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6 things THIN women do

woman-in-bikini-things-thin-women-do-by-healthista.com

Bob Harper has trained celebrities like Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ellen DeGeneres and Ben Stiller, was a regular on Oprah and trainer on the US hit show The Biggest Loser. In his new book, Skinny Habits: The Six Secret Behaviors of Thin People, he reveals the secrets to weight loss success.

1. THEY MAKE CONTINGENCY PLANS

Girl Fun With Her Friend

Thin women know that they need to plan ahead for how they will deal with uncontrollable and unexpected events so there are no surprises. They consciously plan healthy decisions for challenges and situations ahead of time until those healthy behaviours become automatic. Finally, it is important to break your big goals into smaller ones so they are more manageable and you are more likely to meet them. For example, “I will do X when confronted with Y.”

Break your big goals into smaller ones so they are more manageable and you are more likely to meet them. For example, “I will do X when confronted with Y.”

DO IT NOW: Make deals with yourself using if/then statements, such as, “If I go to the office party, I will limit myself to two glasses of white wine.” Be sure to make them measurable and specific. So, rather than saying, “I will eat less pizza,” say, “If I go to the pizza place, then I will drink two glasses of water to fill up before I take a bite of pizza.”

2. THEY CONSCIOUSLY PUSH BACK

Even thin women have slip-ups. After all, they are human. However, it’s how they deal with the slip-ups that sets them apart. Rather than thinking irrationally, take a step back and recognize that it is not the end of the world. The goal of mental pushback is to interrupt the “shame cycle” – the irrational thoughts resulting from regretful or disappointing situations – so that they don’t lead to behaviours that will only make you feel worse.

it’s how they deal with the slip-ups that sets them apart

DO IT NOW: Remember, just because you made a mistake doesn’t make you a failure. Analyze your irrational thoughts and re-work them into rational ones. Avoid negative thought processes such as these, and if you catch yourself doing them, interrupt yourself:

  • Seeing only the negative aspects of a situation
  • Thinking only in terms of black and white
  • Overgeneralizing: if something bad happens once, it will always be that way
  • Blowing a situation out of proportion and expecting the worst out of every situation
  • Unrealistically comparing yourself to others
  • Trying to be in control of things you cannot control
  • Perfectionism

3. THEY RE-ENGINEER THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

Thin women manipulate their environments to create habits that support their weight goals. There are two types of environments that need reengineering, your social environment and your built environment.

women walking dogs, things thin women do, by healthista.com

Your social environment is made up of the people you hang out with and the things you do together socially. You may not realize it, but your friends, family, coworkers have a large impact on your weight control. Don’t believe it? Look for patterns in your behavior when you’re with certain people: the coworkers you always party with versus the friends you walk the dog with, etc. Scientific evidence shows that obesity can be transmitted, much like a contagious disease. This is because we take on the behaviors and mindsets of the people we spend time with. For example, if you’re around overweight people a lot, you start to view being overweight as acceptable and even normal – even if you don’t mean to.

You make 250 food-related decisions every day, and your physical surroundings impact the eating choices you make.

On the other hand, your built environment is made up of the physical things around you, both large and small. As hard as it is to believe, you make 250 food-related decisions every day, and your physical surroundings impact the eating choices you make. The built environment is made up of both macro and micro elements. The macro – your proximity to fast food restaurants or parks – cues are the structural things that are less in our control, while the micro are the little things that we can control.

bowl of soup, things thin women do, by healthista.com

Comedian-turned-professor Brian Wansink performed an experiment, which he dubbed the ‘Soup Bowl Study.’ He brought 60 students in for a free lunch, and half of the diners’ soup bowls were secretly refilled under the table (essentially they were unknowingly eating bottomless bowls of soup). The people eating bottomless soup ate 73 per cent more, but didn’t report being any more full. This study showed us that we eat with our eyes, not our stomachs. We don’t feel full until we finish what is served.

DO IT NOW: To reengineer your social environment, you need to offset your enabling friends with healthy people. This doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends with these people; you just need to add friends that are a good influence on your health and who do healthy things. It’s as simple as joining a gym to surround yourself with people who exercise, but it will make a big difference.

The first step to reengineering your built environment is awareness of the things that need to be reengineered. This could be your dining room lighting, the size of your dinner plates or even if you keep short or tall glasses in your cupboard. FYI: Prof. Wansink found that you’ll drink less if you use tall glasses!

