Are You Self-Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Goals?

Ever wonder if you are self-sabotaging your weight loss – wonder no more

Your personality can make plenty of things in life much easier, from choosing your shoes to decorating your house. But it can also work against you – and you may end up self-sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

Although the science behind personality types is sometimes ambiguous, recognizing your tendencies (both good and bad!) might be pivotal to finally slimming down.

Who you are and the link to your goals

That particularly goes for Type A personalities. Type A people are known for being punctual, organized, and competitive with themselves and others.

That doesn’t sound so bad, right? But in the long run, these traits can prevent them from achieving their weight loss goals.

Why?

The “one-size-fits-all” approach of most workout and diet programs may appeal to the masses, but they often sabotage the goals of Type A personalities.

For instance, you might insist on following through on a workout schedule, despite feeling sore and strained. That could lead to a bigger injury later on, derailing your progress altogether.

Plus, following a specific workout or diet plan and not seeing immediate results might cause you to give up entirely. (By the way, this is what your diet secretly says about you.)

So, this is how you and your personality will lose weight

While it’s helpful to feel committed to a fitness and diet routine, holding yourself to a strict standard may slow your momentum in the long run, according to Stephanie Mansour, a Chicago-based certified personal trainer and weight loss coach.

“It’s good to have a plan, but it’s also important to connect with how your body is actually feeling,” she told HuffPost.

That doesn’t mean you have to ditch your plan completely, though. In fact, you can easily use those bothersome Type A personality traits to your advantage. Mansour recommends building some flexibility into your own rules.

In other words, you can eat that bit of cake or taking a day off from the gym every once in awhile; doing so will actually keep you motivated and avoid burnout later on, she says. (Plus, there are some experts that feel cheat meals boost for the metabolism.)

“What’s important is you have some flexibility to adjust the workout so it fits best for you,” according to Mansour. “Think of it as a roadmap, but ultimately you’re driving the car.”

Congrats, Type As! Follow this advice, and you’re one step closer to dropping the pounds for good.