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Why feeling proud is key to weight loss success and how to embrace it

Caroline Tyrwhitt • Sep 08, 2024

Let's explore why pride matters in your weight loss success, the benefits of embracing pride, and five actionable ways to start building your sense of pride today.

Are you quick to brush off your successes, even when you’ve made meaningful changes to your eating habits? You’re not alone. Many women hesitate to fully embrace their wins, though they may be quick to internalise perceived failures.

But what if taking pride in your success is exactly what you need to stay motivated? Because owning your wins—no matter how small—and focusing on your progress builds confidence. When you are more confident, the journey is more enjoyable, you can sustain motivation, and you create lasting change. Conversely, focusing on perceived failures or the weight you still want to lose only fuels self-doubt and can lead to self-sabotage. Yet, many women struggle with feeling proud.

What’s the Problem with Feeling Proud?

For many women, feeling proud doesn’t come naturally. Society often conditions us to value modesty and humility, which can leave us reluctant to celebrate our successes. Research has shown that women are more likely to attribute their achievements to external factors (like luck or help from others) and less likely to take ownership of their success. This issue is compounded in professional settings where women might downplay their achievements for fear of being perceived as boastful or self-centred.

These barriers create a toxic loop—when women don’t take time to feel proud of their progress, they miss out on the motivation that pride can provide. Without this emotional boost, it’s easy to feel stuck or become overly critical, leading to frustration and burnout.

The common expression "pride goes before a fall" suggests that pride is self-destructive. However, this view oversimplifies the concept of pride. Healthy pride—rooted in self-acknowledgment and self-respect—contrasts sharply with arrogance, which is marked by entitlement and an inflated sense of superiority. Pride, when understood as celebrating your efforts and achievements, is essential for self-esteem and personal growth.

What Are the Benefits of Feeling Proud?

So why does feeling proud matter, especially when it comes to losing weight? Being able to say "I am proud of..." plays a significant role in motivation and success for several reasons:

Pride Increases Self-Confidence

When you acknowledge your achievements and take pride in them, it reinforces your belief in your ability to succeed. Self-efficacy—believing you can achieve your goals—boosts your motivation and creates a positive feedback loop. The more you recognize your accomplishments, the more confident you become that you can reach your goal.

2. Pride Boosts Motivation

This cycle of positive reinforcement also boosts your motivation: acknowledging your achievements triggers feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment, which propels you to keep going. This motivation loop makes long-term goals feel more attainable because each success builds on the last, helping you stay committed and create momentum.

3. Pride Fosters a Positive Relationship With Self

When you take pride in your progress, you shift your focus from self-criticism to self-acknowledgment. This fosters a more positive and compassionate relationship with yourself. Building a sense of pride is the antidote to shame. Pride allows you to see your worth beyond the number on the scale, reminding you that every step toward a healthier you is a victory worth celebrating. This emotional connection deepens your commitment, making it easier to stay on track and avoid self-sabotage.

4. Pride Encourages Resilience

Every weight loss journey comes with setbacks, but feeling proud of how far you’ve come helps you bounce back quicker. Pride acts as a reminder of the personal growth you've experienced, encouraging you to continue working toward your ultimate goals. It reminds you of your strengths, making you more likely to persevere through challenges. When you cultivate pride, setbacks become opportunities for growth rather than reasons to give up.

5. Pride Provides Authentic Reward

Pride is closely linked to intrinsic motivation—the internal desire to accomplish something for personal satisfaction. When you’re pursuing a goal that matters deeply to you, when you are clear on your “why,” internal motivation becomes more powerful and sustainable than external rewards. Celebrating your small wins aligns with this intrinsic motivation, helping you focus on long-term success.

6. Pride Encourages Reflection and Growth

Saying "I am proud of..." promotes self-reflection on the positives of your journey. It allows you to identify what strategies have worked and what needs adjustment, rather than focussing on problems. This awareness enhances your ability to refine your approach as you work toward your goal, leading to continued success. Feeling proud of your journey helps you embrace your new identity—one where you are in control of your choices, value your body, and where your sense of self-worth isn’t tied to shame or fear of failure. Pride empowers you to own your transformation and to accept that while change takes time, it is definitely possible.

Five Ways to polish Your Pride pulse

Now that we know why feeling proud is so important, how can you start embracing it? Here are five strategies to build your sense of pride and stay motivated on your weight loss journey:

Celebrate Small Wins

Don’t wait until you’ve reached your final goal to feel proud. Celebrate every step of the way, including each mini-goal. Acknowledging even the smallest victories helps you stay motivated and feel good about your progress.

