Everything you do starts in your mind. Your mind is powerful and when you command it properly you can achieve incredible results in all areas of your life. After all, why do we feel so good and powerful after we attend a motivational seminar or watch an inspirational Youtube video? It seems they unlock a hidden force inside ourselves and we are capable to achieve our goals with energy and determination.
Healthy weight loss can be challenging, especially if the progress is slower after a while. We all want fast results, however the first thing we need to acknowledge is that healthy weight loss takes times, it needs consistency and patience to achieve the desired results.
Is there a vocabulary for weight loss? It might appear strange, but yes, there are some mental strategies for healthy living in general and losing weight in particular, especially in the beginning when you might not feel committed to the process and healthy habits didn’t have time to stick.
How to cultivate your weight loss and healthy living mindset:
1. Get personal motivation and stay consistent – have and maintain a positive attitude towards the weight loss process. Use positive associations / adjectives such as „Breakfast is energy” , „Weight loss is a process, but it will eventually pay off”, „Health is not a diet, but a lifestyle”. Place healthy food notes on your fridge, where you can see them, or set daily positive reminders for the beginning of the day.
2. Use visualization techniques – see your desired results, see yourself become leaner as you progress with your weight loss goals. With a plan and practice, you will eventually get there.
3. Get engaged in the process – whether you track progress together with your spouse, a friend or in an app, talk about it and celebrate the progress together. When you tell others just how much you enjoy healthy living, you internalize the message and even inspire them to pursue the same good habits. Think about all the benefits of healthy foods, how energetic you feel when you have a morning smoothie loaded with antioxidants. Think genuinely about all the health benefits and how you feel when you eat healthy.
4. Make it fun – a way to make healthy eating fun is to eat with your kid(s) and make funny food arrangements (faces) with healthy ingredients. Seek companionship during your meals, build positive associations between healthy food and feeling good together, find reasons to stay relaxed and have a good time.
Read also: Get Started with Rainbow Smoothie Bowls!
5. Made good practices easy – set daily reminders for the 5 meals/day, put a bottle of water on your desk to remind yourself to drink at least 2 liters of water daily, don’t skip breakfast – even if you eat the same healthy thing every morning, do your groceries weekly planning and shopping at weekends, never go shopping when you’re hungry.
6. Practice mindful eating – mindful eating is a technique that helps you gain control over your eating habits. When you practice it, you pay attention to your cravings, experiences, you eat slowly and without distractions, you appreciate your food and have a general sense of control over the eating process. It takes the brain 15 minutes to realize you’re full and if you eat too fast, you may end up eating too much. Slow eating makes it an intentional act instead of an automatic one. Mindful eating helps you lose weight by changing eating behaviours and reducing stress.
7. Remember healthy eating is not a diet, but a lifestyle. Like you take a shower daily or every couple of days, wash your teeth twice a day, go working every workday – eating healthy is a matter of continuity. From time to time, ask yourself how can you improve your health and revisit the Diet of The Common Sense principles. Remember compound interest – even small actions, compounded over time, can determine big results in time.
Use the power of your mind and determination to accelerate your weight loss process for faster and consistent results.
Learn more about healthy weight loss:
Why Are You Not Losing Weight?
9 Ways to Boost Metabolism (as Backed by Science)
Healthy Diet Hacks for Busy People
3 Fat Burning Recipes You Should Add on a Weight Loss Diet
Excelent tips! I agree that every transformation starts in our mind and that we need to cultivate a positive mindset for change and growth.