A good weight loss program requires that
you eat well and get plenty of physical activity. You might already know how to
monitor your calorie intake to eat the right amount of food, but how do you
lose weight with exercise?
This course will guide you through a
program that will help you get leaner, fitter, stronger and more flexible.
You'll lose weight and feel better about the way you look and feel.
Yes, I Can Lose Weight!
Many factors can impact the success or
failure of a new diet or exercise program, so we often spend a lot of time researching
and choosing the best weight loss program, finding the most effective workout
or eating the right foods. But there are also psychological factors that can
affect whether or not you lose weight. One of these factors is self-efficacy,
and it’s easy to change.
What is Self-Efficacy?
Self-efficacy is your belief that you can
successfully carry out a specific task. If you start your weight loss journal
with the words, “I can lose weight!”, your self-efficacy with regards to weight
loss is probably high.
Self-efficacy generally relates to a
specific goal. For example, you may have strong beliefs that you are capable of
skipping a high-calorie late-night snack. That means your self-efficacy
regarding late-night snacking is high, but you might have doubts about whether
you’re going to get up early the next morning to work out. Your self-efficacy
regarding the morning workout is low.
Self-Efficacy vs. Self Confidence.
It might seem as if self-efficacy is just
another version of self-confidence, but that’s not true. Let’s use an example:
say Carol is a graphic designer who has worked her way up the corporate ladder
to become the head of her department. She's proud of her accomplishments,
comfortable in social settings, strong but respectful in dealing with her boss,
and positive about her personal relationships. Carol has a strong sense of
self-confidence.
But let’s say that Carol is overweight.
She's tried dieting repeatedly, has worked with personal trainers to stick to
an exercise program, and has even gone to weight-loss camps to shed her excess
pounds. Nothing has worked. Carol now believes that she just can’t lose weight.
So even though Carol is self-confident, her self-efficacy about her ability to
lose weight is low.
Why Does Self-Efficacy Matter?
Researchers have found a strong link
between one’s beliefs in her ability to successfully perform a task, and her
completion of that task. Quite a bit of research has been done with regards to
self-efficacy and weight loss — most confirming a relationship between strong
beliefs (either negative or positive) and actual success.
To see why it matters, let’s go back to our
example of Carol. Let’s say that Carol’s new diet coach has identified a weak
link in Carol’s diet: she's good for most of the day, but she tends to eat too
many of the cookies and cakes that are left in the lunchroom at work. Let’s say
that Carol has never been able to pass up those treats in the past, so her
belief that she can do it now is minimal. When she's faced with a tray of brownies,
she's not likely to muster the willpower to walk away, because she knows that
she always fails anyway. Her attitude is, “why bother to make the effort?”, and
she eats a brownie. Carol’s beliefs about her abilities have become a
self-fulfilling prophecy.
But let’s say that her diet coach was able
to build her self-efficacy. The coach was able to remind Carol of the many
other situations where she has successfully passed up treats in order to stick
to her diet. He tells her that he believes she can do it. Now, when Carol is
equipped with the belief that she can, in fact, walk away successfully, she's
more likely to do so when she's faced with the tray of brownies.
