Think like a Loser

 

 

I read a cool article in Oprah Magazine today. Have any of you heard of the National Weight Control Registry? Well, it was created 12 years ago by researchers at Brown University and the University of Colorado in the face of the well-known and defeating statistic: Ninety-five percent of dieters gain their weight back. Registrants—some 4,500—must have dropped at least 30 pounds and kept them off for a year or more, though the average member has lost twice that much and maintained it for about five years. ...............

The article I read discussed an interesting theory. The theory is that those who are successful at weight loss think a certain way. In one of the latest studies, Inga Treitler, PhD, a cultural anthropologist, and a fellow researcher intensely interviewed and observed 10 of the registrants, focusing not on what they ate or did for exercise but on how they lived—the books they read, the photos they kept, their pets, careers, friends, and hobbies—before and after the weight loss. The question, again, was basic: What had enabled them to triumph where so many others falter?

The article continues to explain that we all tend to process information, relate to others and solve problems in a certain way. We each have a mental default that most likely falls into one of these categories. Read the following and decide where you fit:

"A" quadrant (upper left): People who favor this area are analytical, mathematical, logical problem solvers. Drawn to statistics and the workings of machinery, they can overanalyze a situation so much, they have trouble taking action.

"B" quadrant (lower left): These people are controlled, methodical, disciplined, sticklers for structure and routine. Punctual and neat, they always have a plan, timetable, and calendar with appointments penciled in.

"C" quadrant (lower right): Lower-right thinkers are emotional, spiritual, and focused on people and human connection.

"D" quadrant (upper right): "D" types are strongly visual and easily bored, attracted to new ideas, fun, and risk taking.

Who were the most successful at losing and weight and keeping it off? If you guessed “B” quadrant thinkers, you’re right. This makes sense, since someone inclined toward plans and routines, who sees life through methodical eyes, would be the most comfortable with the mundane details of calorie counting and portion control; she would also be more able to coolly observe herself and catalog obstacles and failings—without succumbing to an emotion like self-hatred.