Weight Loss Mindset

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to success is strong enough"

--Og Mandino

I could not have said this quote better; it is 100% true. The reason I know is that is exactly what happened to me when I set out for the umpteenth time to lose weight and lost 75lbs. I was determined that nothing or no one will get in my way to lose the weight I had carried for so long. I was sick of feeling the way I did, nothing in my closet fit me and being out of breath after going up a flight of 10 stairs. My determination overtook the tiniest bit of a thought of failure. Failure simply was not an option. Did I have days of defeat, yes. Did I have days I was not 100% sure I would reach my goal, yes. But I actively would direct my attention to something positive that would help me readjust my mindset to continue moving towards my goal.

Your mindset is so important because it controls your behavior, your thoughts and actions. As people grow they develop habits and associations to those habits that dominate their life. These habits and associations are controlled by our subconscious and people usually are aware of them. A persons subconcious can also sabotage their weight loss efforts.

Having the right mindset involves using various techniques and strategies to control your behavior by monitoring those actions and thoughts. By doing this it will help replace your old habits and associations with new ones that will be much more helpful.

People looking from the outside in don't understand why overweight people complain about losing weight but don't do anything about it? Well, the reason is that they don't have the correct mindset.

Nothing can stop someone that has a powerful mindset. People like this will always find a way no matter what obstacles they face. People that don't lose weight have formed associations and habits that have taken control of their life and stopped them.

You may be wondering now....How do I obtain the mindset for weight loss?

Developing the correct mindset is not an over night change. It will take time with constant and conscious awareness. By this I mean you will have to regularly monitor your progress and behavior. Sometimes it will be easy and others it will require will power. Good News!! There are strategies & techniques that you can apply to your life right now. Using these techniques will give you motivation, determination, commitment and make you emotionally charged and driven to succeed no matter what. One of these powerful techniques is the power of goal setting.

You want to set S.M.A.R.T. goals

*Your goals have to be Specific
*Your goals have to be Measurable
*Your goals have to be Attainable
*Your goals have to be Realistic
*Your goals have to be Timely

You can go to this website to read more up on setting S.M.A.R.T. goals

The best way to set a weight loss goal is to set a short term and a long term goal and then break it down into even smaller ones (mini goals). I recommend setting weekly mini goals that will ultimately lead you to your short and long term goals. For example, 1.5 lb a week weight loss goal, exercise 4x's a week. Then you also want to choose one thing each week you will focus on that you are noticing you are struggling with. For example this could be insuring you get 8 glasses of water in a day minimum, taking your daily multi-vitamin or logging all your food intake within your food journal. By doing this it will make your long term goal not so far out of reach.

This example is a very generic review of goal setting, however there are other strategies involved that will make goal setting stick and drive you to the finish line and keep it off.

To lose weight you must have a nutritional food plan and it is also just as important to have a planned exercise routine in place as well. When choosing a nutritional food plan you want to insure it fits your lifestyle. This is a lifestyle change you are making, not a short term diet plan. So you want to make sure it is a plan you can follow for life no matter where you are or what you are doing.

You can find nutritional food plans and even exercise plans online for free. However it is critical you get your information from a trustworthy source with experience. If you can find this type of information free that's great but you most likely will have to pay for it if it's of a reputable source.

One way to take all the guess work out of this process is hire a professional weight loss coach who will help you set your S.M.A.R.T. goals, hold you accountable to them by insuring you are consistently working towards them, help you replace your old habits and associations with new and powerful ones. Provide you with a nutritional food plan that will incorporate healthy eating habits but also will not make you go hungry or restrict you from the foods you enjoy. Supply you with a weekly exercise regimen to follow and most importantly eliminate the negative daily habits, thoughts and choices and incorporate new healthy lifestyle changes to insure you reach your weight loss goal and keep it off for good.

-Jennifer Rundall
Thinspiration Coaching