The Weight Loss Mindset

Many people decide they need to lose weight and look for a quick fix or drastic changes to their lifestyle in order to start reducing the numbers on a scale. Common steps they turn to in order to lose weight include:

· Restricting food

· Spending hours in the gym

· Hiding away from mirrors

· Being hard on yourself if you overindulge or miss a workout

Your mind is a key component of any weight loss journey. Your thoughts create your reality, and the things that you have been thinking for years could have you caught in a cycle of overeating - binging - restricting yourself - over exercising.

This way of thinking and living is exhausting for your body as well as your mind.

Fad and/or restrictive ‘diets’ that we use in the hope of losing weight don’t encourage our minds to think positively. These thoughts are often associated with dieting and losing weight:

· If you eat ‘off-plan’, you are ‘cheating’

· If you eat certain foods, they are ‘syns’ or ‘points’ because they are bad

· There are ‘good’ foods and ‘bad’ foods

· If you haven’t stuck to the plan you have ‘failed’

This sets your mind to focus on the negative; the wrong foods you are eating, the ‘bad’ foods you are consuming, and that you don’t have the power to choose what is right for you each day.

Any diet that I have tried over the years has left me feeling deprived and hungry. Whatever I was depriving myself of, I craved. I never felt nourished, and my thoughts focused mainly on what I shouldn’t be eating. This made it a struggle to stick with any weight loss programme or diet.

Neither our bodies nor our minds like to be deprived. Restrictive diets are built on the premise of deprivation and are difficult to sustain. Find out more about thepitfalls of restrictive eating.

A more successful weight loss journey includes a shift and focus on your weight loss mindset.

Instead of:

I will be good this week

Try this:

I will be intentional about my meals and snacks this week

Instead of:

Trying to eat NO sugar and not allow yourself to indulge at all

Try this:

Balancing your diet without restricting yourself. The 85/15 guideline for nutritional choices is a good starting place if you like ‘rules’ to follow in your journey.

Instead of:

Drastic fad diets or nutritional supplements

Try this:

A flexible approach to nutrition

Instead of:

Excessive cardio to ‘burn calories’ that you consumed

Try this:

Commit to moving your body daily. Striving for a consistent number of steps each day is a great way to keep you on track.

Instead of:

Restricting your food choices

Try this:

Consider if a small indulgence and the food you choose to fuel with will make you less likely to indulge later.

Instead of:

My body is ugly/fat

Try this:

I am grateful for my body and all that it does for me.

Instead of:

I’m not good at this

Try this:

I can get better at this with hard work and practice.

Instead of:

I’ve tried to lose weight before but failed (put the weight back on, couldn’t stick to a diet or exercise routine)

Try this:

I can make small changes to my lifestyle to improve my health

There is power in listening to our bodies and nourishing it with the food that it needs to feel strong and healthy. There is power in moving our bodies in a way that makes us feel confident and strong. There is power in believing that we CAN lead a healthy lifestyle long term.

Your mind is a powerful tool that plays an integral part of any weight loss journey. Focus on improving your mindset to improve your health and lose weight in a sustainable way.

Looking to improve your mindset? Check out 'Unlocking your Unlimited Potential'