How overconfidence is sabotaging your weight-loss!
Have you hit a weight-loss plateau? Or are the numbers on the scale moving in the wrong direction?
If so, you're not alone. At one point or another, we've all been there.
The most important thing we can do is figure out what’s sabotaging your weight-loss.
And what we’re going to look at today is overconfidence.
What? Isn’t confidence a good thing?
Yes! Confidence is the goal, and it’s exactly what we’re shooting for.
But... there’s a fine line between confidence and overconfidence.
Let’s dive into that:
Confidence vs. Overconfidence
What is confidence? It's what we build through practice and consistency, and ultimately through repeated success.
Confidence is knowing—without a doubt—we can make it happen.
Knowing you can tie your laces and knock out five miles is a form of confidence. And you know you can do it - because you’ve done it a hundred (or a thousand) times before.
Knowing you can strap on your skis and tear up a black diamond is confidence. And you know you can do it - because you’ve been skiing since you were old enough to walk.
Confidence is what we build through practice > repetition > mistakes > and learning. And as a result we see: repeated success.
What is overconfidence? Overconfidence, on the other hand, is when we overestimate our abilities.
And instead of having repeated success to back us up, we just rely on faith.
We’re relying on a false sense of our ability. And when that happens - we’re sure to fall into the overconfidence trap.
Overconfidence And Weight-loss
When it comes to weight loss, overconfidence manifests itself in what I refer to as the: “I’ve got this! Effect”
Here’s what that looks like:
Imagine you lost 20 pounds. You’re looking and feeling good!
But then:
Some foods you’ve been keeping at arm’s distance start creeping back into our day.
We’ll have one cookie today, or
A drink or two on Friday, or
A burger and fries on the weekend.
It’s not a big deal, right? We’ll buckle down the next day and make up for it. Plus, when we stepped on the scale, it didn’t change much, so we’re still okay.
Next thing you know, we’re having:
Dessert two or three days a week, or
Three or four drinks when we go out, or
Burgers and fries at several lunches.
And before long:
The scale starts inching its way back to where we started - or maybe even more!
(And this is the point where the overconfidence trap catches us in its snare.)
You say to yourself, “I’ve lost 20 pounds before. I can do it again! I’ve got this!”
But: we’re trapped!
Overconfidence blinds us to the fact that what we’re doing isn’t working.
It just keeps dragging us further and further away from where we want to be.
Are you battling overconfidence right now?
If so, here are:
Five easy tips and tricks to beat overconfidence - and start losing weight again!
1.) Shine a spotlight on it.
Sometimes we don’t know what the problem is until we can see it.
And once we realize that we’re overestimating our ability to lose weight - and keep it off - we can address it.
Until we point out the problem, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing and wondering why we we're stuck and can't lose weight.
2.) Ask for honest feedback.
Have you ever watched a contestant on American Idol or The Voice completely bomb an audition?
If you’re like me, you’ve said, “Wow, this guy must not have *any* friends!”
Well, we can shortcut the overconfidence trap just by asking someone we trust for their honest feedback.
3.) Embrace the discomfort.
Research shows us that when we’re overconfident, we tend to avoid difficult and uncomfortable situations.
Here's what difficult choices look like:
Going to the gym on those days when we're not feeling motivated.
Planning exactly what we’ll have for lunch and dinner instead of making game-time decisions.
Slowing down to eat a meal mindfully instead of turning off our awareness.
Actually “feeling” a little uncomfortable instead of masking boredom and anxiety with food.
When we’re faced with the decision of comfortable and easy vs. uncomfortable and difficult. Let’s choose the road less traveled.
Discomfort is your compass! And it’s key to navigating the overconfidence minefield.
4.) Be okay with doubt.
A little doubt isn’t a weakness; it’s a superpower!
Imagine you’re planning a drive from New York to LA - 3,000 miles across the country. It’s always better to have a mechanic check out your car instead of hoping we'll make it okay.
Overconfidence will leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Instead, let's introduce some doubt into the situation.
Let’s slow down and make decisions based on what the evidence is showing us instead of what we think is going to happen.
5.) Stick to what made you successful.
Have you ever eaten a big dessert and spent all night dreading the scale?
Then, the next morning, we find our weight is exactly the same! #win, right?
We breathe a sigh of relief because it wasn’t a disaster like we expected.
We do this a few more times, and still don't gain a lot of weight. And it almost feels like we developed some magical immunity to sugar
As awesome as that would be, I promise you that’s not the case.
Eating in excess leads to weight gain. It might not show up the next day, but we are the result of the choices we make most often.
As a coach, one of the biggest failures I see is that we quit doing what made us successful.
When we were:
Eating mindfully - we were losing weight.
Pinpointing our eating triggers - we were losing weight.
Learning to “feel” our emotions instead of avoiding them - we were losing weight.
We only stalled out when we stopped doing what made us successful.
If you’re battling overconfidence, MyBodyTutor can help you beat it. You can overcome overconfidence and start losing weight with daily support, accountability, and honest feedback.