The Impact Your Limiting Beliefs Actually Have On Your Weight Loss Efforts
It’s not so much the lbs (#) you need to focus on losing first. It’s the other LBs…your Liming Beliefs that require your focus if you want to be successful in your weight loss journey.
Let’s be real. Most clients don’t want to hear this. Getting concrete plans around nutrition and exercise are much more “tangible,” and leaves struggling people with hope that IF they follow this framework perfectly, they will THEN have the body and life they love. Here’s the problem with that short-sighted promise, and why it may not have worked for you in the past:
Workout and nutrition plans simply treat a symptom of a bigger issue that likely lies deeply rooted in your subconscious mind in the form of beliefs or agreements you’ve made about yourself regarding your own worthiness or ability to be healthy, happy, confident, and fit. These beliefs can be formed very early in life, often serving a specific role or purpose at that time, and then stick with you well into adulthood. When we fail to recognize and reframe our own limiting beliefs, they continue to steer our thoughts, behaviors and habits almost automatically, making any sort of lasting positive change very frustrating and difficult.
Here’s a rundown of how limiting beliefs can significantly impact weight gain and loss in several ways:
1. Self-Sabotage: When you hold and entertain limiting beliefs about your ability to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, you inadvertently self-sabotage your own efforts. These beliefs can create a negative mindset that leads to unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating, emotional eating, or a lack of motivation to exercise. This IS the definition of holding yourself back, and it won’t matter if you have the best fitness and nutrition advice out there if you haven’t addressed the beliefs that drive your daily behavior.
2. Reduced Self-Efficacy: Limiting beliefs can erode your self-efficacy, which is your belief in your ability to achieve a specific goal. If you believe they can't lose weight or that you’re destined to be overweight, you are far less likely to take action and make the necessary changes to your diet and exercise habits. These limiting beliefs diminish your persistence, leading you to give up on your weight loss goals prematurely.
3. Emotional Eating: Where are my emotional eaters at?! It’s real, and your limiting beliefs contribute to that emotional eating, which is essentially using food as a way to cope with uncomfortable emotions or stress. Beliefs like "I'll never be able to lose weight" can lead to feelings of hopelessness and self-doubt, which in turn triggers these patterns of unhealthy eating habits. These patterns become and feel familiar and comforting in the moment, and you lose sight of how truly comforting it actually is to feel worthy, and to experience real self-love and acceptance.
4. Negative Body Image: Limiting beliefs about your own appearance or self-worth creates a negative body image. This negative self-perception can result in poor self-care habits, a lack of motivation to engage in healthy behaviors, and a debilitating and toxic cycle of comparison that is neither motivating or helpful. I know people who won’t step foot into a gym until they feel fit enough, completing missing the point that the gym is a tool for helping them get there, and continuously feeling such shame or unworthiness about their current situation is keeping them from their own self-improvement journey.
5. Fear of Failure: Many of your limiting beliefs are rooted in fear, causing you to be afraid to try new weight loss strategies or diets because you fear failure. We all do to some extent, right? But these deep-rooted beliefs can paralyze you, preventing you from making positive changes to your lifestyle. If deep down you don’t actually believe you’re capable, you’ll take yourself out of the game, creating more evidence that points to your inability to follow through and be successful. You see, in many cases, limiting beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies.
As you can see, if you’re struggling to be successful in a weight loss journey, it’s likely not due to a lack of desire on your part. The truth is, your mind cannot hold two conflicting thoughts, and it will default to the one that is most familiar and deep-rooted. So if you say you want to lose 20 pounds, but deep down you believe you will fail again because “Being thin and healthy is really just for other people and not me,” you will continue to fight an uphill battle between your physical body and your mind.
To overcome the impact of limiting beliefs on weight gain and loss, it's essential to first understand the root of these beliefs, and then work on changing these negative thought patterns into upgraded beliefs that support your goals and a happy life. Hypnotherapy can help. Contact me today.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7