If you think that to lose weight you need willpower and a solid plan, YOU ARE WRONG.
Apart from changing your diet or exercise routine, shifting your mindset and attitude makes a HUGE difference in your success.
Ask professional athletes, for example, why they include a psychologist or mental health coach in their team. Because they know that the INSIDE work matters the same, if not more, than the outside.
Let’s take a closer look at what encompasses a positive mindset and how we can adjust it to make your weight loss goals more feasible. Because, let’s face it, it is time to finally make it REALLY work.
Become aware of your thought process
Our mindset is a maze of thoughts and beliefs that reflect in our vision of ourselves and the world around us. One of the ways to understand how we perceive the subject of weight loss and physical appearance is through the observation of the INNER TALK.
SO WHY DON’T YOU START IDENTIFYING YOUR LIMITING THOUGHTS AND BELIEFS?
Why? Because if you have them, and you are NOT AWARE of them, they can hold you back from moving forward.
One of the ways to get there is through introspective meditation. It doesn’t have to be a traditional form of meditation. Any variations will do, as long as you can set aside some time every day to INTENTIONALLY explore your beliefs and inner motivations.
IF YOU CRINGE FROM JUST HEARING THE WORD MEDITATION, TRY PAUSING.
Pausing is a habit of slowing down and observing your internal dialogues. As you go through your day, you take moments to pause, reflect, and observe the flow of thoughts and emotions without judgment or attachment. It takes seconds to do, yet it is EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE! (Learn more about how to do it here.)
Adopt constructive weight loss-related ideas
Before diving into any topic (including weight loss), it’s important to acknowledge that we already have certain ideas about it. Dah..
MEANING, WE ARE PREDISPOSED.
BUT, some of these preconceived ideas may NOT be helpful in reaching our goals. To ensure that our mindset works for us, we need to shift it in the right direction.
It’s like changing the perspective, the angle from which we view the subject. While the subject remains the same, the vantage point is different.
examples of constructive ideas
For example, the subject of weight loss can be seen as a punishment or something difficult.
OR…
It can be perceived as an opportunity for self-improvement, a form of self-care, or an adventure (from a different vantage point).
Instead of focusing on the number of pounds you have to lose, you can look forward to the positive outcomes of weight loss, such as improved health, increased energy levels, and boosted confidence.
EXERCISING ALSO CAN BE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY.
You can reframe it as an enjoyable activity that makes you feel good, rather than a dreadful chore.
Physical activity CAN be fun, it is just a matter of finding the right type of exercise FOR YOU.
REFRAME THE WAY YOU SEE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS
Instead of giving your weight loss journey a grandiose significance, consider it to be a small adjustment that doesn’t need to disrupt your familiar routine. Approach it with a sense of ease and make SUSTAINABILITY your main goal.
SHIFT THE FOCUS TO CULTIVATING HEALTHIER HABITS
Let’s be honest, you’ve already been there – weight loss, as a ONE-TIME temporary endeavor, most likely will not last. Instead, developing healthy habits leads to lasting improvements in one’s quality of life.
DON’T MAKE FOOD A BIG DEAL
Remind yourself time to time that FOOD IS FOOD. In general, it is neither inherently bad nor good. Indulging in a slice of cake doesn’t make you a bad person. And by embracing a BALANCED PERSPECTIVE, you can enjoy the pleasures of eating without guilt.
Set realistic goals
Yes, you need to know what you want to achieve (objective) and how you get there (plan), but..
..what is more important is that your goals are REALISTIC.
Realistic, not that it is possible to achieve, but that it is also EASY.
What will be easy is only for you to decide; just don’t lie to yourself.
ALSO, DON’T BORROW SOMEONE ELSE’S STANDARDS.
Everyone has a different starting point, personal history, and energy levels. So, comparing yourself to others makes ZERO sense. Take into consideration YOUR current:
- baseline
- skill set and resources, and
- the time and effort YOU ARE WILLING TO INVEST.
GIVE YOURSELF YOUR OWN EXAMPLE
Taking small and easy steps most likely yields the results. Why is it important?
Because once you see the first results of your OWN doing, you will realize how powerful and capable you are… and that will ignite your further motivation.
Believe me, NO REINFORCMENT IN THE WORLD WORKS BETTER THAN THAT!
Learn how to deal with fallbacks in a constructive manner
Out of all the mindset changes, this one is the hardest. We usually equate setbacks with failures and give up altogether.
So, the goal is to learn how to stop berating yourself and go on as if nothing happened.
The black-and-white, all-or-nothing mentality is often a manifestation of PERFECTIONISTIC TENDENCIES, which we all, to varying degrees, succumb to at times. Perfectionism denies us all our accomplishments at the very first sight of a fallback. Really?..
At the end of the day, it is not the number of setbacks that define your success, but the number of times you get back after every time you thought you failed.
Don't compare your journey to others
Social media today creates a perfect environment for comparison and self-doubt.
It is almost unavoidable.
It distorts our perception of reality, and we fail to adequately see ourselves and others.
If you try to adopt someone else’s personal story from Instagram, you might find yourself overwhelmed and discouraged when your results don’t match theirs. Why?
Because their genetics, lifestyle, and other factors are way different than yours.
Plus, people lie or embellish their stories for various reasons, including seeking validation or promoting products.
If you focus solely on yourself and YOUR personal progress, you end up winning every time, I promise.
Practice self-compassion
Self-compassion is counterintuitive, I get that.
You might see it as a weakness, thinking it is incompatible with achieving SUCCESS. But, I’d like to make a guess, you don’t quite get this concept right. Hear me out.
SELF-COMPASSION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CONDONING UNDESIRED BEHAVIOR.
It is an attitude of kindness toward oneself, when you RECOGNIZE and ACCEPT both – your strong sides and your limitations, and respond to yourself with acceptance and support.
It is a reality check, an understanding that you are just human, like anyone else, and you are subject to forces that are beyond your control.
Research has shown that self-compassion leads to greater motivation and resilience.
And when you start practicing its principles, you will be amazed by how it works. Here is a perfect article to begin with.
Design your own affirmations.
I bet you are familiar with affirmations.
They are short statements that help to reprogram the mindset in the desired direction. However, using pre-made affirmations may not work for you if they DO NOT RESONATE.
That’s why I always suggest creating your own.
For example, if you tend to beat yourself up for making mistakes, an affirmation could be “I am human and I am allowed to make mistakes. I will learn from them and grow.”
Use affirmation examples and learn how to coin your own here.
Learn more about reprograming your mind
The mind resists change because it runs on deeply rooted default settings.
Tons of frustration and disappointments follows when you break another promise not to overeat or start to exercise. Inner critic is right there – deeming you as weak, undisciplined, and lacking willpower.
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. As much as you like to think, not everything is in your control.
Really, the default mindset and ingrained habits are the ones to blame, BUT..
..until you find a way TO REWIRE YOUR MINDSET, this problem will continue to come back.
Reprogramming your thinking is a daily effort of RE-BRAINWASHING yourself. This time, with the right sort of messages.
I’d really recommend learning how to reprogram your mind from professionals. Joe Dispenza is a great place to start; his “Rewired” workshop is one of the best out there.
In conclusion
Starting a weight-loss journey is no small thing. And honestly? Most of the battle has nothing to do with food or workouts. About 90% of it is mental.
Your mindset is the engine behind every choice you make, every habit you keep, and every goal you actually follow through on.
Yes, you want to lose weight, but..
..what you really want is a full reset of how you think, believe, and show up for yourself.
Because once your mindset shifts, your body finally follows. And that’s when the real transformation begins.
