The Positive Thinking Diet - Lose Weight by Changing How You Think

The Positive Thinking Diet - Lose Weight by Changing How You Think
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The positive thinking diet is a dieting plan that involves the use of methods used in cognitive behavioral therapy. This therapy is used to help you identify triggers that set off negative thinking and to implement immediate measures to change your negative thinking patterns into positive thinking patterns. When you think negatively while you are dieting, you tend to sabotage your dieting efforts and you will begin to think that losing weight is not an achievable goal. The positive thinking diet allows you to change the way you think, to change your mood and your perspective, and it improves your success levels when it comes to the weight loss goals you have established for yourself.

Negative Thinking and Your Diet

There are different forms of negative thinking that you need to learn to identify. Once you learn the different forms of negative thinking, you can identify the moments when negative thinking is affecting your dieting, and you can implement changes to alter your thought processes to become more positive. You must realize that it will take time to learn how to identify negative thinking, and it will also take time to learn how to change your negative thoughts to positive ones; like any bad habit, negative thinking is something that you must work hard at to overcome.

Filtering

There are several forms of negative thinking and self talk: filtering is one form. Filtering involves the act of intensifying your perspective of negative aspects of a given situation and ignoring everything except that which is negative. For example, let’s say you have been dieting for four weeks and you have remained dedicated to the diet, you have worked out three times a week, and you suddenly had a craving for a piece of cake. You give into your craving. Instead of focusing on the fact that you have worked out for four weeks and remained dedicated to your diet, you focus on the fact that you gave into a single craving and you emotionally batter yourself with negative self talk because of it. You then give up on your diet all together. This is something that many dieters do.

Polarization

Many dieters engage in polarized negative self talk and thinking. This is a process where you define everything as either white or black with no grey areas. Polarized thinking is responsible for the “all or nothing” attitude that many dieters develop. You begin to think that if you cannot remain committed to a rigid diet and a rigid exercise workout that you are incapable of losing weight at all. You then give up on the dieting and exercise entirely when you become completely frustrated with yourself.

Positive Thinking Equals Practical Thinking

To maintain a positive mind set while dieting, you have to be practical and you will have to set dieting goals that have realistic boundaries. If you are not realistic about how much weight you can lose in a specified time period, you will only feel defeated when you do not achieve your weight loss goal. A positive thinking diet must be formulated around the notion that you can lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. You must also realize that there are time periods where you may reach a plateau and stop losing weight for a short time period. It is not healthy for you to expect to lose 5 pounds a week or 30 pounds in a month! Instead, recognize that weight loss is work and a slow process, and remain positive about your progressive weight loss over time.

Positive Thinking Means Realizing You Are Human

Every once in a while giving into a craving for sweets is not the end of the world. When you are engaging in a positive thinking diet, if you find that you have given into a food craving, you need to simply get over the fact that you consumed something that you should have refrained from eating and move on. You are human and you need to allow yourself some room for error, even when it comes to dieting. Emotionally punishing yourself with negative thoughts is no way to achieve dieting success. Simply return to your dieting habits, and re-center your focus on your long-term weight loss goal.

Resources

Health.com for information on positive thinking when dieting at:

https://diet.health.com/2008/12/22/weight-management-positive-thinking/

CNNHealth.com for information about the power of positive thinking at:

https://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/positive-thinking/SR00009.html

MyOptimumHealth.com for information on dieting and positive thinking at:

https://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=10971771