Do you check your mindset before embarking on your weight loss journey? Many of us jump straight into diets and workouts with a critical eye on ourselves.
We think that our bodies need fixing, and we are in a rush to get it done.
Losing weight is neither a quick nor easy process. You can’t lose sight of what’s important: your health.
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Embracing the right mindset for weight loss is crucial to carry you through this journey.
By focusing on your mental wellness, you’ll appreciate your body and enjoy your journey towards your goal more.
Mindset for Weight Loss: 10 Mind Hacks to Lose Weight Permanently
1. Find your why.
Life happens and it’s easy to find excuses that prevent us from reaching our goal.
So, you need to ask yourself why you want to lose weight.
Dig deep and ask yourself “why” 5 times until you get to your root motivation.
Write your answers down on paper. The answers may surprise you.
You may find that the superficial goals you’ve set are really just a distraction from the root issue.
For example, your goal to lose 20 pounds may end up with you wanting to set a healthy example for your children.
Your root motivation doesn’t have to be grandiose either. It’ll work for you as long as you like your reason.
The motivation behind your answer will help you persevere during this long journey.
Write your answer down somewhere. Hang it somewhere you can see every day. Place a post-it on your fridge or mirror.
Accept the goal challenge and make your reasoning your solid foundation to stand tall on.
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2. Ready your long-term game.
When it comes to weight loss, you need to play a long game.
Spending hours working out each day is not a sustainable strategy for most people.
Yo-yo fad diets? You’ll only sacrifice your health in the process.
Not only will they trigger chemical changes in your body and reduce your metabolic rate, but they can also weaken your immune system.
You’ll find yourself dehydrated, irritable, and fatigued.
Being restrictive and depriving yourself in the short term is simply not sustainable in the long run. This is why the majority of people that went on these crash diets end up gaining their weight back.
Lose your weight without crash diets by eating clean.
Clean eating is not a fad diet. It is a healthy, sustainable eating habit and a way of life.
3. Commit 100%.
In order to achieve weight loss (or any big goals in your life), you’ll need to first mentally commit to the challenge 100%.
This may seem trivial at first glance, but it’s a key mindset for weight loss. You must fully commit your intention.
This means sticking to your goal no matter what comes your way.
Keep your eyes focused on the big prize.
Find a coach or an accountability partner to help you stay in the game.
There will for sure be challenges along the way. They are there to help you grow and evolve into your next version.
The only way you can lose the game is if you give up.
4. Find the root causes of why you’re overweight.
In order to solve your weight problem, you need to first become aware of the causes of the problem.
Numerous issues can lead to weight gain. These factors include diet, lack of exercise, surroundings, and body composition.
Identify all possible causes. Do you overeat at night? Do you eat even when you are not physically hungry? Are you obsessed about food throughout your day? How much time do you spend sitting each day?
Check with your doctor and perform any necessary tests to identify potential chemical imbalances in your body.
In order to overcome your enemies, you need to first know who they are.
5. Be compassionate to yourself.
Once you’ve identified the root causes of your weight problem, be careful of your judgments against your own actions.
For example, if you found yourself having just downed an entire carton of ice cream without realizing it, pause and take a deep breath before beating yourself up over it.
You had a valid reason for sitting down with that entire carton in the first place.
Give yourself grace and be curious and compassionate about why you started down that path.
Observe yourself as an outsider.
A neat trick for doing this to pretend you are your best friend, and you just found your best friend looking glum with an empty carton of ice cream.
What questions would you ask your friend? What would you say to your friend to comfort her?
Compassion plays a crucial role in weight loss. It will help you improve your well-being. By treating yourself well, you’ll lower your anxiety.
If you’re not self-compassionate, you’re only adding to your stress and depression.
Treat yourself well. Your body will return the favor.
6. You are what you eat.
You can’t lose weight without a healthy diet. Weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise from my personal experience.
You can’t outrun your fork. You can’t outrun a bad diet. There is wisdom in these healthy eating sayings.
To maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle, you need to pay attention to what you eat.
Your food provides you with nutrients, protein, and vitamins. They form the foundation of every cell in your body.
Eat healthy to fuel your body and your mind.
7. Focus on behavioral changes.
Most people trying to lose weight focus on the specific goal of weight loss. However, it’s more productive to focus first on the dietary changes that will lead to sustainable, long-term weight change.
Avoiding unhealthy restaurant fast food or processed food requires that you roll up your sleeves in the kitchen and cook your own healthy meals with real, whole foods.
When you do go out to restaurants, instead of ordering a sugar-laden soda or juice, how about a glass of water with lemon wedges?
Watch out for habits that you may have picked up over the years that may contribute to your weight problem.
Add in healthy habits while you are at it.
Do you take the elevator or escalators every day? What if we choose to take the stairs where we can, or spare the 10 minutes to walk here and there?
Drink more water every day so you are less thirsty and hungry for the unhealthy stuff.
You can crowd out your bad habits with good ones.
8. Define your obstacles and turn them into strategies.
Practice anticipating obstacles before they come up, and turn them into stepping stones to help you get to your goal.
What can get in the way of your success?
Let’s say snacking on unhealthy food is an issue, maybe we can hide unhealthy snacks out of view or put them in hard to reach places to force yourself to pause before making a conscious decision to eat them?
Also put healthy, pre-portioned snacks within reach to make it easier to choose the better option for your body.
You should begin to anticipate potential problems. Try to minimize or completely eliminate them before they become a problem that could cause you to self-sabotage your weight loss!
9. Start small.
Once we’ve identified areas where we want to change in order to achieve our weight loss goal, our first instinct is to fix everything right away.
Resist the temptation as it will just become a fast way to burnout.
Small changes can often create domino effects that lead to big changes.
Change your diet one meal at a time. Try a green smoothie for breakfast every day for a week.
Or focus just on your drinking habits. Find the one habit that has the potential to grow and propel you to the finish line.
Once you have lost some weight and find it easier to become more active, then you can start to schedule in runs or work out routines.
Focus only on activities you can sustain over the long run. Work them in your daily habits.
Your mind will subconsciously pick up your motivated behavior and continue to nurture and support your goal.
Related Post: 10 Easy Habits of Skinny People That Keep Them Naturally Thin
10. Winning or learning.
Failure is inevitable. Remember that there is a lesson in everything in life.
Don’t lose sight of what’s important. Focus on your goal and learn from your temporary stumbles.
Also, don’t forget to celebrate your wins too! Keep the journey interesting and fun so you are motivated to keep moving forward.
Having the right mindset will help you lose weight permanently. Don’t underestimate your mental strength.
Set your goals, believe in yourself, and be proactive about achieving your goal.
Sharing is caring! How have you grown your mindset for weight loss to achieve your goal? Comment below!
