Avoiding Weight Loss Mental Mistakes

Mindset is a major factor for successful weight loss. By reprogramming how you think, and what you think about, you can stay motivated and focused on your weight loss goals.  Here are some mental pitfalls that should be addressed when you start your weight loss journey.

Talk to yourself, positively!  Don’t be patronizing, but be positive – coach and motivate yourself, consistently.

Being overweight can often trigger thoughts of self-hatred.  But beating yourself up does not help you lose weight.  Doing so is simply a waste of time – time that you could be using to be positive.  Regardless of whether you’re negative or positive, your words become a self fulfilling prophecy.  It is much easier to stay focused and motivated on your weight loss goals when you appreciate yourself and your efforts. I know it’s hard to be firm with yourself, but quite simply – you have to do it.  If you don’t do it … it doesn’t get done.  It is ups to you.  So get out of your own way!

You can help create a new positive mindset by paying attention to what you say to yourself.  One way to do this is with a journal.  Try to stay focused on your feelings about your body.  By staying focused on what you're saying to yourself.  Once written, you can look back through the pages and start seeing how many negative thoughts v/s positive thoughts you have having. 

The point is that you need to see how “you” are influencing yourself.  We all know about those “bad” friends and relatives … the enablers, but what about YOU?  You are either a helper or a hindrance.  Which are you?  Are you helping or hurting your own mission?

                    

By believing you are capable (more importantly; worthy) of having a healthy body, losing weight will be that much easier.

Don’t Neglect Self Rewards:

In addition to negative self talk, one of the other things that many people do that sabotages their weight loss efforts is that they neglect to reward themselves regularly. By receiving feedback and positive reinforcement, you help yourself stay excited and involved in meeting your weight loss goals.  Surely you remember: “If you finish your vegetables first, then I’ll give you dessert.”  Well, even though you’re an adult, this tactic still works.

Start by breaking larger goals into smaller chunks, and reward yourself every time you meet a milestone. Rewards do not need to be expensive, and can include things like time with friends, reading a good book, or spending time on a hobby that you enjoy.

No Emotional Eating:

One of the major hurdles to losing weight is the problem of emotional eating. Many people use food to self-medicate.  By eating, they relieve or soothe their negative thoughts and unpleasant emotions. By uncovering your emotional eating triggers, you can begin to identify what makes you grab food in an emotional tirade.  By being more aware of when and why you eat, you are better equipped to stop yourself from emotional eating.

A great way to do this is to have“go-to” activities lined up whenever you feel tempted to reach for food.  Exercise, for example, is a great way to adjust your mood. If you can distract yourself with exercise, you will feel better and remove much of the need for emotional eating. If exercise isn't an option, another effective technique is to distract yourself for 5 or 10 minutes, and check your mood again. Set a timer if you need to. In many cases, you will have distracted yourself long enough to release the immediate need to eat.

You can increase your chances of success by accepting your weight loss goals are a journey, not a destination.  Moreover, it is a mental journey as well as an emotional one … as much as a physical one. Weightless requires synchronization with the mental, the emotional, and the physical aspects of “you”. When you remove some of those common hurdles and focus on creating a positive mindset; surrounding yourself with motivating images – signs, symbols, inspiring words, etc. the chances of you reaching your weight loss goals will success will increase dramatically.