If you are anything like me, you have been lured into buying a magazine because the front cover offered the key to unlocking the secrets of weight loss. You have most likely tried countless approaches to shedding the pounds. Personally, I have done calorie counting, diabetic exchanges, low carbohydrates, frequent small meals and no sugar to name a few. Admittedly, each diet method worked for a season. In fact, I can think of multiple diet scenarios that culminated with a big smile and a satisfactory number on the scale. However, as soon as the diet was “over” it was only a matter of time before my weight began creeping up once again.

Your Mind Is The Key To Your Weight

This time, I took a completely different approach.  I decided to record my thoughts along the way through journaling. I wrote about my frustrations and small victories. I noted when I felt the hungriest and I paid special attention to the foods that were the most difficult to resist.  Most importantly, I recorded my self-talk; the internal dialogue that bounced around in my head when I was faced with temptation.

Quite frankly, I didn’t know what to expect from this exercise, but I was fed up with my inability to manage my weight and I decided it was time to get to the bottom of it. Slowly, an epiphanic thought began taking shape in my head after the first week of journaling. Ah yes, I just said, “epiphanic!” Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this as the adjective form of epiphany:

epiphany : a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way 

My weight gain was a symptom of some seriously flawed thinking about food. Now, I am truly convinced that your mind is the key to your weight loss and management.

“It all begins in your mind. What you give power to, has power over you.”

(Matthew Hogan, http://www.movemequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_5651.jpg, Moveme Quotes)

I have come to realize that I have always felt powerless with food. Honestly, I truly believed that I was unable to resist food and its draw. In retrospect, others who so confidently choose the most sensible menu items or pass on the yummy desserts have always perplexed me. I guess I just figured that my willpower was either broken or misaligned.

Finally, my eyes have opened to the reality that weight gain is a symptom of my flawed thinking about food. Food can only exert power over me if I allow it to. Ultimately, I am the one who chooses what, when and where I eat. I want you to have your own epiphanic thought! It’s time, past time, to get this weight thing under control so we can go on with the business of living fulfilling lives. Are you with me?