Day 3: Trade Your Judge’s Robe For A Lab Coat | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
Welcome to Day 3 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon! Today we make a very important mindset shift – one that can support or sabotage you as you fight the fat.
I suggest you read through the steps first, then take 10 minutes to complete them.
We only have 10 minutes, so you need to move fast, act quickly and stop over-thinking. Just throw yourself in. Ready?
What You Need:
- Pen
- Paper
- An open mind.
Step 1
A number of the tasks in the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon ask you to change the way you think. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise – the reasons most people fail at losing weight tend to be psychological.
In this task the mindset shift is an especially challenging one. I’m asking you to stop judging and start observing what you do.
| Instead of judging… | Observe… |
| I’m such a fat cow for eating all that dessert | Having that tiny lunch really backfired – I ate twice as much dessert |
| I’m so lazy for not going to the gym today | Trying to fit exercise in after work doesn’t work for me. I’m more successful when I exercise in the morning. |
| What a pig! | Huh. I really ate a lot of junk today. I wonder why. |
Now I’m not asking you to stop judging in order to discover self-love, re-parent your inner child or heal the emotional wounds of your past. I want you to stop judging because it’s difficult to observe what’s going on when you’re busy self-flagellating.
To notice and learn, you need to step away from the whip.
I want you to observe what’s going on because you are highly individual. The particular combination of diet, exercise and mindset that will work for you, getting you to a fabulous weight and keeping you there, is one that can’t be formulated in advance. No book, system or program will have it ready-made for you. We have to discover it.
Which means we have to try things, observe the effect, do more when something works, try something else when it doesn’t.
So the challenge here is to take off your judge’s robes and put on your scientist’s coat. Visualize that if it helps.
Switching from judge to observer will take practice, and you may need to re-visit today’s task occasionally to remind yourself to notice, observe, question.
Step 2
For the rest of today’s time, get a notebook and list a few of the weight-related things you say to yourself that are judgmental. Don’t dwell on this, just get it down.
For each judgement, write down an observation instead. Just extract the information and ignore everything else – that stuff is what starts binge cycles.
See the examples above to help you.
Step 3
Decide that you are going to be a scientist for the rest of this month.
If you want to put those judge’s robes back on after the 30 days are over, then go for it.
But seriously, the lab coat is so much more flattering.
Check in!
And you’re done! Turn off the Bunsen burner before you leave. 🙂
Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.
See you tomorrow…
This is definitely a difficult task as I am so programmed as a “judge”. I’ve added “observer” post it notes next to my motivational notes from Day 1 to help. (Also I forgot to check in yesterday but I did a 10 min run and then walked around the park for 10 min! Felt great.)
This one was the hardest so far, realized how much I am the judge and not the motivater of my actions. Thanks for the challenge, I will have to keep working on this one 🙂
I caught up on my tv show recordings while on the exercise bike, and did an hour of bending and lifting in the garden. Don’t want to undo all that effort by overeating at dinner, so I am motivated to stay on track…It’s heartening to read the comments and see how everyone has similar struggles. And to focus on all the positive energy in this group…
Negative statements have always been a problem for me. Glad I have friends on here to help encourage me. My walk tonight with my hubby was lovely (perfect weather). And swinging my arms again really made my whole body feel good. No negativity tonight!
Really an eye opening experience. I wouldn’t have said I was negative or judgmental but when I break everything down I am. I’m really good at talking myself out of doing something out of pure laziness and then I beat myself up about it for quite some time. Need to Just Do It!
Love the visual. Choosing the lab coat applies in so many areas of life. My husband really challenges me not to say negative things about myself or beat myself up verbally. I plan to use this to help change my mindset in other areas, too! Thanks so much.
I just realized I eat so much late at night because I’m tired! instead of eating after my kid goes to sleep I should just go to sleep too.
I am always very critical of myself. This is like an exercise that I did with some kids I was doing therapy with who had low self esteem issues. This is a nice task to practice daily. I was able to turn some negative thoughts to positive ones to help push myself to continue to strive towards my weight loss goal! Thanks Michele!
I haven’t checked in the last two days because of work so here’s an update…my motivation is not only because of I’m worried about my health but I also want to show people that I can lose the weight now that I’ve put my mind to it instead of just saying that I will do it, then do nothing about it. I CAN lose the weight. For exercise, since I was at work, instead of sitting down for my one fifteen minute break, I walked around the place I work. For today, I’ve already looked at my choices with a different eye and saw things I can do differently to help my eating habits.
Sometimes my good intentions become bad ideas and other times my epiphanies actually pay off. After reading today’s blog, I realized that only I have the power to change ME. Other’s may try and succeed to a degree but it’s ultimately up to me to change and I won’t do it if I don’t want to. I am not crazy about me right now and yet I cannot allow myself to become Judge and jury for that is a formula for disaster. It’s better to as Michele stated “observe” and learn from your mistakes…and learn to love yourself even when you don’t feel very loveable!
This one will be a daily struggle for me. The negative self talk (judging) comes so easily. I must refrain from that and give myself some of the empathy, compassion, and understanding I give to others.
Day 3 – positive mindset.
I see now that meal planning will help me a long way in healthy eating. Also, I need to find a better time to exercise, and perhaps split up the time in 10-15min increments throughout the day as I take care of my kids.
This one is hard. I don’t hear the voice in my head say harmful things. I am going to work harder to pay attention to what I say to myself.
I am a bored and anxious eater. I eat when I’m trying to work a problem out and eat when I am not doing anything. I need to find another hobby or activity such as a walk or something when I go to the fridge without thinking,
Its hard to think of self depricating things on the spur of the moment-usually happens when I look at myself in the mirror before I get dressed or see an unflattering photo of myself-not so much when I binge or otherwise make bad food choices. Working on paying attention to my inner dialogue, as I may be doing this without even realizing it.
Ate well today and thought well today.
I have always struggled with my self image! Have always been active, always trying to lose weight. I was diagnosed with cancer in June. I have been shoved into menopause at 43 plus the cancer drugs that I am on are kicking my butt. I have put on 20 pounds in 3 months and I am only 5’3. I am trying HARD not to allow that to be an excuse. Everything about me has changed but again…..I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM….I CAN DO THIS….I CAN DO THIS! Right?
this task reminds me of mindfulness meditation. Observing a behaviour and accepting it for what it is helps to take the pressure of yourself and allows ideas for modifying the behaviour to be tested. Such a simple thing to do…. So I have four judging comments and 4 observation alternatives. All in 10 minutes! Leaving 15 minutes for brushing, moisturising and settling in to bed, instead of staying up snacking with a glass of wine.
Had a great 45 minute walk today with sis and dog AND worked up a sweat. Felt good but I can tell I’ve neglected some leg muscles. Today’s assignment challenging— it’s easy to make excuses and let schedule get in the way. SCIENTIST LAB COAT WILL be my newest piece of apparel!