7 Ways To Overcome Weight Loss Self-Sabotage

‍The thought of going on a diet can be overwhelming and even self-defeating for some people. A lot of what we know about weight loss comes from research that has looked at dieters who give up and then come back to their old eating habits. These studies show that many people become discouraged when they repeatedly fail to lose weight. This is called self-sabotage or caving into the idea that you are never going to succeed at losing weight. Self-sabotage is more common than we think, especially when building new habits or trying something new like changing eating habits, working out, changing your environment, etc. In this article, you’ll learn about 10 different ways that you can beat self-sabotage so that you don’t end up falling back into your old habits again and again when trying to lose weight again and again after failed attempts.

Table of Contents

Don’t compare yourself to others

Losing weight is a very personal journey. No one can tell you how to do it other than yourself. When you compare yourself to others, you are setting yourself up for failure. The only person you can compare yourself to is yourself. So, don’t compare yourself to other people’s diets or their weight loss success stories. What you see on social media and in magazines isn’t reality. It’s made up by photographers who want to make their subjects look thinner than they actually are. You can only compare yourself to yourself and your own weight loss experiences and goals.

Exercise is for weight loss, not for fun

Exercising is not meant to help you have fun. It’s meant to help you lose weight and improve your health. Let it be the reason you get up in the morning and the reason you put your pants on. If you think that exercising is supposed to be enjoyable, you are setting yourself up for failure. It’s almost like telling yourself that you can have a nice bicycle ride now and then, but you can’t have it as a permanent part of your life.

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Stop focusing on food and focus on activities you enjoy

Weight loss isn’t just about what you eat. It’s also about what you do without eating. That means that you should think about how to occupy yourself when you’re hungry. You could try making a list of activities you like to do or thinking of a few things you could do to distract yourself from being hungry. It might sound silly, but thinking about something that you like can make it easier to push through the discomfort of being hungry.

Eat small meals frequently throughout the day.

You might think that eating a small meal every 2-3 hours is the best way to lose weight. This is a bad strategy for two reasons. First, you don’t need to eat every 2-3 hours. Eating every 4-5 hours is better because it will keep your metabolic rate elevated and your body will burn more calories throughout the day. Second, eating small meals frequently throughout the day will stop you from feeling full and will cause you to overeat at night because you’ll be too full to feel fullness signals.

Find ways to reward yourself for your successes.

When you’re trying to lose weight, you’re going to have a lot of success and a lot of failures. You’re not going to be able to succeed every single time. This is frustrating, but it’s a part of being human. To help deal with the failure, reward yourself when you’ve had a good run. For example, if you’ve been able to stay on track and not eat too much food for a few days in a row, take a little walk or do something that you enjoy. Then, reward yourself by buying your favorite (calorie-free) snack.

Take a break from dieting and push through it.

If you’re like most dieters, you might be tempted to give up when you’ve had a few failures. Instead of giving up too quickly, take a break from dieting. Your brain doesn’t like being deprived of the things it’s used to so try taking a break from dieting. Give yourself a “health holiday” where you can eat what you normally do for a few days. Then, when you’re not so angry, depressed, and deprived of your dieting experience, you’ll be more willing to try again.

Stay hydrated and get a good night’s sleep.

Although dieting, exercise, and weight loss don’t have to be miserable all the time, they often are. This is why it’s so important to make sure you’re getting enough water, exercising, and getting enough sleep so that you don’t get too grouchy or too tired to stay on track. If you’re not getting enough water and you’re dieting while also trying to exercise, you’re going to feel like you’re not getting anywhere. You need to make sure that you’re drinking enough water so that your body has enough water to stay hydrated and you have enough water to get through your exercise routine. You also need to make sure you get enough sleep so that you don’t feel too tired to stay on track.

Conclusion

If you want to lose weight, you need to know that it’s not going to happen overnight. You may even have to try some different things before you find one strategy that works well for you. If you want to lose weight and you’re not willing to work at it, don’t expect to see great results. If you want to lose weight and you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be successful. Now that you know how to beat self-sabotage when it comes to weight loss, don’t give up on yourself too soon.

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Wandji Nguemako

Wandji Nguemako is a writer, editor, entrepreneur and public speaker. Having been an entrepreneur, educator, and fashion designer, Wandji now focuses his work on personal development, wellness, and spiritual growth. He is the founder of Self Renewal Magazine, a digital publication that promotes self-love, kindness, and wellbeing, where he chronicles his journey of self-discovery and shares actionable strategies to help others live their best lives.
"You must nurture your own inner being to accept yourself as you are. If you don't accept yourself, you will never be at peace with yourself."