Have you ever found yourself promising to start a new diet on a seemingly magical Monday in the near future? You meticulously plan every detail: researching diets, planning your meals, conducting online grocery shopping, setting weekly goals, and booking gym sessions. Yet, the night before your grand plan kicks off, you find yourself indulging in a feast, consuming everything in sight that you fear will soon be forbidden. This last supper often consists of more than 5000 calories, far exceeding your normal intake, driven by the dread of impending deprivation and suffering.
The Vicious Cycle
This pattern isn’t unusual. Many embark on this cycle of planning to diet, overeating in anticipation, experiencing weight gain, and then abandoning the diet just days later, only to start planning the next one. It’s a cycle that can continue endlessly, often because we’re trying to change our actions without first addressing our underlying thoughts and feelings.
The Thought Loop Model
Circumstance: The decision to start a diet on Monday.
Thoughts: Fear of deprivation and suffering until the target weight is reached.
Feelings: Worry, deprivation, self-doubt.
Actions: Overeating in anticipation.
Results: Weight gain.
The Power of Thought
Before understanding the Thought Loop Model, many don’t realise that attempting to change behaviour without addressing the underlying thoughts is a strategy doomed to fail. This ‘bottom-up’ approach to change, which emphasises altering one’s actions without addressing the foundational thoughts and feelings, is less likely to result in lasting transformation.
Thoughts vs. Actions
Science tells us that deep, lasting change can come from two approaches: ‘top-down’, which focuses on changing actions first to form new habits, and ‘bottom-up’, which emphasises changing thoughts to influence actions more subtly and effectively. The ‘bottom-up’ approach can be quicker and more profound, especially when paired with a compelling emotional reason.
A New Model for Change
Circumstance: Starting the plan now.
Thought: Anticipation of nourishing the body, with allowances for joy eats to avoid feelings of deprivation.
Feeling: Contentment, excitement, capability, relaxation.
Action: Following the plan.
Result: Weight loss.
Finding Your Compelling Reason
Identifying a compelling reason for change can act as your ‘rocket fuel’. Imagine the motivation if a significant reward was offered for reaching your target weight. This ‘compelling reason’ transforms the ‘impossible’ into achievable, driving clarity, focus, and the willingness to put in the necessary effort and time.
Visualising the desired future vividly can significantly bolster motivation. Envisioning your life at your goal weight—how you look, what you wear, how your relationships and daily life have transformed—can be a powerful motivator. The more frequently and vividly you visualise these outcomes, the more compelling and effective your journey toward change can become.
In summary, while the thought of starting a new diet might be daunting, shifting your focus from the dread of deprivation to the excitement of nourishment and wellbeing can fundamentally change your approach to weight loss. It’s about changing the narrative from one of scarcity and fear to one of abundance and optimism. Remember, the journey to a healthier you starts not with the food you eat or the pounds you lose, but with the thoughts you nurture.