Three Roadblocks to Weight Loss Success

There are three things that I've been thinking about that are guaranteed to ruin your weight loss plan. These roadblocks are very easy to put up, especially since we've programmed ourselves to do so.

Three Roadblocks to Weight Loss:

1. Self-defeating Thoughts
2. "What the Hell" Binges
3. Repeating 1 and 2

To expand on these a bit, I'll begin with number one. Our self-defeating thoughts are just that: thoughts that thrive on self-defeat. For example, maybe you've eaten a healthy breakfast and lunch. But you're really tired at the end of the day and you didn't plan on cooking. "I'll just start again tomorrow," you think. But you're not really thinking! You don't realize, as you're pulling up at the drive-thru window, that you've had a completely awesome day. Your thoughts begin to overtake you. "Ahh, c'mon, you deserve to eat out tonight; you were good all day long! What's wrong with a little enjoyment?" Sound familiar? Or maybe you're just now recognizing that you've had self-destructive thoughts all these years.

It's easy to say that those "positive thinkers" are nuts. They're out of touch with reality. But are they? Agreed, I don't think we should be droning on about how awesome we are, every minute of the day. But there is something to be said for positive self-talk and positive thinking. You don't have to be a crazy person to say every once-in-a-while: "You're really doing good! You're on the way to a new, healthful lifestyle!" or something like that. Force yourself to be a bit more positive.

Back to the drive-thru. So, with your negative thoughts, you decide to order the Meal Number 3, making it an extra large. Which brings you to number two on today's list: "What the Hell" binging. No need to really explain this one. You act on your negative self-destructive thinking by "rewarding" yourself. You're making yourself feel better, or so you think. This habitual, or perhaps addictive, thinking and behavior can turn a burger and fries into a burger, fries, shake--all extra large. It could turn into a second visit, a heavy dessert (or two) and so on. That's what a binge is about.

If you're really good at this, you'll begin step number 3, repeating steps 1 and 2. This is the cycle that many of us have gone through. Maybe you're not going to the drive-thru every day. Maybe you're just taking in a bunch more calories than you need.