Video | I Can’t Story | Research | I Can Story | 5-Minute Focus

Living at a healthy weight is something that I reached. It did not come naturally to me due to a genetic advantage. 

Back when I felt stuck, I had a great story to explain to myself and the world why I couldn’t change. I was raising a family, there were work and financial pressures, other family members wanted junk food in the house, and even if I got out of the house, social gatherings kept the cards stacked against me. I had my story well-rehearsed and could find plenty of evidence to defend it. So, I held onto it and spent many years being right and feeling miserable.

If you lose weight only to gain it back, you feel stuck, or you are simply looking for a way to make weight control easier, it is worth taking a look at your story. We’ll do that in this blog post.

Weight Loss Approach At-A-Glance

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• There are valid reasons why weight control is difficult to achieve. However, you also have advantages that make weight control possible. 
• An “I Can’t” story develops when we focus on the difficulties of losing weight.
• An “I Can” story develops when we focus on our advantages. 
• Focus on your new “I Can” story for five minutes a day, and you’ll find that you can control your weight with much more peace and much less effort. 

Get Unstuck in 5 Minutes – the Weight Loss Approach You Haven’t Tried [Video]

In this video, you’ll learn…

• The difference between an “I Can” story and an “I Can’t” story.
• How to shift your focus to be more positive about your weight loss journey.
• Additional resources to help you lose weight.

The “I Can’t” Story

I have been making healthy living videos for more than 12 years.

I often see comments that start this way: “I really like this idea. But, it can’t work for me because…” followed by a rapid-fire list of reasons, which are likely valid.

The world we live in is not set up to support you on your diet. Quite the opposite. Those reasons that commenters provide are most likely accurate. They don’t have control over snacks shared in the break room. They may be under a ton of stress, be in the weight control game by themselves, and have health issues that complicate the whole process.  

These reasons make up our story. And even if that story keeps us stuck, it is what we’ve come to know; strangely, that familiarity feels comfortable. 

The thing is that you have a different story inside of you as well. That story is made up of all of the weight loss advantages you have going for you. If that sounds untrue, it is understandable because humans naturally tend to focus on negatives rather than positives.  

Bad is Stronger than Good [Research]

This fact is supported by a well-known study published in 2001 titled “Bad is Stronger than Good” (1).

That paper reviewed hundreds of studies showing that “bad” information that we take in from our environment is processed more thoroughly than “good.” As a result, negative experiences, thoughts, and emotions tend to be stronger than good ones, making it easier to focus on them.

That sounds like a doom-and-gloom scenario. However, we can overcome this negative bias of our brain by actively focusing on what is going right and returning back to that focus often throughout the day. 

The “I Can” Story

So, what is going right? That can be a surprisingly hard thing to come up with when we are out of practice. I want this blog post to be uplifting and practical, so I will list common weight loss advantages we tend to overlook. 

Write down or mentally note those that are true for you. When focused on, those true statements will make up your new positive story.

One important note: If a statement is not true for you, ignore it. 

Remember, your brain will want to focus on the negatives. If you hear yourself saying, “Well, if I had that, I could be successful.” Cut that thought short. Pay attention to the statements that ring true and forget the rest. Here we go. 

You have a weight loss advantage if:

• You know how to cook. 
• You have a home gym. 
• You were athletic in the past. 
• You have a supportive family member.
• You have a supportive friend. 
• You have financial flexibility. 
• You’re strong-willed.
• You’re resilient. 
• You really enjoy walking your dog. 
• Your doctor gave you a clean bill of health.
• You sleep well at night.
• You like whole foods.
• You don’t need soda in your life.
• Your joints feel good.
• You feel authentic when you eat well.
• You feel like a positive role model when you eat well.
• You live near a grocery store.
• You live near a bike or walking path.

That list will get you started. Feel free to add to it. And notice that these are not rah-rah motivational statements. They are advantages that you currently have or have access to. They are your current story every bit as much as that other story that starts with “I can’t.” 

5 Minutes/Day of Focus

And remember that chances are you’ve become pretty attached to your “I can’t” story, so one day of focusing on these positives won’t do it. Your brain will constantly try to pull you back to your old story. Drill your new story into your head by writing it down and actively focusing on it. 

[Example] My New Story: “I can live healthy because I love to cook. I love taking my dog for daily walks, and I sleep like a baby.” 

That focus will only take a minute; do it five times a day, and you’ll find you control your weight with much more peace and much less effort. 

If you are looking for a positive approach to better health and weight control, I encourage you to get a copy of my book Zero Sugar / One Month.

While the book is geared toward avoiding sugar, there are daily inspirations and motivational stories that will help you create an easy-to-follow, enjoyable, and effective path to healthy eating. 

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

Reference:

(1) Baumeister, Roy F., et al. “Bad is stronger than good.” Review of general psychology 5.4 (2001): 323-370.

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.