We’re all guilty of starting something and not seeing it through, whether it’s decorating the house or running a race. More often than not, the reason for not completing something is because we don’t have the time to commit fully or it isn’t the right time in our lives.
The same rule applies when it comes to losing weight. Your success in reaching your goal depends in large part on your readiness to undertake the challenge. A weight loss program takes time, sacrifice and a focused mindset. If you’re surrounded by other life distractions, or haven’t prepared your mental or emotional state to deal with the obstacles you might face, you could be setting yourself up for a fall.
Find out if you should be running head first into your weight loss journey or if you should be playing the waiting game.
Picking up on procrastination
Many people who struggle with their weight lack confidence and feel overwhelmed by the commitment and effort required for weight loss. Rather than face it head on, they find excuses to put it off.
According to Dr Michael Sinclair, consultant psychologist and clinic director at City Psychology Group (www.citypsychology.com), this avoidant behaviour is known as procrastination: when you put things off because it all seems like too much effort and the challenge seems insurmountable.
Being overly critical of yourself is a negative self-talk that undermines your confidence further and exacerbates your procrastination. Words such as ‘can’t’ and ‘won’t’ make you feel bad about yourself and doubt your ability to succeed.
Procrastination and negative thinking are not reasons to put your weight loss on hold.
Why weight?
However, there are sometimes valid reasons to delay your weight loss. Sinclair explains, “We can’t do too much at once and sometimes we need to prioritise. Weight loss requires focus and purpose, so the time has to be right.” If we attempt to lose weight when we’re not in the right place, we will almost certainly fail, only knocking our confidence further.
Emotions and food are intertwined, so if you eat to cope with difficulties or for comfort, or if you’re suffering from Binge Eating Disorder, we advise you seek help before trying to lose weight. If you identify and treat these emotional relationships with food first you are more likely to be successful later.
Sinclair also suggests that if there are secondary gains to being overweight, they will impede any desire to get healthy. For example, while being overweight is bad for our health, sometimes it provides an excuse to avoid some of life’s challenges. If we were to lose weight, we would no longer be exempt and our weight would no longer be part of our identity. Again, we recommend you address these complex issues before embarking on a weight loss programme.
Other personal situations, such as bereavement, trauma, financial difficulties, marital problems or work issues are all reasons to possibly put your weight loss on hold. Wait until things calm down and you can give it your full commitment. Be kind to yourself and give yourself a better chance of success.
Assess yourself
Sinclair advises doing a “self inventory” in order to assess whether you should prioritise other things in your life first. People’s priorities are highly individual so there is no hard and fast rule, but it’s essential to be completely honest with yourself.
If your inventory reveals you do need time to deal with any of the issues mentioned above, it might be best to put your weight loss on hold. But it’s imperative you don’t put it off for good. Address the obstacles straight away and regularly re-evaluate your readiness for weight loss.
Sinclair says, “The ‘I can’t’ shouldn’t go on for too long. Check in each month and revisit your inventory to see how you’re feeling and if you’re ready.” If in six to 12 months you’ve dealt with these obstacles and/or your personal situation has changed, but you still feel as if you can’t undertake your weight loss journey, it might be that you’re just procrastinating.
Sinclair says, “If there are no strong reasons to delay, then there is no right time apart from now. If you keep saying when, when will never come. Take a leap of faith and commit to losing weight, then you’ll find everything else will follow.”
If your assessment proved now is the right time, but for some reason you don't feel ready, you may need to work on your positive thinking. So, rather than saying ‘I should be thinner’ say, ‘I look forward to being thinner’ and take positive actions to achieve this. Embrace your weight loss and visualise yourself more active, slimmer and celebrating every success throughout your fun and healthy journey.
Similarly, if you fall off track, don’t think, ‘I did it wrong, I’ve failed’. Think ‘I look forward to doing things differently tomorrow’. Then assess where you went wrong and what you will do differently, such as adjusting your exercise routine or preparing a healthy snack.
Sinclair says, “The past is out of our control. You will lose confidence if you dwell on it because you can’t undo it, but we can make a commitment to do things differently today, tomorrow and beyond.”