Getting Into The Right Mind Of Your Weight Loss
- By:Andrew Tan
Believe it or not, there is a psychological
factor that
comes into play when you’re trying to lose weight.
We like
to compare it to the “rah rah” factor that you
sometimes
need to succeed in sports.
Look at your weight loss as your own personal
sporting
event. Just as you need to know the rules of the
game as
well as the basics of performing that game in
sports, you
also need the right information in your diet to
make it
effective.
When you have all the tools you need, you can
become
an excellent performer in almost anything you try
in life.
One of these tools is the right frame of mind.
The right
frame of mind will give you motivation,
commitment, and
the skills you need to overcome the obstacles
that you might
face along with temptations and distractions.
Think this sounds a little too “new age” for you?
Think
again! When you have the right psychology during
your
weight loss journey, you will make your weight
loss fun,
easier, more exciting, and be able to develop
changes
towards a healthier lifestyle that will stay with
you forever.
Your mindset controls your behavior, actions, and
thoughts.
As people grow, they develop habits and
associations that govern their life. Most of
these habits are
controlled by our sub-conscious and we are
generally
unaware of them. However, your subconscious could
also
sabotage your efforts – also while you unaware of
them.
This can be detrimental to your weight loss
attempts.
The right mindset entails using various
techniques and
strategies to control your behavior by monitoring
your
thoughts and actions. When you obtain this
mindset, you
will be better equipped to replace the old habits
and
associations that formed your thinking in the
first place with
new and more positive habits that will enable you
to lost
weight and be happier while you do so!
Developing the correct mindset doesn’t occur
overnight. It take a little bit of effort, but in
the end, it is
well worth the time you’ll spend doing so. You
will have to
regularly monitor your progress and behavior.
Sometimes it
will be easy – at other times, it won’t. The good
news is
that there are some easy ways to begin to put
yourself into
the right mindset.
1. Write your goals down – tell yourself what
weight you
want to get to. While you’re at it, write down
any other
personal goals you might have as far as your life
in
general. Since you’re undertaking something as
huge
as losing your extra weight, you may as well also
focus
your efforts on improving other aspects of your
life
while you have the motivation and drive.
2. Be specific about what those goals are. When
you
generalize your goals, you are trivializing them.
Your
goals ARE IMPORTANT. Make them important!
3. Assign yourself a deadline. You want to lose
weight.
You want to do it by Christmas, or your wedding,
or the
next class reunion. When you assign a deadline,
you
give yourself a goal to work for, and like we
said, your
goals ARE IMPORTANT!
4. Make those goals measurable and achievable.
Don’t
think TOO big or try to undertake more than what
you
are capable of. If you need to lose 100 pounds,
don’t
expect to do it in a few weeks. Give yourself
enough
time to do so in a healthy manner. You could also
try
to break the goals down into easier increments.
Tell
yourself that you will lose 10 pounds over the
next
month. Then tell yourself the same thing the next
month. Eventually, you’ll reach that goal and
feel the
satisfaction of being lighter than you were
before.
5. Focus on those goals everyday. Post them on
your
refrigerator. Write them in your date book. Put a
reminder on the visor of your car. When you focus
on
your goals, you will keep them in mind all the
time and
when they are first and foremost in your mind,
you will
be well on the way toward achieving them.
6. Be committed to those goals – at all costs.
There’s a