Key Power Tips On Mentally Preparing For Your Natural Weight Loss
Set goals: Doing something without having any goal in mind is like driving in a never-ending road – you never know where you’re heading or where to stop. Before doing anything to lose weight, take time to determine what your long-term goals are. It would also help if you included short-term goals or milestones. For example, if your long-term goal is to lose 12 pounds within six months, you can set short-term goals of losing two pounds every week. Setting out a clear goal at the start can help you in many ways – these long-term goals determine where your efforts are headed and short-term goals can indicate where you are in your progress.
Throw away junk food: Most people are committed to their weight loss plan but would be tempted the moment they see junk food. Make sure that you don’t follow their lead by throwing away junk food in your home. Consistently seeing these in your house can trigger your appetite, which can result to overeating of unhealthy foods. If you want to have an easy snack, eat salads and fruits instead.
Think long-term: Diets are only useful for short-term weight loss. This means that diet can help you achieve your weight goals but only for a short amount of time. There are many dieters who actually gained more weight than they initially lost. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, consider all of your weight loss plans as lifestyle changes, not temporary restrictions. Train your mind that these changes will soon become innate in your daily routine. You should focus on the sustainable decisions you’re going to make within the next months and years, and not limit yourself to the restrictions over the next days and weeks.
Select rewards: Weight loss is a challenge. It doesn’t come overnight and will require your effort. Whenever you achieved a short-term goal or milestone during your weight loss journey, don’t hesitate to reward yourself. You can spend a day in a luxurious resort, pamper yourself in a nearby spa or buy new clothes to show off your new figure. Consider the things you love doing and spoil yourself as a reward. Having rewards can motivate you to continue with your weight loss journey. However, you should be careful on the rewards you give to yourself. Don’t let your achievements become the reason for you to overeat.
Get support: Picking what to eat can be easy when you’re at home or when you’re eating alone but when you’re with friends, making the same decision can be tricky. You might even be tempted to eat what they eat. And once you do, you’ll be back to square one again. Once you’re ready to lose weight naturally, tell your family and friends about it. This information will help them understand what you’re going through and the support they’ll give you will go a long way in your journey. Additionally, once they know that you’re trying to lose weight, they will offer help. They might even prepare healthy meals for you or accompany you during workout sessions.
Forget the “bad food vs. good food” mentality: Whenever people are trying to lose weight, they would restrict themselves from eating anything that’s sweet. For them, sweets are the reason why they keep gaining pounds and should be avoided at all costs. This is a misconception. Depriving yourself of your favorite food isn’t a wise move for your weight loss attempts. You’ll only end up eating more than you originally planned, resulting in more weight gain and loss of self-control. It’s always better to allow yourself to eat anything as this can keep cravings at bay. Eating a slice of your favorite cake or cookie will never hurt your weight. Just make sure to control your portions!
Call For Help
Contrary to popular belief, healthy diets and regular exercise aren’t the only things needed to lose weight naturally – your mental preparations can also have a significant impact. Anything that’s in your mind can make or break the success of your weight loss efforts. If you think you need more than just the tips from this article, call professionals for help. Psychologist Southern Sydney can help with different aspects of your mental health.
Janice Killey
Janice has a wealth of experience and training. She holds a Diploma of Education, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Master of Arts (Counselling), Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy (ASH) and is a Registered Psychologist at Psychologists Southern Sydney. She’s also a member of the Australian Psychological Society.
