40 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE JANUARY 2020
STEP BYSTEP TO A
POSITIVE MINDSET
Tostarttacklingnegativethoughtsthatcould
becontributingtounhealthybehaviour,try
thesethreetechniques:1
COM-B(CAPABILITY,OPPORTUNITY,
MOTIVATIONTOBEHAVIOUR)
DrAngelChater,oneoftheauthorsofthe
BPSreport,suggestsusingthistermtogettothe
bottomofwhatis stoppingyoulosingweight.
‘Askyourself,whatis influencingmybehaviour?’
shesuggests.‘Isit myCapability(doI needto
learnsomethingnew?),oris it theOpportunity
aroundme(myfriends/family/whereI liveor
work),oris it myMotivation(doI reallywantto
changemybehaviour?DoI thinkit willmakea
difference?AmI scaredofwhatwillhappen?Am
I influencedbymyhabitsandemotions?).’2
BEA FRIENDTOYOURSELF
DrHelenMcCarthy, a consultantclinical
psychologistwhoexploresthetopicof
weightlosswithoutdietinginhernewbookHow
toRetrainYourAppetite, advisestalkingto
yourselfasyouwouldtoa friendthatyoucare
about.‘Developingself-compassioncanbea
powerfulpartofchange,’sheexplains.3
LOOKINTHEMAGICMIRROR
DietitianTracyKellyrecommends
a techniqueadaptedfromJack
Canfield’sbookTheSuccessPrinciples.
Attheendoftheday,standinfront
ofa mirror,lookyourselfintheeyes,
sayyourname,thenacknowledge
allthepositivethingsyoudid
duringtheday.Nothingis too
small.It couldbemakingyourbed,
howyoutalkedtosomeoneatwork,
orfollowingthroughwithbetter
habitssuchasdrinkingwater,making
dinner,beingkindtoyourself.Then
tellyourself,‘I loveyou’.
Dothisfor 32 days.If youfindyourselfin
bedwithouthavingdonetheroutine,getout,
switchonthelightandhavetheconversation
withyourself.If youmissa night,youneedto
startagain.
‘Thisexercisemaystirupa lotofemotions,’says
Tracy.‘Youmayevenfindyourselfcryingthefirst
fewtimesyoudoit.Butkeepatit.It willhelpto
buildself-esteem,confidenceanddeeperlove
andcareforyourself.’Need extra help?
Just as the critical views of others can make negative
thoughts about your weight worse, some positive
input could be just what you need to change your
thought patterns, says Angel Chater (see no 1, left).
‘There is good evidence that speaking to a
psychologist can help those who are living with
obesity,’ she explains. ‘It is important that
conversations are centred on the person, without
a sense of judgement.
‘If eating less and moving more was a simple
matter, we wouldn’t have the current obesity levels,’
she adds. ‘Psychologists can help to understand the
factors that lead to overeating, what is eaten, when
and how much. They can help to understand barriers
to regular physical activity and what
influences sitting too much.’
This view is echoed by Helen
McCarthy (see no 2, left). She believes
you’re most likely to find a
psychological approach helpful if the
reason you’re struggling with your
weight is related more to how you eat
than what you eat. ‘Something psychologists bring
to a person in any sort of distress (eating-related or
not) is an understanding that whatever has led to
their current problems, the person was doing the
best they could to survive and manage what was
happening in their lives during the time the
unhelpful patterns developed,’ she explains. ‘This
means that apparently self-defeating behaviours are
understood in terms of how and why they developed,
and once this is understood, evidence-based
strategies can be used to bring about change.’Invite your friends in
Psychologists aren’t the only ones who can help,
however, says Jane. ‘It’s also really good to talk to
your friends, your family and people around you.
Find out what works for other people and share the
collective skills you’ve all gathered. Peer groups are
good, being with other people in similar situations
is good. Talking about it, being open about it and
sharing your experiences is also good,’ she advises.
Seeking the support of others and being kinder
to yourself may not seem like strategies that will
have as much impact as a punishing gym routine,
but challenging negative thoughts about yourself
can be the first step towards developing a healthier
relationship with food and your body. ‘Little by little,
new patterns can form and your brightest, shiniest
self can emerge,’ says Tracy. ‘Will this happen
overnight? No. It will take consistency to do things
even when you don’t feel like it. But when you
believe you can, you have someone championing you
and you are surrounded by a community of people
who want you to succeed, then anything is possible.’^Developing^
self-compassion
can be a powerful
part of change_