Using your mind to lose weight

Your mind is a powerful thing. It can control whether you are having a good day or not. It can keep you busy or keep you bored. It can control your body to some degree. But, can it help you lose weight?

Ever heard the phrase "get your head into it"? What's that mean? Get your mind into it. Get your mind in the game and the rest will follow. So, why is that so hard when it comes to weight loss?

When you are trying to lose weight, you are most likely going to have to change something in your life. You may have to start working out when you are not used to it. You may have to start eating right when you haven't been. You may have to start changing your habits and changing your routine in order to make changes in your physical body. But the change has to start in your mind first.

"Mindfulness is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to weight. In studies on what causes obesity, researchers have found that overweight people tend to underestimate how much they eat while overestimating their activity...Once you learn mindfulness, you'll be better able to figure out what makes your body and mind healthy" - Tara Stiles, Women's Health Magazine

You think you are doing good. But are you really? If you think you are doing good, but you are not losing weight, then your mind may be playing tricks on you.

True health comes when you stop playing games with yourself and learn how to be honest with yourself. 

I love how one of my favorite writer Lisa McLeod puts it:

"The human mind is pretty impressive. However, one of the major design flaws is that we can't tell the difference between what's actually happening and our perception of it."

She also says:

"Your thoughts are like the tires on a bicycle, they keep drifting back to that well-worn groove in the road. Once they find the familiar track, they want to stay there, because the pedaling is easy and it doesn't require much work"

This is so true.
We all get into habits.
We all want to take the easy way out.

And when, it comes to weight loss, we can't. 


We can't continue to let our bodies down just because it's easier. 

I encourage my clients to keep a journal, not to record workouts or nutrition, but to record their everyday thoughts and feelings about their weight loss. What do you see and hear everyday? How can you combat it? What are your excuses for not losing weight? All of these questions can be answered by your mind - if you take the time and you truly be honest with yourself.

Your mind CAN help you lose weight, so are you ready?