Assertiveness Is A Key Factor In Making The Decision To Lose Weight

Yes, this is true. Assertiveness is a key factor in making the decision to lose weight. Often times you tell yourself it is okay to eat, especially when no one else is looking, because eating makes you feel good. You have to be assertive with yourself, remind yourself that eating is a problem, not a solution. Be assertive with other people who want to feed you. Do you live with others who are overweight and who have not developed the right psychology? Do they want to feed you all the time? Perhaps a relative like your mother or your aunt, whether they are overweight or not, make large portions and put lots of food on your plate. It is time for you to be assertive, to tell them that you need to change your habits.

This can be hard. You may be one of those people who seek approval. If you are shy you may be afraid that making friends is difficult as it is, and you don’t want to seem rude. You want to seem agreeable. You are damaging yourself by thinking this way. Nobody is going to hate you because you want to eat smaller portions. Nobody is going to throw a friendship away because you have made an assertive decision to lose weight. In truth, your friends and family will likely be proud of you, and will want to help you to lose weight. Often, they fill the plate because they know you like to eat. Perhaps they don’t want to seem rude or pushy by telling you not to eat so much. So you have this circle of two people who don’t want to offend each other. You can break that cycle by announcing your plans to lose weight, and it all starts with “I will have a smaller portion than what’s on the plate now, thank you.”

A lot of people eat socially, and you don’t want to seem rude. Instead of making dinner plans with your friends, which means sitting at a large table as food is all around to tempt you, create plans to do an activity. Your friends might be thinking that this is their night to splurge, a social night out. But for you, this is a dangerous situation. Change your social habits by instead making plans that revolve around activity. Invite your friends to go on a nature hike, or to engage in some activity that requires physicality like going to the park to throw a Frisbee around. If you don’t feel that is appropriate, or it is the winter, you can suggest a non-physical activity but don’t include a meal with the plans. If you do, keep the meal simple. Perhaps cook the meal yourself or have one of your friends do so with specific instructions. You want to be in full control of how much food is on your plate and restaurant food is often rich and restaurants often like to give large portions to ensure their clientele are satisfied, none of which helps your cause.

As you attempt to restrict your portions you need to have the willpower to order something from the menu that will be a small. If your friends tell you that you can have anything on the menu because they are paying, and everybody should splurge, you have to explain that you aren’t in the position to splurge. You must keep to your plan so you can lose the weight. If they really are your friends they will be proud of you and support you. People who seem mad or upset that you won’t engage in over-eating are not the kind of people you need around you during this challenging time. Perhaps in addition to shedding pounds, you should shed these people who are holding you back.

By changing your social habits, your level of assertiveness both with yourself and others, having confidence that you won’t lose your real friends when you decide to diet, and by ensuring that your social plans do not revolve around eating, you will begin to form a program that will stop the first aspect of why you are overweight: your psychology towards eating. Understand that you don’t need to eat as an activity that doubles as a hobby. Find hobbies that don’t involve food, recruit your friends and family to help you by informing them of your decision to lose weight and that you need to have smaller portions both when they cook for you, and when you go out to restaurants. You will turn negative food habits into positive ones.

So Be Assertive