The power of positive thinking can directly impact anyone’s weight loss goals. Positive thinking and positive mindset are terms that are now part of the vernacular. I’ve even heard little ones talk about it. It’s is great that little kids are learning about a positive mental attitude.
Nowadays, a positive mindset is synonymous with goal attainment. Weight loss goals are no different from any other goal and positive thinking also encourages for positive actions.
But there is more to positive thinking than thoughts alone. Even how you do “positive thinking” is controlled by something else.
When it comes to achieving goals, whether it’s making more money or having weight loss success, this particular “operating system,” if I can call it that, directs your course. You may be aware of it. I’m pretty sure you have heard of it.
If you’re here, though, chances are you’re not quite acquainted with it yet.
Otherwise, you would be reading something else.
The Image Of Yourself That You Hold In Your Mind
I’m talking about the reason to a lot of your self-induced pain and suffering. I’m talking about force that kept you going back to that bad hot and sexy but horrible relationship(s).
I’m talking about your self-image.
Here’s a clue: positive thinking alone won’t work. Calorie deficit will cause weight loss. Everyone knows that. Sure, it can increase weight loss success better than negative thoughts. However, it is not the fundamental element for success in any weight loss journey.
Here’s the answer, that everyone knows. Calorie deficit will cause weight loss. And it’s simple. But why do we have so many struggle. in fact we have a
It’s because how you and I operate is mostly can be directly linked to our self-image.
I’m not just talking about who you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. I’m talking about the “mental blueprint” of who “you” is.
As you read on, think of personal development (and weight loss is a form of personal development) as a “mountain with no top” and a continuous process. You start where you are. I feel there is no first step or right way to approach things except for first acknowledging your starting point.
You will have to take action. Without actions, your goals are just wishful thinking.
A Bit Of Self-image
I am sure people talk about self-image like someone would talk about getting a haircut nonchalantly. That’s really where many people make a mistake because self-image can be your own best friend.
I can also be your worst enemy.
Maybe you are like me or know people like me who have struggled with weight loss for years and didn’t understand why. I’ll lose weight and gain it all back. It was a matter of time before I finagled myself back into my excuses and old habits.
I had all the reasons to support why I had gained everything I lost, like stress, kids, work, problems, drama. It made it easier to fail.
I had these results because I held a specific image of myself in my mind, overweight and unattractive.
Does this sound familiar?
Maybe you could relate, It may not have anything to do with weight loss. It may not even be health-related. It could be financial or even relational, for that matter.
Why This Matters
Your self-image is like your operating system. And in my experience, and many others, it often takes work. That is why it matters big time.
It’s Boss level.
Remember a video game called Mortal Kombat? Trying to change your self-image with just “positive thinking” is like trying to fight Shao Kahn, the emperor of Outworld, without knowing the character you chose and what Shao Kahn’s powers are. You
True positive thinking and having a positive attitude are better at helping with any challenges you face. But until you change your self-image, the change is only temporary, and it is only a matter of time until you guessed it, you go back to your old way of being.
So how does this play a role? Let’s dive a little deeper.
What Is Self-Image?
Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon who wrote the book Psycho-Cybernetics talked about the idea of the self-image. He explains that this self-image, or picture of ourselves in our subconscious mind, was mainly shaped unconsciously through past experiences, beliefs, success, failures, etc.
Why would it have a significant role in achieving anything? Because your self-image governs how you think, feel and move. There is no short explanation to this other than this: the key to achieving weight loss success or any other goals you wish to accomplish is to make sure you have the self-image of who you want to become.
Bob Proctor, whom I say is one of the best mentors I’ve studied under, had said this repeatedly. Our body is the instrument of the mind; therefore, our body will do what our mind tells it to do.
A Word Of Caution
Before I continue, here’s a caveat.
The thing with wanting change is it’s not going to be easy at the beginning, and some things that were hidden from your view all these years my bubble up to the surface, and you may have to confront it. Have courage.
