Overeating? Self-compassion can help you reach your weight-loss goals
PTC News Desk: Losing weight is extremely difficult because high-calorie, delectable foods are readily available. Despite our best intentions, it is common to overeat. These setbacks can be frustrating and demoralising, leading people to give up on their goals.
A new study from the Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Sciences (WELL Center) in Drexel University's College of Arts and Sciences studied whether practising self-compassion - or treating oneself with the same care and kindness that one would normally give to a loved one - helps people become more resilient to overeating setbacks.
In a recent study published in Appetite, researchers discovered that when study participants responded to their lapse with more self-compassion, they reported better mood and self-control over their eating and exercise behaviour in the hours that followed. The findings suggest that self-compassion can help people engage in healthier weight loss behaviour by making them less discouraged by setbacks.
"Many people are concerned that self-compassion will lead to complacency and inadequacy, but this study demonstrates how self-compassion can help people be more successful in meeting their goals," said Charlotte Hagerman, PhD, an assistant research professor in the College and lead author.
The road to achieving difficult goals, particularly weight loss, is paved with setbacks. Self-compassion helps people cope with self-defeating thoughts and feelings in the aftermath of setbacks, making them less debilitating. As a result, they can get back on track with their goals more quickly."
During the study, the researchers also discovered that weight loss and maintenance are extremely difficult, and most people blame themselves for a lack of willpower.
"In reality, we live in a food environment that has set everyone up to fail. Practising self-compassion rather than self-criticism is a key strategy for fostering resilience during the difficult process of weight loss," said Hagerman. "The next time you feel the urge to criticize yourself for your eating behaviour, instead try speaking to yourself with the kindness that you would speak to a friend or loved one," Hagerman said.
"It can be easy for the message of self-compassion to get muddied, such that people practice total self-forgiveness and dismiss the goals they set for themselves. But we've shown that self-compassion and accountability can work together."
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