Getting Over Limiting Beliefs & Ideas: CBT for Weight Loss

Many times I've alluded to the fact that CBT(Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) was the real key to my success and what I lean on when I'm struggling.

Today I want to give you a look at what CBT for weight loss is all about.

I specifically recommend the book I read on this subject, The Beck Diet Solution, by Judith Beck.

There were numerous small exercises and steps in the book that I won't be mentioning here.

Today I'm just giving you the part that helped me most- responses to sabotaging thoughts.

In my mind that's where most of us get stuck, myself included.

Before you read my post I would highly encourage you read this article on Cognitive Distortions.

This really defines what types of errors we make in our thinking and then you will more easily be able to see how this shows up in some of the following examples.

It may seem like I'm asking you to do a lot of reading but, friends, this is THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL WEIGHT LOSS TOOL I HAVE EVER USED.  

Before I started losing weight I remember sitting on the couch and thinking to myself "I'm smart enough to lose weight.  I'm physically capable of losing weight.  I already know what to do to lose weight.  So, why don't I do it?".

It's because knowing what to do and being able is not enough!

If it were no one would be overweight or obese.  No one would smoke or engage in substance abuse.  It goes much deeper than that.

I cannot emphasize to you enough that getting past the mental inertia of where we are is the absolute key to success.  

I asked a few of my friends to e-mail me some of their sabotaging thoughts so I could write responses for them.

If any of you have sabotaging thoughts I haven't addressed here that you would like to have addressed please let me know.

I have authored all of the following responses.  In a future post I will list some of the ones Dr. Beck lists in her book.


The first example comes from someone whose husband doesn't support her diet.  He eats brownies right in front of her, taunting her with it.

Sabotaging thought:  This is so unfair!  Here I am trying my best to lose weight and be healthy and he is sabotaging me!  Ugg!  Every time I try to do something good for myself something happens to throw me off course.  I can’t lose weight with the temptation living in my own house.  I give up.  I might just as well join him and eat whatever I want. 

Response:  You know what?  It isn’t fair and it is hard but I realize that my husband’s choices and behaviors have nothing to do with me and everything to do with him.  I will never be able to control his actions but his choices don’t dictate my choices.  I can choose to stay centered.  I can pray and be a more loving influence to him when I make choices that support my health and wellbeing.  If I want to be a healthier me I have to choose to make myself a priority, even when it gets tough.  In truth I know that I can do it because I have already been successful. 

Sabotaging thought:  Well, it’s a holiday/vacation/celebration.  I always celebrate by eating junk food and lots of it, everyone does.  That’s what we do.  That’s what I do.  That’s what celebration means to me.  That’s how I have fun and I don’t want to give it up. 

Response:  Although eating has always been a big part of my celebrations it isn’t all they’re about.  I can choose to find other things to focus on such as quality time with family and friends and fun and games.  My past doesn’t dictate my future.  The choices I have made do not determine the choices I make today.  I can choose to keep making junk food part of every celebration and stay the same size or I can make a new choice.  I can choose to plan ahead and have a just a little junk balanced with something that’s more in alignment with my personal goals.  With a little planning I can have some indulgences without totally going off plan and feeling badly about myself.  With a little planning I can have my cake and eat it too!

Sabotaging thought:  “THIS IS ME”.  It’s been wasted effort because in the long run, I will always return to this version of who I am.  This is me. 

Response:  For some time this certainly is who I have been and who I am currently but it’s not who I have to be in the future.  At any point in time I have the ability to change.  I can make a new decision that supports my personal goals.  My past failures do not determine my future successes.  One failure does not prevent me from succeeding in the future.  In fact multiple failures have no bearing on my potential for change in the present moment. 

Sabotaging thought:  Yeah, you lost weight, but it won’t last.  You aren’t even getting to buy new clothes so just eat anyway. 

Response:  My past does not dictate my future.  This is fictional story telling and I can decide today that it’s no longer my story.  I can stay stuck in my story of being a hopeless failure or I can tell a new story, one that empowers me.  The reality is that I have all the brains and ability to achieve my goals.  I can come to see that each choice I have made was just that, a choice.  They aren’t good or bad but they either support or don’t support the goals I’ve set for myself. 

Today, at any given moment in time, I can make a new choice, one that I feel good about.  That can be my new story. 

Sabotaging thought:  It’s only one bite…

Response:  It may only be one bite but all those one bites add up to big calories and weight gain as evidenced by my own history.  If they didn’t count I wouldn’t have a weight problem.  In truth every bite counts.  If I want to make a real change and feel good about myself I have to realize that every bite matters. 

Sabotaging thought:  I already blew it this morning so the rest of the day doesn’t matter.  I’ll start over tomorrow!

Response:  I didn’t make such a good choice this morning but I can make a good choice at my very next meal.  Every meal matters.  I can eat whatever I want for the rest of the day and feel sick, tired, gain weight and feel really bad about myself or I can choose to move on and make good choices the rest of the day.  I know I can do this!

I hope this gives you an idea of how CBT works for weight loss as well as giving you some responses to replace some of your own sabotaging thoughts.

Please keep in mind reading this just once is not enough.  The book suggests writing your thoughts and responses out on 3 x 5 index cards and reading them several times a day or anytime you feel like making poor choices.

I DID THAT.

I wrote them down and kept them close.  I taped some of them up in my house and I read them and re-read them and re-read them.

I would STRONGLY encourage you to at least try this for a week.

I will be adding more thoughts and responses in upcoming posts.

I sincerely hope this helps you achieve your goals the way it has helped me!