If you feel too vulnerable, please find support so that you can lean on them when you need it.
Here Are Some Questions You Can Start To Ask Yourself:
If you don’t know how to begin, here are a few tough questions I have asked myself to help me get to where I am today.
- How do I see myself?
- Do I feel worthy enough for the things that I want?
- Do I have a negative attitude towards myself?
- What if I fail again? Would I have grace towards myself?
- Can I do it?
- Are what I believe about myself my true feelings, or were they given to me to accept?
Getting Real
These can be some tough questions to ask, but when you get to the heart of it, you’ll probably discover why it’s been challenging to achieve your weight loss goal. It could be that you haphazardly laid out strategies. Perhaps, you decided to take extreme measures that caused you to fail.
Possibly, this is a part of the self-image tactic to keep you where you are.
Self-image has the power to take you towards or away from your goal with ease or difficulty. If you want permanent change, if you want that extra weight to come off ultimately, you might want to get to know how you see yourself and your modus operandi.
Weight Loss Journey- Your Life And Health Matters
Let’s go back to the topic of having a positive mindset when wanting to lose weight. The power of positive thinking driven by a positive self-image generates a positive attitude, which usually leads to positive actions and yields positive results.
For example, and this is overly simplified when you feel good, it is easier to stay on track with a healthy diet and nutrition, fitness routine, and getting adequate rest, which will increase your weight loss success.
Conversely, The Opposite Is True
When I struggled with my weight, it was difficult for me to feel good when I woke up. I was the typical “tired-hungry-caffeine fiend- carb-loving-chocolate addict”t nurse that you would find in the break room wishing for the godsend reps to show up with goodies.
When I arrived at work, usually the first question I asked before clocking in oscillated between “Do we have any donuts or food in the kitchen?” or “Are there any reps that will bring us food today?” NO JOKE.
Misery Loves Company
Maybe you have the same feelings too. Perhaps you feel trapped in this cycle of negative thoughts patterns and harmful actions. When I looked back before I discovered what I thought of myself, all of my weight loss efforts were doomed before I started, again.
Every year was, “this is my year!” Or how about, “I’m sticking to my diet this time!”
I found people with the same goals and same aspirations. We had the same eating habits, weight loss mindset, and “positive thinking” attitude. And then what happened? We go unconscious and let the original driver, our self-image, do what it does best, drive our bodies into action.
Same Lame Excuses Different Day
The next thing we know, it’s November and the holidays. Not only did we gain the weight we’ve lost, if we’ve lost any, but we also gained a bit more! And then we say, “We’ll do it again for our New Year’s resolution to be healthy, set achievable goals, have the motivation to achieve weight loss success, and put money on it.”
The stakes are higher this time, but from my experience, most of us quit before we got to the deadline.
It honestly never worked, and if it did, it was only for a short time, and we were back at our starting point, or worse, we’ve gained more weight.
Unfortunately, you will always find the right company to support you in your misery. You become part of theirs as well. Have you ever noticed that you are surrounded by people with the same energy, whether you have similar negative thought patterns and negative attitudes towards life?
Recognize Your Patterns
When you recognize this pattern, learn to disengage from the group. If you’re not in a place where you can easily influence people, or you still feel vulnerable to temptation, I recommend that you start taking yourself away from it as much as possible.
When I was committed to my goal, I started eating in my car during lunchtime and took a catnap with the time I had left. I also started declining free pastries, free lunches, free donuts *sniff*
Get To Know Your Why
It is essential to know why you want to lose weight and while you’re at it, lose the shame and guilt for wanting something good for yourself. You may not be one of those people, but I felt guilty for a long time wanting to lose weight.
You see, for a long time, I judged the “fit and beautiful” to be vain and superficial. Whether that was true or not about those people, it was irrelevant. I did it because I had a poor self-image, and what better way to feel better about myself than to put others down, secretly, right? Yuck. And besides, I get the best excuse not to do what’s right for my body.
