The Dieter's Corner

Influencing how you lose weight

Can you influence the way you lose weight by thinking of what you could have done differently in the past? You know, "If only I had..." The psychological research says yes you can.

Thinking of what you could have done differently can make you feel better, and it can actually lead to an improvement in performance.

What happens when you say, "If only I had..., I would have..." is that you put in place a "script" for what you can do on the next try. The script identifies specifically what you could have done to avoid failure and to have success. The script takes you beyond what actually happened to how you can rectify what happened. For example, "If only I had gotten right back on after I cheated, I would have stayed on my diet", would be a way of informing yourself about how you could have done better.

For example, making yourself a proposition like "If only I stood my ground at work today, I wouldn't have eaten all that junk food when I got home" influences you. You are identifying very specifically what caused you to fail and what specifically you should do about it so you can succeed next time.

Just thinking about the good it will do to correct your thinking and your actions increases the possibility that you will actually do what you intend.

Here are some common reasons for dieting failure. See if you can come up with conditional propositions that can help the dieter feel better and get the direction she needs to improve her dieting.

If only I hadn't worried so much, I could have _________________.
If only I had given more time, I could have ____________________.
If only I hadn't piled on so many things to do, I could have ________________.
If only I had picked a diet that I liked, I could have ____________________.

Try putting this into practice for yourself and see what the results are.

Other women would love to hear what you have to say. Please share your answer by emailing it to newsletter@mariaslastdiet.com.

© Maria's Last Diet. Maria's Last Diet is an online weight loss support website for women. At Maria's Last Diet, you'll find the tools to fix the thoughts, feelings, and automatic habits that fight against you when you diet. Because it's never just about the food. Visit www.mariaslastdiet.com for more diet tips and weight loss motivation.

You can reprint this article on your website, newsletter or blog by including the above paragraph.