Did you know that the way you think influences your food choices? And your food choices, of course, impact your weight. All of us, at some point, have cognitive distortions – irrational thoughts – that influence our emotions and choices. If you’re wondering why you have been unsuccessful at losing weight or any other nutrition-related goals (or any goal, really), please read on.
How Do Cognitive Distortions Affect Weight?
Cognitive distortions affect our food and activity choices, which then affect our weight. These distortions are irrational thoughts. Some can be more harmful than others. If we can recognize them, we can get better at not believing our irrational thoughts. This will help us be more successful at our nutrition-related goals! Let us walk you through some of these below:
All-or-Nothing Thinking:
This involves thinking in terms of “always” or “never.” For example, when desiring to lose weight, it can be easy to say you’re going “all in.” Well, what’s the problem with that? When you give up on your diet – even for a few days – you’re back to being “All out.”
Emotional Reasoning:
This includes assuming that emotions reflect the ways things really are. If you feel like you’re failing at a goal, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure! Pay attention to all of the things you did in a week instead of focusing only on the negative.
Disqualifying the Positive:
This type of thinking involves only recognizing the negative and ignoring the positive. During those weeks when the scale doesn’t budge, did you experience anything good? Most likely! When making healthier choices, we often see non-scale victories like sleeping better, having more energy, experiencing fewer cravings, feeling more satisfied from meals, and fitting into clothes better.
Should Statements: This is believing that things should be a certain way. Focusing on what you should do is not always helpful. Focus instead on what you will do. For example, instead of saying “I should eat broccoli for dinner,” say, “I will eat some vegetables with my dinner today.”
Hopefully, recognizing some of these irrational thinking patterns will help you gain some insights into your diet patterns.
Any questions? Reach out! We’d love to chat!
