5 things that make people jerks but really help with weight loss

These are the personality traits that make a person a jerk:

Arrogance, Selfishness, Pettiness, Impatience, Cynicism.

They also are qualities that can help you succeed at weight loss.

These are not the qualities we admire, look for in a friend, or try to develop for ourselves through a self-improvement effort. People who display these traits are generally avoided. When it comes to losing weight, these negative behaviors may be exactly the right ones to finally be successful.

ar·ro·gance noun \ˈer-ə-gən(t)s, ˈa-rə-\ : an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people

Why it helps weight loss: It’s not uncommon to equate being overweight or obese with inferiority. Many people who struggle with their weight feel less smart and less important than people whose weight appears to be within the “healthy range.” A little arrogance is a huge boost to confidence allowing one to expect succeed where others have failed. A little, “I’m smarter than everybody else,” thinking helps one believe that success can and will be achieved.

self·ish adjective \ˈsel-fish\: having or showing concern only for yourself and not for the needs or feelings of other people

Why it helps weight loss: Attitudes towards those who are overweight cause many overweight individuals to feel as though they need to make amends for their condition. They put everybody’s needs ahead of theirs and never assert themselves to get what they want or need. Becoming selfish is necessary to ensure that one’s needs aren’t ignored in deference to the whims of somebody else. A little “me first” kind of thinking is needed to get to goal and stay there.

pettiness/pet·ty adjective \ˈpe-tē\: not very important or serious: relating to things that are not very important or serious

Why it helps weight loss: It’s the small stuff that makes the difference when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. Too often the focus is only on the meals. It’s all about reducing calories and portions of meals, but the small stuff gets ignored and it’s the small stuff that counts. So, while the calories in the meals have been reduced, the bites, licks, and tastes (BLTs) are going unnoticed and undoing, or even setting back, any progress that might be made towards losing weight.

im·pa·tience/ im·pa·tient adjective \im-ˈpā-shənt\: not willing to wait for something or someone : not patient

Why it helps with weight loss: Weight loss takes time and it’s a fool who tries to speed up the rate of weight loss to an unsafe or unhealthy level (healthy rate of weight loss is usually no more than an average of two pounds a week after the first three weeks of starting. This rate may vary for some individuals and a faster rate may be healthy but should be evaluated by a qualified health care professional.) Impatience doesn’t apply to rate of weight loss; healthy weight loss takes time, but rather impatience is useful to stop all the excuses one might find to explain lack of ability to stick to a weight loss program.

cyn·i·cism adjective \ˈsi-ni-kəl\: believing that people are generally selfish and dishonest : selfish and dishonest in a way that shows no concern about treating other people fairly

Why it helps with weight loss: There is no shortage of sleazy, fly-by-night, dishonest individuals and companies bombarding the public with a myriad of “miracle” weight loss cures.  (Many of them like to “comment” on my blogs!) Few of them deliver the easy weight loss results they promise. Most are a waste of money, many are a waste of a lot of money, and some are dangerous to health. Becoming cynical is the best way to avoid spending money on cures that don’t work. Cynics don’t fall for the latest weight loss scam.

Arrogance, Selfishness, Pettiness, Impatience, and Cynicism are the undesirable character traits that are totally desirable and even a little necessary when applied to weight control. They are what allows one to stick to a proven weight loss plan that includes reducing calories, eating all foods (no forbidden foods/no silly food combinations) within the context of balance and moderation and burning more calories with physical activity.Image (1)

Be a jerk! Lose weight!

 

 

 

 

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.