Let Stuff Go And Work On You
Here’s another reason. Your life is on the line. As someone who has worked as a nurse for over 15 years, unhealthy weight increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, reflux, mobility issues, and so on.
The “looking good part” would be the least of your worry.
Fitness Goals
There is no doubt in my mind that a big part of having confidence is feeling good in your skin and feeling good about your body. If it takes losing weight, then
Regardless of the media’s idea of a “good body,” you have to be the one to decide what that is for you. You have to determine what is right for you because there are no one-size-fits regarding weight and body image.
Pay attention as to how you got your idea of the perfect body image. They may not be yours to begin with but growing up, you might have been inundated with others’ perception of beauty and body image.
Ladies, Don’t Be Afraid Of Muscles
I like a little bit more muscles for myself. I used to be scared of it because I was told that muscles are not feminine. People telling me what to believe at a young age contributed to how my self-image was constructed.
I used to be embarrassed about my calves because some family members told me I had manly calves, among every other problems I saw with myself.
Now, I love my calves! I prefer my legs to resemble the shape of drumsticks, anyway. So does my husband.
It may be different for you and what you truly prefer. Ultimately, you get to be with yourself 24/7. You get to put on those clothes, and you’re the one who will feel good in it or not.
With that said, your appearance can contribute to your general well-being. When you feel good about the way you look, your sense of self tends to be a more positive one.
But did you know that how you think can affect how you care for your body as well? And your results will also depend on your attitude: great attitude, positive results, and a negative attitude will yield negative results.
Get Ready To Tackle Those Negative Thoughts
Having confidence in myself in health has a lot to do with the weight loss and fitness journey. I wanted to lose weight. I had gained so much weight and started to experience health problems because of it. A few things I experienced which affected my quality of life were my lower back hurt quite often. I had reflux at night that would wake me up because I was coughing. And not to scare anyone, while snoring is common, it can often be a sign of airway obstruction, like sleep apnea.
So, not only did I start the next day tired, it made me crave the wrong foods and skip my exercise routine because I was too tired. This cycle caused me to gain more weight. The idea of having weight loss success is light-years away.
So How Can You Achieve Weight Loss Success?
Now that you’re beginning to recognize your self-image, it’s time to set a crazy goal. A goal that you desire to achieve by when. My crazy goals were to lose 6 inches in 6 weeks before they altered my wedding dress to a bigger size and do my first pull-up before I turned 36 years old. They’re only unreasonable goals until you attain them.
What happens then once you commit to a goal or two is that all of a sudden, everything you need will start showing up for you to be able to take action.
Recognize The Negative Image And Change It
If you are wondering if you have a negative image, it’s pretty easy to figure out. Ask yourself, “What kind of results am I getting?” Then, remove yourself from the equation and ask, “What kind of person gets those results?” Then ask, what must a person believe to be true about themselves that would have them getting those kinds of results.
Once you get the intraspection process going, here are some questions that can help you get further down the road on this.
Is it a person with positive thoughts about their weight?
Are they thinking positive things about their bodies?
Are they the type of person that would set manageable goals?
Would they be bored with a reasonable goal?
Do they set unreasonable goals?
Would they resist sticking to a diet or daily workout?
These kinds of questions will peel back the layer of your self image in a way that helps you discover which areas of your life in which you are thinking positively and in which areas you are stuck feeling powerless.
Lose Weight While In A State Of Gratitude
As you get on the road to a healthier you, focus on the little wins you are making. Actions nearly always produce results. Focus on the actions you are taking rather than the pounds coming off. Use different strategies to stay on track that are simple and easy to repeat.
For instance, rather than commiting to exercise, make a commitment to putting your hand on the gym door 3 times per week. Then, be grateful you accomplished your goal. My husband wore flipflops to the gym one day just to put his hand on the door so he could put a check mark next to his achievement of taking action towards his goal.
Set Positive Affirmations For Losing Weight
I learned this from Bob Proctor. Use this format and repeat it all the time.
I am so happy and grateful now that I am 120 pounds. Change up the
