Listen
“I’ve tried everything. Why would this time be different?”
“I don’t want to hope and fail again. It hurts too much.”
If those thoughts feel familiar, tap along with Rick Wilkes and Cathy Vartuli as we work with the discouragement and protective beliefs beneath them.
What May Be Under “I’ll Never Lose This Weight”
Even after other beliefs have shifted, this one can feel deeply ingrained. It may carry painful experiences such as:
- trying repeatedly and expecting another failure
- avoiding hope because disappointment hurts
- fearing other people will see you as weak or out of control
- believing weight change always requires deprivation
- relying on food for emotional connection or soothing
- feeling watched, judged, or shamed because of your body
The belief may sound factual, but it can also be a way of protecting yourself from another round of effort, judgment, and pain.
A Different Relationship With Your Body
What changes when the goal is cooperation rather than another fight?
- Listen for your body’s yes and no.
- Tap on what disrupts connection and a sense of safety.
- Allow food to include pleasure rather than making every choice a moral test.
- Notice the emotions, memories, and relationships woven into eating.
- Look for smaller shifts in food, self-talk, and movement.
- Make room for the possibility that change does not have to come through force.
You do not have to pretend to love your body or feel certain that change will happen. You can begin by softening the absolute statement and listening for what it has been trying to protect you from.
For another way to explore pleasure, enoughness, and body signals, see Mindful Eating: Let Pleasure Help You Recognize Enough.
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