The Think → Feel → Act Cycle: Choosing What You Think Makes Weight Loss Easier

All our behavior is motivated, in the final analysis, by how we want to feel.  We want to feel love, happiness, pleasure, delight and avoid pain, discomfort, anxiety, grief.

But what most people never learn is that those feelings are guided by our ancestral programming to think, feel and behave in accordance with the principles of the  Motivational Triad.

Thanks to this ancient programing, our brains are designed to seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserve energy.  All in order to insure that we live long enough to procreate and perpetuate our species.

And orchestrating these primal motivations is the Think → Feel → Act Cycle.  This explains why we think as we do, how we feel as a result of that thinking and what we do, don’t do — our actions, reactions and inactions.

The Think → Feel → Act Cycle  is always at work behind the scenes as we live our lives.  I like to think of it like gravity.  We might not be consciously aware of it it, but it’s operating 24/7.

It is always hard at work, guiding our thoughts, feelings and actions, and creating the results we see in our lives even if we don’t notice it, recognize it or realize its effect.

How you THINK about anything is EVERYTHING!

The Think → Feel → Act Cycle is activated by your thoughts about the circumstances in your life.  It’s not the circumstances  themselves that cause any particular way of thinking, feeling and behavior.

It’s your interpretations of the circumstances in your life that create your reality.

A famous Henry Ford quote, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right,” emphasizes how your attitude, that  constellation of thoughts you accept and act upon, determines success or failure.

Call it attitude, perspective, belief, opinion, judgement or values, what you think about any circumstance starts the cycle’s domino-like cascade.  What comes next, what comes after that and then after that creates result after result along the way.  And these results are the story of your life.

Circumstances are merely the facts of your life.

The address where you live.  Your age. Your marital status.  Where you work.  The names and ages of your children.  Whether you did or did not contract Covid.

Your life is jam packed with circumstances. And your mind is overflowing with the stories you tell about them.

Many circumstances are beyond your control, like the weather, an earthquake or other people’s behavior.  Some are chosen, like your partner, where you live or your career .  Some you may have inadvertently, accidentally or unintentionally brought upon yourself, like a car accident or an illness.

Circumstances are the bare facts, unadorned.  Devoid of any descriptive language.

Here’s an example.  A circumstance is the time:  It’s 11:15.  If you describe it as, “I woke up so late, it’s 11:15 already!”  That indicates a thought about 11:15.

It is your thoughts about the circumstance that give color, meaning and dimension to them.  Thoughts are full of adjectives, adverbs, and descriptive language.

Many of our thoughts, ideas, opinions, values and beliefs have been taught to us by our parents, teachers, religious leaders, friends and family.  We rarely take the time to stand back and take a critical look at them.  We rarely challenge them or ask if they are helpful thoughts to believe.

But all thoughts are up for examination and revision if you don’t think they are helping you achieve what you want in life.

Every thought is 100% optional.

Anything and everything you think about those circumstances is within your control.

EVERY THOUGHT IS OPTIONAL.  Even if you’ve been thinking them for years.  Even if you’ve always believed they were true.

To live a life you love, you must be willing to take a critical look at the whole panoply of thoughts that guide your emotional life and your behaviors.

Every single day, you get to decide if the thoughts that surface in your mind are helping or hurting you, hindering you or energizing you.

Let’s take a closer look at how the Think → Feel → Act Cycle impacts your ability to lose weight.

What are your thoughts about weight loss?

Are you living in the land of weight loss despair?

Do you find yourself thinking thoughts like these:

1. I’m sick of dieting for my whole life.
2. Diets don’t work.
3. I’ve tried everything and nothing works for me.
4. I might lose some weight but I always gain it back.  And then some!
5. I’m just destined to be over weight.  It’s in my genes.
6. Deprivation sucks.
7. Counting calories is exhausting.
8. I’m scared I’ll fail again.  I can’t take another failure.
9. I hate cooking.
10. It’s too late for me to change.

Just know this:  It’s never too late to change your thinking.

I can show you how.

When your thinking changes, your feelings change.

And when your feelings change, your behavior changes too.

And then, lo and behold, when your behavior changes, you realize you can achieve those elusive results that once you only dreamed of.

Next week we’ll explore how to empower yourself on your weight loss journey by allowing your emotions and feelings to surface so you can better understand their impact on your life.

I will teach you how to allow any and all feelings, especially those that are the most difficult and unpleasant.  I will explain the power and control you gain by recognizing your feelings.  How watching them, accepting them, and feeling your feelings all the way through is the key to weight loss success.

By changing your thinking and allowing all your emotions to surface, you will discover that it is within your power to lose weight for the last time.

Make it easier to lose weight by delving into the elements of your own Think → Feel → Act Cycle.

It’s always the right time to take me up on my offer for your FREE Strategy Call.  Then you can see for yourself how it’s possible to jump start weight loss.

Learn how to make weight loss easier by exploring your thinking and deciding what helps and what hurts your weight loss progress.  Learn how to shift your thinking to support your weight loss goals.

I teach you real weight loss solutions, not fads, not diets.  No counting calories, points or macros.

No white-knuckling or willpower required..

It’s totally possible to make 2022 your year to create the healthiest you.  No matter your age, stage or past disappointments.

It’s finally time to jump start your fresh start.  A year from now you will thank yourself you reached out to me today.

Please share this post with someone who might appreciate this message.