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 Can Thinking Make You Fat?
Author: Sheri Zampelli
Website: http://www.donateyourweight.com
Added: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 03:28:06 -0500
Category: Healthcare & Nutrition (NO PHARM!)
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Copyright 2006 Sheri Zampelli
What if your thinking creates your body? Take the example of Daisy. She always felt like she’d look better if she lost 5 or 10 pounds. From the time she was 16-years-old, she said things like, “I’d like to go swimming but I’m too fat to wear a bathing suit.” Or, “What guy would want to date a fatty like me?”
At age 31, after 15 years of referring to herself as “fat” she finally became “fat.” Now she looks at pictures from high school in astonishment. “How could I ever have thought of myself as fat? I only wish I were that “fat” now!” She says.
The truth is, our thoughts have a powerful impact on our behavior. Consider the following example:
Original Thought: “I’ll never lose weight.”
Reaction: I might as well eat this cake. What’s the point of going to the gym?
Result: You eat the cake, skip the gym and prove yourself right!
Perhaps you have a thought such as "I am fat". Just because you think it, doesn't mean it's true. You need evidence to support your statement, so you glance down at one of your problem areas or stare at a roll of fat over your jeans. Now, you have "proof". You react. Maybe you react on a subconscious or biological level, (i.e. you feel bad). Your body is reacting on a chemical/cellular level.
The longer you hold the thought, “I am fat” and stare at the accompanying “proof” the more real and intense your belief becomes. Sometimes you feel so fat and miserable that you decide, "what's the point?" and reach for high-fat, high-sugar comfort food to feel better. Or, you starve yourself and wreak havoc on your metabolism and set yourself up for future overeating. If you continue this cycle, you are in the process of creating a weight problem.
Here’s how the scenario might play out if you choose to be in control of your mind/body reaction. You have a thought: "I am fat" but his time you are aware of the power of your thoughts. You refuse to look in the mirror or feel your fat rolls to "prove it". Instead, you tell yourself, "I accept my body as it is now and allow it to become thinner" or you tell yourself, "no, that's a lie, I am actually beautiful, strong and capable." Now you are in the process of creating a new self-fulfilling prophecy and you will feel drawn to “prove” your new beliefs.
Some of us feel "fat" because we are comparing ourselves to a thinner person. In that case we can say to ourselves statements like: “I am doing my best” and “I maintain the right to determine what is attractive by my own standards.” Other times, the "fat" feeling is triggered by temporary bloating. In that case say, "I am temporarily bloated but that's not the same as fat."
Some of us have a very distorted body image. Many women I've worked with have noted that they feel fat or see themselves as fat even after they’ve reached a goal they thought would make them feel great. We can take the power out of "I am fat" by stating the facts such as: "I am at my goal weight" or "I'm at the size that's right for me."
Choosing these new perspectives over the old, automatic reactions will cause your body to have an entirely different response. You will have stopped the chain of events that probably triggered overeating or feelings of defeat in the past. Therefore, slowly but surely you begin creating a new reality. You no longer fall prey to the old, automatic reactions of beating yourself up or overeating.
If you continue to take charge of your thinking, your setbacks will be smaller, shorter and farther in between. Gradually, you will gain control of your mind and body so you can find a weight that’s comfortable for you. It begins with awareness and a choice. We are all capable of becoming more aware and making positive choices.
About the Author:
Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH is the author of From Sabotage to Success - How to Overcome Self-Defeating Behavior and Reach Your True Potential. This article is an excerpt from her new book to be released June 2006. For more information, visit http://www.donateyourweight.com
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