Attitude

If you struggle with weight gain it’s a good bet that you have tried at least one of the “fad” diets that crop up on a regular basis. The truth is that some of these diets may grant you temporary weight loss. In the usual case, however, the weight returns as soon as you stray from the diet . The bottom line is that you gain weight because you consume more calories than your body is able to use and no diet is a substitute for good eating habits . If you truly wish to lose weight, you must burn off more calories than your body requires; plus be mindful of the type of calories you take in.

What Really Works
The most important tool in your weight loss program does not include diet or exercise. There’s no special equipment, and you don’t need to join a gym. It’s your mind. If you’ve tried every diet on the planet, every exercise program from the latest fitness guru and repeatedly failed to achieve your goals you probably need a “check up from the neck up.” Successful weight loss doesn’t just happen. It took more than a few days to reach the point where you are at right now. Give yourself a break and expect it to take awhile before you see measurable results. Take a leap of faith and follow some basic principles. Begin with your “self talk.” This is the conversation that runs through your brain continuously. What kind of conversation are you having, with yourself? Has negative self talk kept you from reaching your goals in the past? Well, the good news is that you can turn the tide of negative self talk beginning right now. A good starting point is with positive affirmations .

Positively Speaking
Positive affirmations spoken aloud with authority and belief, positively affect your attitude , focus your thinking and lead to a course of action that will help you become the person you want to be, and have the things that you want to have. Begin by writing your affirmations on paper. You can begin with something like, “I want to lose 25 pounds before Labor Day” That’s an attainable goal, but we need to put some work into structuring the affirmation .

Make it Real
First of all, “I want” gives the impression that what you desire is always in the future. In order to re-program your self talk, you want to trick your mind into believing that you have already achieved success. Your subconscious has no capacity for understanding the concept of time. Everything is in the moment . . . here and now. When you tell your subconscious you “want” that is exactly what you will get … want. Unless you change your mental tape recorder, you will achieve exactly what you are telling your subconscious, that you “want to lose 25 pounds.” If your weight is 150 pounds and you desire is to weight 125 pounds, then you need to “be” 125 pounds from the moment you make the decision to change your self talk. What if you write your affirmation to read something like this: “I am healthy and fit, weighing 125 pounds.” It’s extremely important that you phrase your affirmation as if you have already accomplished what you desire. It’s also important that your affirmation is crystal clear. You needn’t limit yourself to one affirmation either. Write another one that reflects your new exercise program. “I enjoy my new exercise program,” or, “I love the healthy foods I eat.” When you’ve written your affirmations with absolute certainty and clarity then, and only then, begin to speak them aloud several times a day. Again, remember to use the present tense. “I am losing weight and exercising everyday”. “I am grateful for all of my accomplishments no matter how small.” At first you will feel awkward may not feel or believe what you are saying.

You’ll Get Used to It
You may even feel silly saying them out loud. It doesn’t matter. Continue to speak the affirmations aloud with as much conviction as you can. Try using driving time in your car for firm, strong voiced self talk. If you will stick with speaking your affirmations aloud, firmly and confidently, you will be amazed at how quickly you can turn your thoughts around. You didn’t hop on a bicycle the first time and just take off down the street. It took practice to train your body to balance on those two wheels. This will take some practice as well. Continue to repeat your affirmations aloud, several times a day for the next 30 days and you will be surprised at how much you change your thinking and attitude . Think happy thoughts, take care and be well.