The Importance of Self-Talk During Fat Loss

Let's chat about the importance of self-talk during fat loss.

In the famous movie Good Will Hunting, Will (Matt Damon) is a genius early 20-year-old who works as a Janitor at Havard in Boston, MA. He is also a troubled kid who grew up in a broken home with an abusive father. This causes him to constantly act out, push people away, and ruin relationships because of having these trust issues.

One day, he was discovered by a Professor at Havard for his intelligence after completing a complicated problem. The Professor tried to get his attention, but Will was all set (and politely told him to "f*ck off").

Later on, Will is arrested for attacking a police officer. The Professor returns and makes a deal to get him out of jail if he works with him and gets treatment from a therapist, Sean (Robin Williams).

They go through many therapy sessions, and during one of their sessions,  Sean tells Will, “It’s not your fault.”

Meaning It's not his fault that he has trust issues.

It's not his fault that he pushes people away at first.

It's not his fault he believes he doesn’t deserve more.

He was raised to think and act this way to help him cope and protect himself. 

“What does this have to do with anything, Kev?”

I am here to tell you it's not your fault either.

It's not your fault that you grew up being taught foods are good or bad vs. learning all foods have their place.

It's not your fault you grew up viewing working out as a punishment vs. a way to improve your health physically and mentally.

It is not your fault that you have been conditioned to think making mistakes is failing vs. an opportunity to learn.

You don't know what you don't know. You have been raised to think a certain way, whether that is through family, friends, or the media.

I get it. 

So, what ends up happening?

When you “think” you have to be doing x,y, and z, and it’s not working for you, you start talking to yourself negatively and believe something is wrong with you.

Well, for starters, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you! Yes, there may be things you want to improve, but you are not broken!

Listen, if you tell a fish to climb a tree, even they will think they will be dumb.

So now what do we do? 

Now,  this is where the tough love comes in. It is time to take responsibility. It is your turn to take action and start rewiring what has happened between those ears by changing how you think and talk to yourself.

Let’s start here: What is Self-Talk?

Self-talk is exactly what it sounds like. It is the way you talk to yourself. Your inner dialogue provides your brain with an explanation of your experiences and beliefs.

For example, it can be Thomas the Tank Engine about to hit some heavy squats, telling himself, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can….”

Or it is Thomas the Tank Engine about to hit some heavy squats, telling himself, “I don't think I can, I don't think I can, I don't think I can...'

Why Positive Self-Talk is Important.

Self-talk impacts your self-efficacy, self-esteem, and mindset. It dramatically affects what we believe, how we feel about certain things, and what we do. 

Phrasing things negatively leads to you being overly judgemental, making negative excuses, and tending to blame something or someone. This leads to you doing things like self-sabotaging yourself.

"I suck at trying to figure out this weight loss thing! It's not for me.”

Or 

“I HAVE to go to the gym today since I am fat and trying to lose weight.”

Phrasing things positively will help enhance your look at the bigger picture and the whole truth of the situation. It helps with encouraging you and will assist you in some motivation.

“I haven't figured out this weight loss thing yet, BUT I am getting closer!”

Or

“I GET to go to the gym today to help get closer to my fat loss goals. Also, this will get me stronger and feel like a total badass lifting heavy ass weight!”

REAL QUICK:

I know you are human (I think). So, I would like to be clear here. Using positive self-talk is not about being unrealistic and thinking everything is sunshine and rainbows. But like I said above, it is to allow yourself to take a step back and think about what happened/what is going on. This will allow you to take some of the pressure off, not beat yourself up, and guide you into building up your confidence and self-esteem to feel more in control and crush your fucking goals.

LFG!

Here is How to Change Your Self-Talk.

Create Awareness

Start paying attention to the way you talk to yourself. Catch yourself when you do it, and stop. Then, recognize what your thoughts are. This is the first step. Start to catch yourself when you are saying something from a negative standpoint. 

Get Curious

After you start catching yourself, begin curious about where these talking and thoughts come from. Ask yourself questions like, why am I thinking and talking this way? Is it true, or am I being overly critical? Is this an assumption I am making? What are the facts right now?

Reframe your thoughts and start practicing Positive Self-Talks. 

Then, start to change and reframe your thoughts. Do you know if what you are feeling is accurate or true? How could this be said differently? How do I rephrase this in a more neutral/positive way? 

Start Putting These ACTIONS Into Place:

1. Start talking to yourself like you are talking to your best friend.

How would you talk to your best friend in this scenario? Would you say what you said to yourself to your best friend?

2. Start thinking about things as Opportunities vs. Obligations.

Instead of saying you HAVE to, say GET to.

You don’t HAVE to go to the gym, because at the end of the day, you can do whatever you want to! Instead, you GET to go to the gym to get closer to your goals, to relieve some stress, or to get strong and feel like a badass (or all of the above!)

3. Add YET to the end of something you are not confident in

Go from, “I can't figure out my nutrition.” to, “I can't figure out my nutrition, YET, but I know this takes time, and I will keep at it.”

4. Think about adding in vs. taking out

Instead of thinking, we must restrict ourselves from certain foods or drinks when trying to lose fat. Instead, add more nutritious, whole foods. It could be more fruits, vegetables, water, protein, etc.

5. Look at mistakes not as "I am a failure" but as a chance (or opportunity) for you to learn and grow.

Mistakes are inevitable, so when they happen, look at them as a chance to reflect, learn, and grow to be better prepared moving forward.

-Kevin

As I Am