The big “can’t” statements:
1.)
“I can’t be a thin person, I will always be big”
2.)
“I can’t
exercise. Someone my size isn’t able to”
3.)
“I can’t be on a diet forever”
How to combat these “can’t”
statements:
1.)
Thin is both physical and psychological state of
existence. It helps to change “thin” into a more measurable concept. If your
goal is to fit into a specific pant size for example, allow “thin” to take the
shape of the waste measurement for those Jeans. “Thin” is too flexible and
allows for too much room to get down on ourselves. If we set tangible,
measurable goals we are less likely to use “can’t”.
2.)
When we think of exercise we usually think of
sweating, glistening folks in spandex doing “impressive” things at the gym.
False! Exercise is NOT a matter of killing yourself or putting your body
through hell! It’s a matter of finding
activities that require higher levels of energy to complete. Walking around the
neighborhood at pace that causes your body to sweat is exercise. The more active you are, the more weight you
will lose so don’t set limits on what form exercise can take!
3.)
Dieting is a lifelong process no matter if you
are eating horribly or perfectly. Diet means “the sustenance you put in your
body”, thus you WILL diet no matter what! The word “diet” should not be your
enemy. It should instead be a word to describe the control you have over your
own eating habits. Say this to yourself “my diet will reflect the life that I
want to live. If I want to be healthy, I will eat to reflect health.”
Mark Provenzano, QAMWL Program Director
