What Are Your Barriers to Losing Weight?

We all put up barriers to losing weight to protect us from outside influences. Sometimes they help us and sometimes they don't. And sometimes they become self-defeating when they prevent us from making positive changes. A good example for many of us would be facing our need to diet.

Let us review some of these barriers to losing weight that we put up to prevent us from dealing with our problem.

*Denial. You simply ignore the fact that you have a weight problem at all. Although the way you eat may make you feel uncomfortable, you simply ignore it. And you avoid looking at yourself in the mirror so you can avoid looking at the extra weight that you are carrying on your body.

*Rationalize. You need to keep the extra weight on because you need your strength, you tell yourself Or you deserve extra helpings at the food table because of the extra work that you do, you say, or you simply don't have the time to plan out a diet, and keep track of the foods you eat.

*Downplay. You say it's really not much of problem. People have much worse problems, don't they? Overeating is nothing like drinking or taking drugs or gambling or cheating on one's spouse. It's just a question of losing a few pounds, isn't it? You can lose a few pounds any time you put your mind to it. Right?

*Blame others. You have a problem with facing up to your extra weight that you carry. So you blame it on other people.It's either your spouse's fault, because she nags you all the time to eat, or life itself puts too much of a burden on you, and won't let you cope. Or it's the kids who are forever eating their candy and drinking their soda when you're all watching tv.

*Blame yourself. You feel it's useless to try to lose weight because you have tried diets before, and failed. You admit that you have a weight problem, but you never seem to get the strength to lose it.

You probably use several of these barriers to losing weight so you won't need to face your need to lose those extra pounds. But as you take the time to think about it, you can come to the realization that they are all a smokescreen.

This realization is in itself a powerful tool for change. You are not just a victim. You can consider if throwing up these barriers are really helpful in facing your weight problem. As you begin to realize that these are simply excuses, you can take positive steps to eliminate them and face the issue of finally losing some of that extra weight.

Gary Machado writes on a variety of topics of interest. Did you find these tips on dieting success useful? You can learn a lot more by visiting http://www.dietsuccessnews.com