A common personality trait among overweight women is that they are people pleasers. People pleasers tend to gain weight because they have trouble saying no. Whenever they area asked to do anything, they say yes, without regard to their own personal needs and wants.
People pleasers gain weight by putting their own health and fitness aside to do things for others (especially if their main role is or has been as a caretaker.) People pleasers consistently sacrifice their own happiness to see others happy.
The problem with people pleasers is that even when they are determined to lose weight they will put exercise and their dietary needs aside without a second thought to please others. People pleasers would rather eat dessert to make a friend happy than turn it down and risk hurting the friend’s feelings.
The people pleaser will also take on one project after another, regardless of how busy they are. Saying yes to ever favor asked, every job that needs to be done and volunteer project becomes automatic and it can become a stressful situation when your to-do list is a mile long.
The good news is that people pleasers can lose weight with some simple changes:
- Learn to say no
- Prioritize things in your, making fitness and health a top priority
- Explain your goal to friends and family and ask for their support
- Schedule daily exercise. Write it down and keep the appointment.
- Be able to step back and let other people pitch in
- Minimize stress by eating right, exercising and not over-scheduling yourself
Making yourself a priority, especially if you are used to being the caretaker or volunteer extraordinaire, can be a big adjustment for people pleasers. If taking care of others had made you gain weight you need to make the choice to put yourself first. Saying no may take some practice, but it is necessary for people pleasers to lose weight. You’ll reduce your stress level and have more time to take care of your health and fitness needs.