Action : Keep a journal where you record at least one thing you’re proud of each day. It could be something like eating your lunch more slowly, drinking extra water, sticking to your evening routine, or simply moving more. Start your sentence with 'I am proud ...'

2. Reframe Negative Thoughts

If you tend to downplay your success, it’s time to challenge that mindset. Instead of focusing on what you haven’t achieved yet, focus on what you have achieved. Reframe negative self-talk into positive affirmations focussed on your progress.

Action : When self-doubt creeps in, remind yourself of your efforts. For example, replace “I still have so much weight to lose” with “I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m getting stronger every day.”

3. Share Your Successes

Sometimes it’s easier to feel proud when others celebrate with you. Don’t be afraid to share your progress with supportive friends, family, or a community. Their encouragement can help boost your sense of pride.

Action : Join a group where people share and celebrate their wins. Sharing your accomplishments will reinforce your feelings of pride and provide accountability.

4. Write and Say Affirmations Out Loud

One powerful way to internalise pride is to acknowledge your accomplishments through affirmations. Affirmations help build positive self-talk and create a lasting sense of pride in the changes you're making. Repeating an affirmation daily reinforces your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed.

Action : Write down affirmations that start with "I am proud ..." and focus on your achievements, both big and small. For example, “I am proud of making time for myself today” or “I am proud of my choices today.” Read them out loud every morning and evening to affirm your progress and bookend your day with a positive mindset.

5. Track Your Progress

Habit trackers are a powerful tool for staying motivated and feeling proud. By tracking your new habits and progress, you can appreciate how far you’ve come and identify patterns that may be tripping you up so that you can intervene.

Action : Create a visual progress chart that tracks your journey. Seeing the evidence of your hard work can be a powerful motivator and a tangible reminder of your achievements.

Conclusion

Feeling proud of your achievements isn’t just a nice bonus—it’s a key factor in long-term success. By shifting to a mindset of pride, you can rebuild your confidence, break free from old habits, and embrace your new self. Feeling proud of the small changes you make on your wellness journey empowers you to stay committed and helps you avoid the cycle of weight regain. In short, developing pride helps you rewrite your story because you see yourself as a capable, empowered individual who is actively creating a healthier, happier future.

Pride is more than just a feeling—it’s a tool for lasting transformation that enables you to truly embrace the new you. Start now and watch your confidence and weight-loss success grow.

If you'd like to find out about working with me 1:1 to work on your sense of pride or are curious about my membership group for inspiration, motivation, accountability and success, book a call here or email me. I'd love to help you make those deeper changes that will help you escape the trap of yo-yo dieting and go from disillusioned dieter to empowered eater.

Research:

Modesty Norms: Research from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Heilman & Okimoto, 2007) found that women often face social penalties for self-promotion, as it is seen as violating gender stereotypes of women being humble, nurturing, and communal.

Imposter Phenomenon: According to a study by Clance and Imes (1978), high-achieving women often experience chronic self-doubt and feel undeserving of their success, leading them to avoid claiming pride in their accomplishments.

Internalized Stereotypes: Research from Steele’s (1997) Stereotype Threat Theory shows that societal stereotypes about gender roles can negatively affect women’s performance and their willingness to take ownership of their achievements.

Self Promotion: A study by Exley and Kessler (2019) published in the American Economic Review found that women were significantly less likely to volunteer to speak about their accomplishments, even when they performed better than their male counterparts.

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Being proud of your achievements is key to your weight loss success

Why feeling proud is key to weight loss success and how to embrace it

by Caroline Tyrwhitt • 08 Sept, 2024

Are you quick to brush off your accomplishments, even when you’ve made meaningful changes to your eating habits? You’re not alone. Many women hesitate to fully embrace their wins, although may be quick to absorb any thing they see as a failure. But what if taking pride in your progress is exactly what you need to stay motivated? Because owning your wins—no matter how small—and focussing on your progress builds confidence and motivation.

