DISC Personality Profiling For Weight Loss?

Due to my job, I have some knowledge of DISC profiling. And this profiling tool can help you to understand your own personality and how you are likely to behave. Each personality will have their strengths and weakness, you can manage them by understanding how it might affect you in different scenarios.

And therefore, I was wondering, since I am aware of my personality (I'm an I/D - my primary personality is "I" and secondary is "D".), I should make use of my knowledge and use it to my advantage to help myself to lose weight!

And here's a little background on DISC profiling:-

DISC assessment is a behaviour assessment tool based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Marston. Marston's theory centers on four different personality traits: Dominance, Inducement, Submission, and Compliance. This theory was then developed into a personality assessment tool (personality profile test) by industrial psychologist Walter Vernon Clarke (July 26, 1905 - Jan. 1, 1978).

 

• Drive: People who score high in the intensity of the "D" styles factor are very active in dealing with problems and challenges, while low "D" scores are people who want to do more research before committing to a decision. High "D" people are described as demanding, forceful, egocentric, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, aggressive, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, calculating, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.

• Influence: People with high "I" scores influence others through talking and activity and tend to be emotional. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with low "I" scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings. They are described as reflective, factual, calculating, skeptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact, pessimistic, and critical.

• Steadiness: People with high "S" styles scores want a steady pace, security, and do not like sudden change. High "S" individuals are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. Low "S" intensity scores are those who like change and variety. People with low "S" scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.

• Compliance: People with high "C" styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High "C" people are careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, and tactful. Those with low "C" scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as self-willed, stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic, arbitrary, and unconcerned with details ~ (Source: Wikipedia)

(Source: ultimate youth worker)

P/S: You may wish to do this Free DISC Profiling Test to find out more about your personality.

So, I'm going to use my personality strengths to help me to achieve my weight loss goal.  Being an "influence" personality, I strongly agree the point of "favourable impressions".

By spreading words among my friends about my weight loss blog, I am holding myself responsible for the "promise" and being accountable to my weight loss goal to myself and readers (if there's any).

I'm an optimistic person, but I lacked follow-through (which caused a lot failures in a lot of my short term goals).

Though I do not intend to make this blog into a money making machine, but I do get a little excited when I find out that I have a slight increase of page views every time I posted new post/s.

Maybe you can come up with some innovative self-management strategies to motivate yourself towards your weight loss goal too.

SMART Way To Weight Loss

Why goal setting?

Setting a goal to lose weight as your new year resolution is nothing new. Such goal is simply useless  and did not help me in 2013 (in fact, all these years) to shake off any of these fats from my body.

My resolution started off by setting a weight loss goal, and as soon as my "born lean" hubby offers me potato chips and brownie chocolate ice-cream during our nightly TV session - *poof* there goes my diet plan. 

And so, I thought, how about using the "SMART" goal setting method to make a weight loss goal? 

What is "SMART"?

Specific

Measurable 

Accountable

Realistic

Timeframe 

My Specific Goal

Since my goal "lose weight" failed in 2013, it's because my goal was too elusive - I did not specify what I wanted to achieve and how can I achieve, lastly the purpose of doing it (why). 

Goal for BMI:  23 kg/m2 - Normal

• Now: 26.3 kg/m2 - Overweight

Goal for Weight: 63 Kg (in order to be BMI of 23 kg/m2)

• Now: 71.6 Kg

Goal to change my lifestyle - to be more active, healthier and look better!

My Measurable Goals

With the goals all in place, the next step is to measure them - by recording them. I saved an Excel file in my Dropbox to keep track of my weight, body fat percentage, BMI and other measurements. (P/S: My weighing machine is capable of measuring fat percentage, total body water, etc).

My plan is to 

• track my progress by recording my weight on weekly basis 
• set monthly weight loss goals 

Example:-

(Current Weight - Goal Weight) / 12 months = monthly weight loss goals

(71.6Kg - 63Kg) /12 months = 0.72Kg each month

So by doing this, my goal is broken down into smaller ones. The taste of small successes will eventually increase my enthusiasm and confidence -  to keep me going towards my final weight loss goal.

Accountability

I am definitely not someone who can keep track of all the calories intake on daily basis, due to lack of consistency and patience.

Thus, instead of recording the calories, I took photos of my meals and I review them at the end of each day - do reflection on what could be a better choice of food. 

Also, I started this blog "Chubby Caterpillar" to remind myself the purpose of all these effort.

Realistic Goal

My personal trainer told me that in order to lose 1 Kg, I need to burn 3,500 calories. And so, to burn 0.72Kg per month sounds very achievable to me!

Of course, weight loss is not only about buring the carlories. We must be responsible eaters too - watch our diet by choosing healthier and balance meals.

Timeframe

52 weeks will be my time frame. I do not want to go through the same dilemma by dragging the same new year resolution from year to year. 

But on the side note, I am also planning a Hong Kong trip with my BFF (Big fat friend) sometime in August 2014. Our common goal is to be able to fit into one size smaller than our current dress size (M for me and S for her).

I take this challenge seriously and it can be a 2 phases kind of challenge. Somehow this challenge motivates me and keeps me excited.

The so called new page

As you may wonder, why "chubby caterpillar"?

A caterpillar has just one job - to eat.

And I'm chubby (or fat to some - I'm 71.6kg currently) now and I feel that I'm at my least attractive stage of my life. Although I'm not that young right now, but I guess I'll have to start somewhere if I want to look better.

On the last day of 2013, I stood on my weighing machine - the number I saw on it was nothing close to my ideal weight of 63kg (I'm 165cm tall). My self-awareness grew with my weight. As I put in more weight, my wardrobe can no longer give me options to doll up - my body refused to allow my favourite dress to fit in like before.

At that very moment, I decided to write this blog as a form of reminder to myself - the purpose of working out, limit my junk food intakes and be responsible to my body and image (what you eat is what you get!).

And hopefully by the end of 2014, I get to see a chubby caterpillar transforms into a butterfly (Light enough to "fly" and pretty enough to be labelled as a butterfly *laughs*).