Mindset is Key to Weight Loss and Living Healthy

Wondering what it takes to get fit and fabulous, and stay that way? A healthy and positive mindset comes first, before anything else. This is what will drive you to reach your weight loss goals and keep you there.

It’s true! Overweight folks think that people who look trim and healthy were just born that way, and that staying in shape comes easy for them. That may be true for some people for some of the time. But the truth is that permanent, significant weight loss requires not just a diet but a lifestyle change - and that starts with your mind.

Did you ever know someone who went from a very unhealthy weight to a beautiful, slim physique? Did the transformation seem to affect them to their very core… as though they suddenly began to radiate with vibrant good health and happiness?

It does happen, without miracle diets, extreme exercise, diet pills or anything that we might consider to be an unsafe or risky method of losing weight.

The reason it happens is that the person who sustains the weight loss figures out how to change more than just their eating habits. They change their mind! How so? Well, this is likely to be different for every person. But here are some areas where we may need to shift our mindset in order to create and sustain real weight loss results:

We change our mindset around self care.

People who commit to a healthy way of living know that they must prioritize choosing the right foods, as well as exercising, relieving stress and taking good care of their bodies. For these people, there is no more “I’ll do it tomorrow,” “My family comes before my own self care” or other means of avoidance. They have come to realize that the gift of their own good health is also a long term gift to the people they love.

We change the way we think about food.

Emotional eating can be deeply ingrained. Our use of high sugar, high fat “comfort” foods as a band-aid for unpleasant feelings, as a reward for our accomplishments, and a way to bond with others may have been formed by family and/or friends. Once we break the emotional hold that food has on us, we can finally move into nourishment of both body and soul.

We change how we perceive exercise.

Most people think of exercise as a chore and a burden - a “should” that we must slog through. But when you relax into exercise, you get to see it as a joyful escape. Exercise relieves stress and gets our endorphins flowing for that natural high. There is no limit to the type and quantity of exercise you can try - from free form dancing, to controlled, rhythmic movements while lifting weights, to hiking and biking.

Mindset has to do with long term personal goals. In order to shift into a healthy lifestyle and stay there, you must first get your mind right. Transform your thinking to how good you will feel once you lose the weight. Envision what will be next for you after your weight loss goal is met.

What other changes will happen in your life once you begin to experience positive results?

• Will you do things that come from a place of greater self confidence? • Will you go after that promotion? Start dating again? • Will you plan an incredible vacation to celebrate your healthier way of being?