Positive thinking and daily affirmations have been touted as the next great method for just about anything that requires we change a habit. Weight loss is not different. You probably have heard that positive thinking will help you lose weight. And while continuing to use negative self-talk will be the first thing to derail your weight loss plans using only positive thinking won’t take the weight off, sitting on the couch drinking a milk shake.
Positive thinking is the impetus behind most success stories. You won’t find successful people who have told themselves they couldn’t achieve their goals. But a successful person will also take action.
For instance, if you’ve been positive about your ability to lose weight but you haven’t cut calories, even slightly, and began some type of exercise program then the likelihood is that you haven’t been successful. Now imagine a person who has cut some calories, included some exercise but continues to use negative self-talk during the day. It isn’t long before the cream filled donuts are being balanced against the absolute knowledge that all of this self-denial won’t lead to any amount of success. And failure follows.
One of the most common obstacles a person who attempts weight loss will encounter is the occasional falling off the wagon. It won’t matter what program or plan is being used. Changing habits is difficult. Once in a while there will be cravings and hunger that come at inopportune times. At this point it isn’t uncommon for a person to fall to temptation.
It is at this point the person who thinks positively has a distinct advantage over a person who has a more negative outlook. This is after all, only one instance of increased calorie count. And only one instance doesn’t spell failure. Even a complete one or two day binge doesn’t spell failure.
Failure is spelled when the negative thoughts and feelings lead the person to stop trying, and often times leads to a great weight gain than before.
If you believe you will be thin, can see yourself thinner and can improve your self-perception this can only have a positive impact on your weight loss goals. Mindset and attitude can make or break the ability to reach any goal and weight loss is not different.
Remember that as you are changing your eating habits and thinking habits that these are behaviors you developed over years time and they will take persistence and time to be incorporated fully.
The first of the 2 most important steps in starting to learn to lose weight is to define the reason why you want to lose weight. Knowing the reason why you want to achieve a goal will help to solidify your resolve when faced with a Death By Chocolate cake or Fettuccine Alfredo. Dig deep for your reason. It should be something that has been with you for a period of time. Are you finally sick and tired of not being able to get into a bathing suit without being embarrassed? Do you want to be able to move throughout the day without huffing and puffing from the excess weight you have to carry around every day? Or do you just want to find yourself more attractive when you pass the mirror?
It doesn’t matter what the reason- or reasons – are. Write them all down. Take a hard look at them. Now write them on sticky notes and place them strategically around your home and other places that are private but which you will see several times daily. Put them on the refrigerator next to a picture of the body you think you can achieve. Make that picture achievable and desirable. Don’t be looking at Twiggy everyday – it’ll only have the opposite effect. Pick someone who has a more ‘everyday’ shape.
The second of the 2 most important steps has been covered briefly above and that has been to set some realistic goals for yourself. Too often we judge ourselves by the bodies of people we might admire or want to be like. But those aren’t our bodies or people who live our lives under the same stresses as we do.
Instead, get to know what your ideal body weight might be based on body mass index. This is a range of normal and not one number. Shoot for the top end of normal. Subtract that weight from your current body weight and you are left with the amount of weight you’ll need to lose to get the healthy body you want.
Be realistic about your goals and how you’ll achieve them. Start with the knowledge that unless you are extremely strict you can’t continue to lose 2 pounds a week, every week, for long periods of time. You’ll come to plateaus. You’ll find your body adjusts to the changes you make and you’ll have to be flexible.
Instead, take the attitude that the time is passing anyway. If you lose one pound instead of 2 then so be it. You are still using weight. If you aren’t losing weight then at least you aren’t gaining. If you gain a pound one week then you’ll change those habits this week. You haven’t failed until you stop trying.
Do the math using the number of pounds you want to lose and estimating that you’ll probably average about 1.5 pounds a week. You may start the first or second week off losing 3 pounds but that’s because you are making changes. Don’t expect in your goals, as unrealistic goals serve no purpose. If you weigh 100 pounds or more, don’t expect to gain a svelte figure like Jessica Alba within a month!
Once you have set your goals, you now need some motivation that will help you achieve your weight loss goals. What you will use to motivate yourself will depend on the reason behind your weight loss. If you want to be like your favorite celebrity, hang the pictures of that celebrity all around your house. Side by side, also hang your picture with your current body weight! That would be more than enough to keep you motivated!
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