MORE: Can’t lose weight? Is your house making you fat?

4. THEY CHALLENGE THEMSELVES

woman playing ukelele, things thin women do, by healthista.com

Thin women have found a passion that keeps them occupied and motivated to make healthy choices. Boredom is toxic to your body because it makes you lazy. It usually leads to eating too much and moving too little. This explains why almost all overweight people are also frequently bored. Even the busiest people are often bored because their daily lives have become nothing but monotony. They may be busy, but they’re not busy doing anything that they feel is rewarding. Another important thing to note is that being busy for the sake of being busy is a form of boredom. BUT being bored and being able to relax and do nothing are not the same thing. The key to a healthy body is a healthy brain. A challenged brain produces all sorts of chemicals and increased brain capacity that are necessary when trying to form new, healthy habits. If you eliminate boredom in healthy ways, it will make changes in your life that are healthy, and ultimately lead to weight loss

DO IT NOW: How to prevent/fix boredom? You need to consistently stimulate your brain. Learn a new instrument or language, volunteer, join a book club or take a dance class. All of these things will challenge you to use your brain.

5.THEY REST FOR SUCCESS

sleeping, 6 things thin women do, by healthista.com

Everyone knows that sleep is vital to health, yet no one seems to get enough. The recommended amount is 6-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. The problem is, sometimes, even when you go to bed in time to get the right amount of sleep, you aren’t able to relax and fall asleep. That’s where thin people differ, they know how to rest and relax. Thin women can shut their minds off and get to sleep quicker and stay asleep longer.

Sleep deprivation, even for just one night, increases activity in the part of the brain that motivates you to eat and decreases activity in the part of the brain that helps you make rational decisions.

Many things mess with your circadian rhythm (internal sleep clock), including alcohol, bright electronic screens and stress. This throws off the sleep that helps you rejuvenate and restore after a long day. What happens when you don’t get enough quality sleep? Lack of sleep has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and immunodeficiency. Your memory, reaction time and the ability to focus decrease dramatically. People who sleep less are also more likely to be overweight.

In fact, a University of California, Berkley study found that sleep deprivation, even for just one night, increases activity in the part of the brain that motivates you to eat and decreases activity in the part of the brain that helps you make rational decisions.

DO IT NOW: Can’t fall asleep? Some ways to relax and fall asleep:

  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Deep, belly breathing
  • Go to bed at the same time each day
  • Keep your feet warm
  • Drink calming tea like chamomile

DON’T

  • Use your bedroom as anything but a room for sleep
  • Watch tv or use electronics n bed
  • Exercise just before bed
  • Go to bed too hungry or too full
  • Drink alcohol or caffeine withing 4 hours of bedtime

6. THEY DRESS FOR THIN

Thin women know how to dress in a way that exudes confidence, even when they don’t feel it. Try to break away from the go-to outfits and the fat pants that may be comfortable, but ultimately make you feel bad about yourself. If you dress confidently, you are more likely to feel confident. Smaller-seeming clothes (thanks, vanity sizing) may boost your self-esteem, but too-small clothes are uncomfortable and constantly remind you of the weight you need to lose. But, that may not be a bad thing… Thin people take cues from the way their clothes fit. If their jeans are feeling too tight, they know they should skip dessert.

 Try to break away from the go-to outfits and the fat pants that may be comfortable, but ultimately make you feel bad about yourself.

Following this tip, you may find it effective to wear clothes that are slightly snug, but once fit you perfectly and made you feel confident. They will help you guide yourself towards healthy choices so you can fit in those clothes properly again. But, don’t wear clothes that are just too tight and don’t fit you at all. They will just make you feel bad about yourself.

DO IT NOW: Give your wardrobe a makeover. Rid your closet of clothes that you know will never fit again or have remained in the closet for ages untouched. Consider why the clothing is still there rather than how long it has been unworn. If it is there for a good and memorable reason, such as a bridesmaid dress, and the reason you’re keeping it has nothing to do with its size, then go ahead and keep it. If it’s there because you’re clinging to the vague hope that you’ll fit into that size 0 miniskirt again… it’s got to go.

 

skinny habits, things thin women do, by healthista.com Skinny Habits: The Six Secret Behaviors of Thin People is available for £16.02 on Amazon.

 

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