Dead end thoughts: “I don’t want to feel deprived”
Are you stopping yourself from committing to your weight loss process, because you don’t want to feel deprived?
I call it a “dead end thought.” You think “I don’t want to feel deprived” and it ends here. An obstacle have been thrown on your path, by your own mind and you don’t question it.
If you really want to lose weight, but this fear stops you, then listen.
(watch this video which more or less covers it all)
I remember sitting with a friend on a bench in downtown and we were very much enjoying our dead end thoughts:
-
- What do you think all the skinny people do? How are they staying skinny?
- I will tell you: they just don’t eat!
- Yup! That must be it! You know… I’d rather have the additional few pounds but eat! I love food too much!
Since then two years passed. Somehow I lost weight. And, believe me, meanwhile I ate. But I had to change my mindset first.
What is deprivation?
I notice two kinds:
First: depriving the body of nutrients, denying the body material to rebuild itself, to return to and to stay at the optimal health. And if we do weight loss this way – we are doing it wrong (read this on self-kindness)
You will not be doing this. You are not going to deprive your body of the necessary nutrients.
Second: deprivation as a feeling. You haven’t changed your meal plan yet, but thinking about “weight loss anything” You are already afraid of feeling deprived.
So how can you avoid this trap, this illusion? By changing the thought:
Current situation:
- Thought: I don’t want to feel deprived
- Feeling: fear of deprivation
- Action: keep doing what you have been doing , not making commitment to weight loss
- Result: Staying where you are.
To change the feeling of deprivation you need to first change the thought. Here is an example of an intentional way of thinking
- Thought: I can lose weight feeling satisfied
- Feeling: encouraged
- Action: making commitment, choosing nourishing food, being aware when eating
- Result: on the way to the goal.
Deprivation paradox.
Right in the beginning of any good weight loss process, you will be instructed to cut out sugar and flour (watch this if you want to think deliberately and speed up the process)
This is what we are afraid of most, are we not?
Anything but this. It’s an impossible idea! Who came up with this nonsense? Sweets are like oxygen and you get mad.
“You said deprivation is just a feeling. Now you tell me I really have to deprive myself? “
I hear you.
I was addicted too:
To all the sugar / flour products that were depriving my body of nutrients, and damaging my body.
To all the sugar flour products that were stealing from my body, depriving it of building blocks for renewal and better functioning. (sugar affects brain health* and causes premature aging**)
We are afraid to be deprived of fake foods that in fact deprive our body of nutrients. We have a mind – body conflict here. And the conflict is the results of eating unnatural foods that mess up with our hormones. The conflict is the results of the addiction. But … we can end the addiction in a matter of weeks.
That’s why I say: weight loss requires courage (watch this video about 4 weight loss superpowers) :
Allow yourself to go thru a short withdrawal period from the addicting stuff. Withdrawal is temporary. It doesn’t last forever, In fact it’s just short few weeks*** today it may be hard but tomorrow you will be proud of yourself. Allow yourself to walk thru the illusion of deprivation. Let yourself arrive at a place where you look back and see how you have been depriving yourself by giving in to the illusion of deprivation.
This takes some courage, patience and it helps to remember that you are always free to eat anything. You are just choosing not to. More on it here: in the middle of deprivation
Are you looking for someone to help you with weight loss using your mind ? Click here
*Deep Nutrition – Catherine Shanahan
**Dr. Berg
*** varies from person to person