Can Thinking Make You Fat

If found this article on the internet and wanted to share it with all of you.

By Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH

What if your thinking creates your body?

Take the example of Daisy. She always felt like she'd look better if she lost 5 or 10pounds. From the time she was 16-years-old, she said things like, "I'd like to go swimming but I'm too fat to wear a bathing suit." Or, "What guy would want to date a fatty like me?"

At age 31, after 15 years of referring to herself as "fat" she finally became "fat." Now she looks at pictures from high school in astonishment. "How could I ever have thought of myself as fat? I only wish I were that "fat" now!" She says.

The truth is, our thoughts have a powerful impact on our behavior.
Consider the following example:

Original Thought: "I'll never lose weight."

Reaction: I might as well eat this cake. What's the point of going to the gym?

Result: You eat the cake, skip the gym and prove yourself right!

Perhaps you have a thought such as "I am fat". Just because you think it, doesn't mean it's true. You need evidence to support your statement, so you glance down at one of your problem areas or stare at a roll of fat over your jeans.

Now, you have "proof".

You react.

Maybe you react on a subconscious or biological level, (i.e. you feel bad). Your body is reacting on a chemical/cellular level. The longer you hold the thought, "I am fat" and stare at the accompanying "proof" the more real and intense your belief becomes.

Sometimes you feel so fat and miserable that you decide, "what's the point?" and reach for high-fat, high-sugar comfort food to feel better. Or, you starve yourself and wreak havoc on your metabolism and set yourself up for future overeating. If you continue this cycle, you are in the process of creating a weight problem.

Here's how the scenario might play out if you choose to be in control of your mind/body reaction.

You have a thought: "I am fat" but his time you are aware of the power of your thoughts. You refuse to look in the mirror or feel your fat rolls to "prove it".

Instead, you tell yourself, "I accept my body as it is now and allow it to become thinner" or you tell yourself, "no, that's a lie, I am actually beautiful, strong and capable."

Now you are in the process of creating a new self-fulfilling prophecy and you will feel drawn to "prove" your new beliefs.

Some of us feel "fat" because we are comparing ourselves to a thinner person. In that case we can say to ourselves statements like: "I am doing my best" and "I maintain the right to determine what is attractive by my own standards."

Other times, the "fat" feeling is triggered by temporary bloating. In that case say, "I am temporarily bloated but that's not the same as fat."

Some of us have a very distorted body image. Many women I've worked with have noted that they feel fat or see themselves as fat even after they've reached a goal they thought would make them feel great. We can take the power out of "I am fat" by stating the facts such as: "I am at my goal weight" or "I'm at the size that's right for me."

Choosing these new perspectives over the old, automatic reactions will cause your body to have an entirely different response. You will have stopped the chain of events that probably triggered overeating or feelings of defeat in the past. Therefore, slowly but surely you begin creating a new reality. You no longer fall prey to the old, automatic reactions of beating yourself up or overeating.

If you continue to take charge of your thinking, your setbacks will be smaller, shorter and farther in between. Gradually, you will gain control of your mind and body so you can find a weight that's comfortable for you. It begins with awareness and a choice.

We are all capable of becoming more aware and making positive choices.

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I LOVED READING THIS! I would love to hear thoughts and perspectives from people on the ideas stated above. Since I lost all of my weight, I KNOW I have been at every single stage. Even I need to work on talking about being at a good weight for me. I AM NOT FAT! I have earned the right to say I am healthy, fit, and good body size.

Comments

[Beth]

This article is all about me! Funny, this daily meditation came on our email today as well.

If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.
--Isaac B. Singer

We all know men and women who are too often critical and negative. Sometimes we, too, are these people. And when we fall into this trap of negativity, our life becomes unnecessarily complicated.

Any behavior we commit to practicing regularly is strengthened, whether it's positive or negative. It benefits us then to practice developing and holding a positive outlook rather than a negative one. Making the decision, each day, to quiet our mind, clearing it of negative expectations, is not a mysterious or difficult undertaking. It is rather an opportunity to influence in meaningful ways the many experiences we're destined to have.

We're empowered by claiming responsibility for how we perceive and respond to our opportunities, and thus for whom we are becoming.

I will look at today as a day full of promise with hope and gladness in my heart.

Seems like I'm getting a double wammy to get positive today. I get the message!

[Betty]

Hitting the nail on the head with a hammer curl! Ohh, how that thinking can haunt me.

[Mammy (Corinne's Mom)]

I loved this article. I immediately thought about my view of my legs when I was in high school. I avoided shorts at all cost because my legs were so fat. Years later I was looking through the yearbook with my best friend from high school, and was shocked to discover my legs were as small and in some cases smaller than the other majorettes in our group photo. Yes the Queen's Mom was a baton twirler in high school. I weighed 115lbs in that photograph and yet I avoided wearing shorts around my boyfriends. Perception is your reality; so you must change that perception in order to have a healthy reality regarding your body image. If I had those high school legs now, I'd be sporting Daisy Dukes every day. I won't have those legs again, but I WILL reach my goal weight and love the legs that I do have every step of the way. Thanks to my sweet baby girl that yall call the queen, I feel better about myself at my current weight than I did at 115lbs. By the way, Mammy went clothes shopping for the night out during Phat Camp, and bought 2 outfits that were both size 18w...not 3x. Yeah Mammy!

[lorie]

YAY Mammy!!! Can't wait to see you sporting some hottie tottie clothes :)