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For five years I’ve been sharing my journey and the tools and techniques that have helped me with others. I thought that now would be a great time to reflect on my journey to lose weight and keep it off without dieting. I made my change with ease, but that doesn’t mean it was simple. When my actions were in alignment with my plan, I felt in flow and empowered. If life or decisions felt difficult, I would notice I was not following my mindset plan. I have learned lots about myself along my chosen path, which is very exciting. It's a bit like Russian dolls, you sort one layer and then you find another layer to be sorted underneath, another facet of my habits or thinking to consider. And the secret is to find the core of who you are at the centre. Below are my key takeaways, the key changes that were perfect for me. Some will resonate with everyone, some are more specific to me. 1. Working out what balance of habits and foods will keep my body slim, my brain functioning at its best and me feeling calm and full of energy - for the long term. This is an ongoing experiment for what my balance looks like because I want to be able to go with the flow of life rather than follow a strict regime. I believe that what we do most of the time matters more than what we do once in a while. Although some of the NLP tools I used on my journey flipped a switch and I’ve never thought about food, dieting or life in the same way again, I have also discovered that some aspects of change haven't been straightforward. I firmly believe success is not a straight line, and success is personal to each one of us. I also know I learn from barriers I come up against rather than give up. I have clarity on what I want to do and who I want to be and from there I’ve have been testing how often I can afford to socialise and celebrate with friends and family or eat out - without worrying about what I’m eating - before it impacts on my long-term well-being. I have also learned to be more playful so that I break my old habit of focussing just on my career rather than the whole me. 2. Committing to doing the grocery shopping and the cooking. As a woman who claimed she couldn’t cook so that she wouldn’t be stereotyped, this was a big shift. I decided that it was important if I wanted to control what food was in the house and what I ate - very few refined carbs, very few sugars and as much fresh produce as possible. And as I researched foods that were more nutritious options, I could quickly put them on my online order for the week and save a recipe to my computer. I even started to grow more produce in the garden. 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The first impact of getting enough sleep was to help me reduce my stress levels. Double bonus as I could then stop the vicious cycle causing a build up of cortisol that causes visceral fat and that tyre around my middle. When rested, I could also learn to change my stress strategy and find more balance in my day and my thinking. I have become much more self-compassionate and more mindful. Sleep has indirectly helped me let go of perfectionism and change my time poor narrative: done is good enough and there is always time have become my mantras. 4. When who you live with is on board with your new way of eating and being is easier. When others in your household also want to make a shift to a healthier way of being, to manage their energy and maximise their mind and body function, it is so much easier as you’re sharing the same values and the same goal. It’s also great to share ideas, motivate and encourage each other and keep each other to account. This is especially true if like me you have people pleasing tendencies, or a tendency to prioritise the needs of others before your own. Also when I'm tired I'm more likely to give in to the easier option - of what others want, or going out for food. It was so much easier when I didn't have to work round other people's desires, manage their resistance or remind myself to reinforce my boundaries, my rules. 5. When one thing changes it impacts elsewhere - this works in both helpful and unhelpful ways. On the upside, me choosing to make small changes to improve my wellbeing boosted my confidence. One inner change had a great influence on other habits. For example, when I joined a pilates class it made me feel stronger and helped me ‘think slim’. Gradually learning which foods benefited my mind and body made me feel empowered and positive that I was building a great life, that I was in charge not food. 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I couldn’t place what was causing it for the longest time as I was sleeping okay and didn’t feel ‘stressed’ like I had as a senior leader in school. If you would like a coach to help you find balance in your life with food, so that you can stop going on a diet and stop yo-yoing, then message me and we can explore how you would like to work with me. If you would like to try out what it’s like to work with me first, register for my next 5-day Mindset Reset here . Or if you would like more tips that you can start to address in your daily life download my free tip sheet to overcome self-sabotage and escape the trap of yo-yo dieting here .

