Negative Nancy or Positive Patsy

As a recovering Compulsive Overeater, I need to be very careful about my thinking and self-talk. 

I have two alter egos that like to be involved in this area of my life -  Negative Nancy and Positive Patsy. 

Negative Nancy rears her grotty little head whenever things like a slip up in my food plan happens, or if I have not lost any weight, or - God Forbid - I gain any weight.  That little madam is just ready to shoot off her mouth in my brain, instilling panic, fear, self-loathing, crushing disappointment and all sorts of negotiating behaviours. 

"Karen if only you had not had that extra piece of fruit you probably would have lost weight this week." 

"You will never do this, you are in your middle years, your metabolism is messed up"

"You have SUCH a long way to go, how on earth are you going to do this and sustain it" 

"Oh no I don't want to die from the consequences of being overweight"

"If you exercise more that extra piece of toast you can have.  It is okay to 'cheat' now and again" 

"Imagine if I gain it all back - I won't be able to live with myself, and my body will just pack in" 

This diatribe of negativity is endless and is the one SURE fire way of derailing me when I am in recovery.  You have to shut that little bit** up, not by stuffing her mouth full of chocolate, which is what she wants, but by bringing in the big guns - POSITIVE PATSY. 

This girl is your BEST friend, she has your back, she accepts you just as you are, she loves you and wants nothing but the best for you, so she gets busy IMMEDIATELY refuting everything poor wee Negative Nancy says the minute she says it:

"It is absolutely normal to not lose weight every single week. The body takes its own time to adjust and the more you fight with yourself, the more you keep yourself stuck in the mess. You are perfect in your imperfections"

"It is insane to think an extra apple would make you gain 

weight.  Food is not bad Karen, it is nutrition, be grateful for it not afraid of it."

"Of course it is possible to lose weight in your middle years. You have done it before and you can do it again.  In fact you ARE doing it girlfriend!"  

"Karen if you did not have a metabolism you would be dead - but you are not dead yet and you are not going anywhere anytime soon! Live life to the fullest TODAY." 

"You have exercised enough this week Karen and it is okay to have a couple of days off even if you did have an extra piece of toast.  Cheating is a thing of the past, remember, what you eat in secret you wear in public. We don't need to cheat anymore, honesty is the best policy when it comes to this addiction and you are kicking it's a** my friend.  Gooooo Karen!"

"One day at a time you can do this and please do yourself a favour; imagine yourself wearing your favourite outfit, looking fabulous because you are well, healthy, strong physically, emotionally and spiritually in recovery."

"You are beautiful inside and out.  Remember that.  BELIEVE that."

I choose to listen to PP these days.  I choose not to allow NN to use her scare tactics on me.  I choose to put myself first, my needs first, my recovery first and while in the beginning it was scary and strange to put me first, the more I practice it from a place of good intent, the easier it gets and the better I feel. 

Make sure you shut your Negative Nancy up and have a Positive Patsy in your corner.  If you can't do it for yourself initially, find a friend or fellow Compulsive Overeater in recovery to be the voice of reason for you. 

One day at a time, one meal at a time and together we can recover from this disease.

Have a great day today everyone :) x