Seventh Commandment: Appreciate what you have
“Positive and negative dimensions of weight control motivation, Eating Behaviors, October 2011.”
We published a study in 2011, which leads to a better understanding of motivation and shakes up the way we approach obesity treatment.
In fact, there are two factors to motivation: positive factors and negative factors. And both factors interact. The negative factors put a stop to the positive motivation.
This way of looking at motivation is a discovery.
To succeed, positive factors must be present, but they do not ensure success. They are based on the benefits sought, which must be worthwhile for the person: the most frequent is to get rid of the physical and/or psychological suffering associated with being overweight. The greater the suffering, the stronger the positive motivation. “I’m tired of being bad”.
Most people who think about or undertake a diet have this positive motivator. Unfortunately, it does not guarantee success.
Negative motivational factors are the main cause of failure. Motivation is an emotion, and emotion means the energy of the thought that underlies it. Positive energy meeting negative energy will create destructive interference.
Our study which included 40,000 people showed that even if the positive motivational factors are very present, weight loss will only succeed when the negative motivational factors are reduced.
Negative motivators are the powerful brakes on positive motivation. There are four of them.
One or more of these factors play a crucial role:
– resentment of being on a diet,
– regret at losing the comfort of food,
– the feeling of powerlessness in front of the efforts to be made
– and doubt about success.
Let’s talk about resentment here. “It bothers me that I have to go on a diet”, “It’s not fair…”, “It’s unbearable”.
Ask yourself these questions: “What bothers me the most?” “What is most unfair: having a sore back, shortness of breath, being diabetic, not dressing to your liking, lowering your quality of life, lowering your life expectancy, etc.?”
Your answer is important. You have a choice to make.
Is the glass half full or half empty?