Detox, don't diet

by Caroline Tyrwhitt • 11 Aug, 2021

I was amazed at just how strong that ‘go on a diet’ programming is when that thought popped into my head after my recent holiday here in the UK rather than abroad in the sunshine by the sea. I am a firm believer in the mantra ‘what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while’ and that the best response to a blow-out is to just get back to your usual routine: that lifestyle that gives you the body you want. I haven’t dieted for a few years now, so what is it that triggered that old thought? I am sure that it was the extreme sense of feeling unwell, unbalanced and bloated as a result of eating refined carbs - particularly bread - every day and eating dairy, especially enjoying locally made ice creams. I felt a great desire to cleanse my body and lose those pounds that were making my clothes feel tight. So how do you detox your body naturally? 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I’m now back to alarms to remind me to drink water first thing, if I feel hungry and before I eat as it also helps reduce my appetite. 3. Reduce your intake of processed foods . Eating out at all, let alone eating junk foods, means eating processed foods that contain sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. These foods lower our energy levels and are considered to be the cause of obesity and harm your liver and kidneys. While I had enjoyed a break from cooking, my feeling of wellbeing was deteriorating - despite being on holiday. In fact, I was longing for some home-cooked food. 4. Eat more foods full of antioxidants . Antioxidants help your body fight oxidative stress which is linked to chronic conditions. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Prioritise the vegetables on your plate, eat berries or grapefruit for breakfast, snack on fruit, nuts or cacao, and drink green tea and coffee. My first meal back was stuffed marrow that I harvested from the garden and I have a fridge full of chard and beans from my parents. I’ve bought my usual go-to foods of broccoli, spinach and avocado as they are high in nutrients and antioxidants and have decided to add beets to the shopping list this month as they are also high in antioxidants - I love them roasted or in falafel. 5. Eat more foods high in prebiotics . Good gut health keeps our body’s detox system working well, boosts our immune system and keeps our serotonin levels high which makes us feel so much better. Tomatoes, onions and garlic are my favourite prebiotic and feature in most meals. Sadly, my tomato plants died while we were away, but my mum has given me plenty from her garden. I’ve bought asparagus as it’s good for your gut health, is a diuretic and it’s full of antioxidants. The bananas are in the fruit bowl and I’ve already had a muesli for breakfast made with oats. In addition I’m going to try cooking artichokes as they are not only good for your gut health but are also high in antioxidants. 6. Sleep 7-9 hours a day . Getting enough sleep is paramount to supporting your body to maintain its immune system and remove toxins from your body. This was one of the aspects of my routine that I maintained well while on holiday and now I need to ensure I continue to get those 8 hours of rest that is perfect for me so that I feel energised with my brain and body working optimally the next day. 7. Get moving . Movement is great for reducing inflammation and supporting physical and mental wellbeing. While on holiday, I had averaged about 10,000 steps per day which made me very happy and the trick for me is to keep movement in my routine on my return. There’s plenty of gardening to be done and when the rain stops I look forward to walking through the local fields. What will you do now to support your body to maintain its optimum detoxification systems? If you would like support with overcoming your habits that are preventing you from being your best you and with creating that lifestyle that will give you the body your desire, then give me a call and we can discuss how I can help you level up your life.

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To weigh or not to weigh

by Caroline Tyrwhitt • 22 Jan, 2021

When I set goals with my clients - and I mean powerful well-formed outcomes - not a weight loss target, I encourage them to be creative in how they measure their success rather than using the traditional measure of how much weight they have lost. What a scale tells you, is only a tiny bit of what losing weight is all about. In fact that’s why I don’t call it weight loss but changing your relationship with food. And actually I believe using scales can be detrimental to your success. Those scales are loaded with all kinds of connotations and can trigger disappointment, unhelpful beliefs and thinking and can ultimately sabotage your efforts and send you scurrying back to old habits. Just because of a tiny measure at a particular moment in time. You probably don’t weigh yourself at any other time than when you ‘on a diet’ so it’s just a system to find out if that deprivation and hell you’re putting yourself and everyone else through is worth the effort. Or it’s checking your paranoia that you’ve put on weight because you ‘ate a piece of cake’ this week. Or it’s something to avoid because it’s associated with guilt because you know you haven’t been ‘good’. How to weigh yourself if that's what's right for you You may have put on weight this week no matter what you ate. Your body may have been due to ‘put on weight’ due to your hormones this week. The truth is our body weight fluctuates in a cycle, so if yo do want to weigh yourself, make sure you weigh yourself and compare against the same time in your cycle last month - not trying to check how much you’ve lost in the last week. To do that well, you’d need to weight yourself every day for a few months without ‘dieting’ to discover your personal pattern and how much your weight fluctuates by naturally. And even when you achieve your ‘ideal body weight’, you will probably fluctuate around that too. Naturally. Humanly. Perhaps around 10 pounds or so according to different celebrations and commitments in your life. It doesn’t mean ‘you’re putting on weight’ or you’ve been ‘bad’. What is important to notice is if you’ve gone back to old habits - those habits that caused you to gain weight. Those are really important to monitor. Alternative ways to measure and celebrate your changes and your success It’s really important to create good habits that support your wellbeing. It is our habits that are the greatest predictor of our success. Therefore it makes sense to monitor and measure those habits and to celebrate them to keep yourself on your journey towards your goal. would be motivating and purposeful. Other ways you could measure your journey that would be motivating and purposeful are: Your energy levels How comfortable your clothes are Which clothes in that wardrobe of multiple sizes actually fit The visceral fat around your middle The reduction in the medications you’re taking How many times you honoured you and said ‘no’ Keeping to your self-care plan Your food choices and amounts There are so many ways to measure your success. It depends on the small changes you choose to make. It depends on your why. It should be personal to you. Because it’s YOUR journey. So why not ditch that old habit of the scales and find a more rewarding way to measure your success and your progress on your journey of change? If you would like to create a well formed outcome that will propel you towards your goal and work with me to find the best way to measure YOUR success, then why not contact me and we can chat. My goal setting sessions are generally 90 minutes or we can include it in a package of coaching sessions or perhaps this year is the year you absolutely invest in your success and work with my on my flagship Mindset Diet TM programme. Because how we do food is how we do everything. 😊