In order to be successful at losing weight, you need to embrace failure. Yes, you read that correctly! Many of us are taught from a young age that failure is bad and should be avoided at all costs, when actually this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In this article, we’ll look at a key mindset that can help you redefine how you view failure. We’ll also examine how embracing each inevitable setback can help you lose weight and keep it off long-term.
The Church of Fail Mindset
The Church of Fail mindset is the belief that failure is a necessary part of the weight-loss process; not something to be feared or avoided, but rather something to be embraced and learned from. When you view failure as an opportunity to grow and adapt, you will increase the likelihood of your success in your weight-loss journey.
This approach has been backed up by a clinical study which analysed the behaviour of 6,000 people who achieved and maintained significant weight loss, and found that perseverance in the face of setbacks was key to the participants’ success.
The Gibbs Reflective Cycle
There are many different frameworks which can help you make sense of things when they don’t go to plan, and the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is one of our favourites. This six-stage process helps you to reflect on an experience and identify what went well, what could have been improved, and what you would do differently next time. It can be applied to any weight-loss obstacle that you face.
Here’s how to use the Gibbs Reflective Cycle:
Stage 1: Description
Describe the weight-loss obstacle that you experienced. It’s important to be as honest and specific as possible in your description.
Stage 2: Feelings
Explore the emotions and thoughts that you experienced during and after the setback.
Stage 3: Evaluation
Evaluate what went well and what could have been improved—an important step in adapting from failure.
Stage 4: Analysis
Analyse the situation and identify the underlying causes. This is a key step in preventing future setbacks.
Stage 5: Conclusion
Focus on what you’ve learned. Think about all the alternative actions that you could have taken instead.
Stage 6: Action plan
It’s very likely that you will find yourself in a similar situation again at some point in the future. To avoid repeating the mistake, come up with an action plan that outlines how you’ll act differently to give you the best chance of achieving a successful outcome.
Take action⚡
Over the next week apply the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to every situation that didn’t go to plan. Ask yourself:
- What happened?
- How did you feel?
- What went well and what didn’t?
- Why did it happen?
- What could you have done differently?
- What’s your plan next time this happens?
If you learn to embrace failure and view it as an opportunity to grow, you’ll be much more likely to achieve your weight-loss goals. Remember the Church of Fail mindset and use it to your advantage! You may just be surprised at how successful you can be.
¹Phelan, S, Roake, J, Alarcon, N, et al. In their own words: Topic analysis of the motivations and strategies of over 6,000 long-term weight-loss maintainers. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2022; 30: 751– 761.
