Can I keep this up?

Have you ever laid in bed at night and wondered if you can really, really accomplish and sustain your weight loss? Or, can you really continue to exercise daily? And if so, are you left wondering: "WHY am I doing this? Is it worth it?”
I love Charles Shultz's interpretation of this in his ‘PEANUTS' cartoon, when Charlie Brown says: "Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night!'”
All of us have so much ‘chatter' going on in our brains that our continued self-questioning leads to self-sabotage, because deep down, we really can't be certain that we will be successful. So, we have to learn to go over these nonsensical thoughts and replace them with truthful positive thoughts. Otherwise, our negative emotional state will want to be satisfied not by positive thoughts, but by food (which never, ever, leads to any state of self-fulfillment).
Do some of these thoughts ring true?
o "I'll always be overweight.”
o "I have no self control.”
o "It's my husband (or wife, or boss, or boyfriend or girlfriend, or parents) fault.”
o ”I really won't be happy until I lose (xxxx) pounds.”
o "I'm not athletic, and I don't like the gym.”
o "I deserve it: one slice won't kill me.”
o "I'll start tomorrow.”
All of these are destructive thoughts, and must be replaced by more logical thoughts to help guide us away from emotional, mindless eating.
So instead, ask yourself:
o "What am I really feeling?” Try to identify the emotion (i.e. anger, sadness or loneliness), and try to understand what precipitated it. Then ask yourself, "Can I just live with this feeling and analyse it, but not eat?”
o Ask yourself, "If I eat this food or go on this binge, what is it going to cost me in terms of my weight, my self worth and my guilt?”
o Ask yourself, "What is really important for me?” Is it your health, your energy, your flexibility, or your ability to not get short of breath? Maybe then that ‘one little slice' isn't worth it after all!
o Ask yourself, "What can I do today or tonight that will make me feel good about myself tomorrow?” Those evening snacks will likely end up making you feel guilty and feeling like you are out of control.
o Ask yourself, "What can I do that will enable me to feel physically better?” A few minutes of exercise will raise your endorphins, decrease your appetite, and give you a sense of empowerment. Don't avoid the exercise; do it because it will make you feel good about yourself!
We give in to the inner negative chatter too quickly. Replace the chatter with good questions and answers to keep you on track. It takes work. Yet, just by replacing those evening cookies or crackers with a cup of tea will go a long way to making you feel in control. You can do it. Just hang in there!
Dr. Doug