There was hardly a dry eye in the house for the Final of this year’s UK Strictly Come Dancing. Emotionally speaking, it was a high-octane evening which crescendo-ed up to the announcement of the winners.
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell lifted the glitterball trophy to riotous applause. Nothing unusual about riotous applause in the final, but as Chris is blind, his performance on the dance floor has blown viewers away.
We make assumptions
Some of the assumptions we make are about other people – blind people won’t be able to excel at ballroom dancing, for example – and some of them are closer to home.
We come to see ourselves in particular ways, based on past experience and the beliefs we’ve formed over time. What you believe you are capable of has an influence on what you do actually achieve.
When you achieve something big, the most common question is, “how did you do it?” Partly from general curiosity, and often partly because the person asking the question is looking for tips on how they can achieve their own cherished ambitions.
What did Chris say about winning?
Something I loved about Chris’s win, is how he described it. He didn’t just put his success down to wanting it really badly (which is what many talent show winners say). Chris’s view was broader than that, and for my money, much more realistic.
He said he won through a mix of
- Opportunity
- Support
- Determination
The desire and motivation are just one part of the picture – Chris recognised that the opportunity to take part, and the support of his dance partner and others had all played a part in him winning.
How does this apply to weight loss?
Losing weight is a desire – a dream in fact – for many. When you really want to achieve something, the desire or motivation is important in order to help focus your attention and energy on what you need to do to.
But motivation alone won’t cut it. You also need the opportunity to put your plans into action, and you need support. These two factors, that Chris so rightly nailed, can make all the difference.
If you have yo-yo’d with your weight in the past, it may be that despite your determination, these other key factors were missing.
Opportunity
To lose weight, you need to change how you eat. How easy it is to do this will depend in part on the people around you, and the demands on your time and mental energy.
If other people resist the changes you want to make to how you eat, it’s going to be tough. And if you don’t have time to prepare foods that will support your weight loss, it might all feel too much.
You’ll also need the skills to succeed. This means being guided by someone who already knows how. Every one of the Strictly contestants had to be taught dances they had never attempted before.
When it comes to weight loss, it’s easy to think that what you need to know is what you should eat. So you watch the Hairy Bikers, or put in an order for Hello Fresh. This does help, but it’s not enough. Most people who contact me for help know a lot about what they ‘should’ be eating, but find they can’t put that knowledge into practice.
If that’s you, then my blogs and youtube videos are there to help you get to grips with how the psychology of what’s keeping you stuck, and how to get un-stuck.
Support
I guess the support Chris was referring to in Strictly was mainly to do with his dance partner and teacher, Dianne. She was clearly highly attuned to how Chris needed to learn, and what the two of them did together clearly worked!
Support, encouragement and accountability are all helpful in achieving weight loss. It can be a bumpy road, and having people who cheer you on, or remind you how far you’ve come are a real asset.
But it’s essential to recognise that weight loss is not a level playing field, and that if your past difficulty with changing how you eat was a result of never feeling full or always feeling hungry, your appetite may need some medical support in order for you to be able to make changes. This is where weight loss medications or surgery come in – ask your doctor or other healthcare professional for more information if you think this might be for you.
What do you want to achieve?
Now might be a good time to think about your goals for the coming year – what is most important to you.
If you know the goal is going to be a challenge, remember that behavioural science and psychology show that you can change – you are continually learning, adapting and flexible. Recognising this “Growth Mindset” is in itself part of achieving your goal as it puts you at an advantage over a “Fixed Mindset”, where you see yourself as unable to change.
As 2024 draws to an end
I’ve been delighted to hear that my blog is currently number 5 in the Feedspot Top 10 UK Doctor Blogs. I love writing about the psychology of eating, appetite and weight loss, and am always open to suggestions of what you’d find helpful to know more about, so please feel free to email info@theappetitedoctor.co.uk.
in January 2024, I launched my youtube channel to share as much as I can about what I think is helpful from psychology, when you’re trying to change how you eat. Over the course of the year I’ve posted 36 videos on everything from emotional eating to why workaholics can’t lose weight.
What’s coming in 2025
I’m looking forward to writing more blogs and recording more videos and reels in the coming year.
There is a wealth of research on eating and appetite, and many techniques and tools from applied psychology that can really help you change how you eat. Subscribe to my youtube channel and sign up for my newsletter if you want to receive all this content for free, hot off the press.
Contact me if you want added support
If you know from experience that weight loss will be a challenge for you, and you are ready to invest in making it happen, you are welcome to apply for a free Eating Pattern Analysis, where we will analyse your situation more deeply and make a plan to enable you to succeed.