The Sabotaging Thoughts of Maintenance

I told you there was more bubbling up inside of me.

Well, here is some of that.

This is more Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT) for weight loss.

I have decided to try and start journaling and writing down all of my sabotaging thoughts that are keeping me stuck and write new responses to those.

As I started writing it felt like I'd opened the flood gates.

I think there are so many of these unanswered sabotaging thoughts and there is a part of me that is so happy I'm addressing this so I can move into a place of greater peace and self love.

I hope these are helpful for you too.

As always, if any of you have any of your own sabotaging thoughts you'd like help in answering I'd be happy to try to do that for you.

Here we go...

Sabotaging thought:  Just one piece ….  I’ll just have one treat today(that I'm not tracking) and then I can start over and still make it work to lose weight in one week. 

Response:  Obviously my “just one treat” philosophy has been very effective at gaining weight but makes it nearly impossible to actually lose weight.  I have to make a choice here:  Continue on with unplanned eating or PLAN for my indulgences and track everything.  It all depends on what results I want in the long term. 

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Sabotaging thought:  I’ll have this now and just not eat the rest of the night or really cut way back tomorrow.

Response:  That never works.  I mean just look at your history.  Has it ever worked?  

It’s unhealthy to skip meals.  It only leads to increased hunger as well as increased likelihood to binge.  I have to stop living for the tomorrow that never comes and choose to live for TODAY.

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Sabotaging thought:  Well, I’ve done REALLY good for like three whole days!  I can already tell I’ve lost weight.  My clothes feel looser.  

It’s okay if I just have a little of what I want for today(which becomes three days or more of binging, none of it tracked or planned eating). 

Response:  Great job!  You have done really well and I’m so proud of you!  However, if you really want to start seeing a change, not only in the scale, but at your waist line then you have to decide to plan and track all your indulgences.  You CAN have treats on this plan but to be successful it needs to be planned and tracked.  

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Sabotaging thought:  I blew it.  I feel so ashamed.  Everyone thinks I’ve got it all together but I don’t.  If they only knew the truth.  I feel like such a failure sometimes I just want to cry.

So many people are working to get a blue dot every day for a month and I’m just trying to get one blue dot day, …. Sometimes just one good meal.  I feel so guilty.  I feel like giving up. 

Response:  Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.  It’s what you do afterward that makes all the difference.  How many times have you encouraged others who are struggling?  You deserve the same level of love and compassion.  So, I’m going to tell you what you tell everyone else. 

You can hate your way to change but you can only love your way to transformation. 

It doesn’t matter if you’ve messed up little or big.  It doesn’t matter if this is your first mistake or your five hundredth.  You’re never too far to come back home and live the life of your dreams and be the person God made you to be.  "Pick up your mat and walk" by laying aside your shame, need for approval and perfection and accept the love and healing that is waiting for you.           

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 Sabotaging thought:  I feel like I’m being punished.  Am I really going to have to track for the rest of my life?  When does it ever stop?  I’m hearing all the voices from all the people who’ve already been saying this to me, “I could never do that.  I’m not going to count points for the rest of my life.  That’s ridiculous”.  If this is never going to stop I might as well give up. 

Response: It’s not a punishment.  It’s a choice.  You alone can make this choice for yourself.  

What other people think of your choices or you is none of your business.  You can choose not to try and to eat whatever you want whenever you want and stay overweight or obese or you can make a different choice.  Every day at every meal you have a choice.  The question you have to ask yourself is “Is it worth it?”  Are you worth it?  Is it worth it to be able to grow old without disability brought on by obesity?  Or would you rather continue to be independent and retain your freedom as long as possible?  Is your quality of life worth it?

There's still more.  

So this is definitely 

To be continued....