Mardi Gras: An Example of Anxious Thinking

If you struggle with anxious thoughts that keep you from meeting your weight lose goals, reach out today by calling us at (704) 815-6440!

Mardi Gras (also called Fat Tuesday) was created as a celebration to mark the preparation for lent. Since lent is a period of fasting and traditionally required believers to not eat certain foods, they would instead eat the remainder of these foods (especially fatty foods) on "fat" Tuesday.

Many people now do something similar when they are dieting. They pick a start date (or prepare to finish off a "cheat day") but they have a lot of food that does not fit in their diet still laying around their house. So, they eat it to avoid wasting it before they start (or resume) their diet. For many, this comes from the anxieties of assuming they will miss these foods/wanting a last hoorah but also not wanting to waste the food. These anxious thoughts can lead to binge eating right before dieting that actually sets back progress both mentally and physically.

So what should you do? If you struggle with these thoughts, try using some cognitive reframes. This is a CBT skills that encourages us to look at things in a different way. For instance, if you are worried that you are going to miss certain foods, maybe you should consider starting with a less restrictive diet or remember all the positive reasons you want to loose weight compared to the drawbacks of not getting to eat those things. If you are worried you will waste food, then instead consider the food also as being wasted in your body. If it is food that is not on your diet plan, it probably is better for your body that it gets wasted in the trash can or given away rather than being wasted in your body.

If you struggle with anxious thoughts that keep you from meeting your weight lose goals, reach out today by calling us at (704) 815-6440!