Episode 157. Three Ways to Stop Self-Sabotage – Lessons from Clients

Show Notes

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

Scott shares three practical keys to stopping the cycle of failure in weight loss and physique transformation.

“A body under constant surveillance can never be free.”

• It’s hard to help people who refuse to accept their problem.
• True struggle or laziness? There’s a difference.
• Internal struggles can be masked as external.
• Lack of self-acceptance is the real struggle. Weight loss and physique transformation is just the middle-man.
• Diet and fitness industry capitalize on body insecurity.
• Common beliefs, lies people tell themselves:
  • “I just need the right diet.”
  • “If I could just find the magic program…”
  • Keto, Intermittent fasting, etc.
  • Honeymooning: early success that fails long-term, then self-blame for program failure.
  • “Just tell me what to eat and I’ll eat it.”

Three simple steps to winning internal struggles

1. Uncover the deeper issue.

• It’s not about the program; it’s about the mindset behind the program.
• Continuing to try, fail, then feeling defeated is a signal of an internal struggle.
• This leads to falling prey to quick fix diets and exercise programs.
• A coach’s honesty with them won’t work if the client isn’t honest with themselves.

2. Accept yourself.

• The only mindset that works [long term] is self-acceptance, without exception.
• Self-esteem is something you experience. Self-acceptance is something you do.
• Refuse to be in an adversarial relationship with yourself.
• New neurosis, Facebook Envy: it’s a thing.

3. Build self-acceptance daily.

• Progress takes place a little at a time.
• Use a few specific exercises.
  • Rubber band exercise: wear a rubber band on the wrist and snap it when thinking self-sabotaging thought.
  • Sentence completion. Answer these four questions:
    • Food is my enemy because…
    • Food is my friend because…
    • Food is just food because…
    • Food represents something else entirely because…

Questions to honestly ask yourself to uncover deeper issues:

• Do you feel pressure to abandon a diet strategy when dining out?
• Are you self-conscious about eating meals you prepare when others don’t?
• How much does drinking alcohol get in the way of weight loss efforts?
• Did you grow up in a home with a parent who constantly dieted or obsessed with body image?
• Do you seek approval from a parent?
• Are you swayed by diet or exercise trends?
• Do you follow enviable physical specimens on social media?

Diet Resources by Scott

Permanent Weight Loss  |  The Anti-Diet Approach  |  The Cycle Diet course