Could we stop blaming every failed diet on hunger, cravings or lack of willpower? According to one school of behavior, it is is cognitive distortions that stand in our way. Whether the goal is to eat healthier to lose a few lbs--or to stave off some diseases associated with lifestyle (like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, for example), which of the following six kinds of self-talk stands in your way?
THE ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKER
This person sums up every event in totalities. Either everything is described as great or everything just stinks on some days. This type of extreme thinker puts most events into always or never categories. When it comes to food, one slip, say a pat of butter on the toast in the morning instead of protein-rich peanut butter, starts a downward spiral of bad eating for the entire rest of the day.
THE MENTAL FILTERER
Did you just catch a glimpse of even the tiniest imperfection in yourself (or even a project you're working on)? If you tend up obsess over it, you may fall under this category of cognitive distortion. Once this type of extreme thinker eyes a perceived flaw, he or she dwells so intently on it that the other goals become secondary or even inconsequential. What's the point of ordering the salad instead of the cheeseburger, goes the line of thinking, when these jeans seem tighter today anyway?
THE CONCLUSION JUMPER
There are two types of conclusions that this kind of thinker can come to. There's either the Mind-Reader, who assumes to always know what others are thinking, or the Fortune Teller, who is certain to know the outcome of every event before it happens. This is the kind of person who is very susceptible to binge eating at a buffet, for example. Why not dive right into the high-cal, high-fat items? After all, he or she is positive that the meal will end up that way anyway.
THE EMOTIONAL REASONER
This person impulsively makes decisions based on gut feeling, rather than objective reality. It's hard to stick to a healthy eating plan when spontaneity and emotions trump rationale thought.
A SHOULDA THINKER
This type of person knows very well how to eat better and even prefaces a minor indiscretion with a "should" such as, "I should have the grilled fish but I'll take the Porterhouse instead." There is an inherent preamble to an excuse in this statement. This kind of thinker also perceives this "should" statement as a way to legitimately get out of a tough willpower moment.
THE LABELER
Finally, this category of diet thwarter is quick to categorize people or scenarios with a blanket statement. Describing a person or situation in a few choice words enables this type of thinker to judge quickly--without the proper or accurate analysis. In terms of eating habits, The Labeler may give into a tempting situation when he or she is too fast to make an assessment of the setting the food is in--and ignore his or her own needs.
Which kind of eater are you? In my next post, I'll address how to cognitively restructure these various thought processes.
