much harder to manage your food intake if you have no alternative sources of pleasure. Unfortunately pursuing pleasure through food can actually lead to unhappiness. So think about what worthwhile goals you are pursuing in your life whether through work or your personal life and how you can achieve happiness through them.
Whether we desire to lose weight, finish a course or maintain a new hobby, motivation is essential when it comes to reaching your goals. Our next article will look at techniques that can be applied to help you stay motivated.
References
1. Blair-West, George, 2008. Weight Loss for Food Lovers. Alclare Pty Ltd, Australia.
Last updated 25 September 2009
