I had a session with my psychiatrist today where she called me on alot of the lies I tell myself. It got me to thinking, and I bet alot of us tell ourselves the same lies. I find it helps to bring these things out in the open so I am posting this and inviting anyone who wants to add some lies they may be telling themselves.
The most obvious one are things like "I NEED soda" or "I NEED chocolate". In the heat of the moment it feels like I need them, b ut the truth is that I am having a strong craving that I would really like to indulge. Moreover what I NEED is to do is recognize it as a craving and entertain myself with something healthy like exercise or house cleaning. The truth is also that i will use any excuse to give into a craving, but the more I deny myself the craving, the less i will crave it. The truth is that the item being craved is not a god, but a food substance, and usually one that has very little to offer me in the way of nutrition. I can give into a craving from time to time, but I have to recognize that it does not promote and in fact hinders my true goals of livng a healthy life.
lie #2- "I don't have time to exercise". The truth is that at over 400 lbs I can't do alot of exercise, so my time on the treadmill lasts maybe all of 2 minutes. The truth is that there is alot of time spent watching tv or other unproductive activities that could easily be converted into exercise time. The truth also is that exercise should be a top priority with me. If it is really important to me I will make time to do it.
lie #3-"I'm too tired (stressed, busy, etc) to exercise. The truth is that not everything is about comfort. Healthy, fit people exercise when they are tired or don't feel like it or whatever. Most people make themselves get up an go to work every morning even though they don't want to. Life is not about always doing what you want, it's also about doing what you need to do to have a better life. The truth is also that my inactivity is what makes me more tired, stressed, and not wanting to exercise. The more I exercise, the easier it is to breathe, to walk, to sleep, and to do many other things. I used to break down crying sometimes saying that "everything is so hard". Now I say "well, duh, it's hard because you won't (as opposed to can't) do anything to help yourself!"
lie#4 -"my feet (back, etc) hurt too much to exercise". Again, duh- your bones and body weren't meant to carry 400 lbs of weight around all day. I've done alot of damage to my body and now I cry about the consequences. Again, not taking care of myself by putting my health first is what got me here, and the longer I refuse to give my body what it needs, the longer I will continue to deal with the consequences.
lie#5-"I've had (fill in your own traumatic/humiliating/stressful situation) and I need to comfort myself with comfort food. Truth- the source of my trauma/humiliation/stress is usually the result of comforting myself with foods that don't nurture my body. The truth is that I need to truly nurture myself by not over feeding myself and under exercising.

Those are the major lies I tell myself. I'm sure there are more where those came from. It has been helpful for me to spell them out for myself. I hope someone else finds it helpful too.