Combine the modern day processed diet with sedentary lifestyles, chronic stress, lack of sleep and environmental pollutants, and you end up with 160 million Americans suffering from obesity. With fad diets, pills that promise easy weight loss, skinny teas and companies that deliver the “perfect” diet to your front door, many people are struggling to find the best way not only to lose weight, but also to keep it off.
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Of course, losing weight is not an easy process. But there is a comprehensive strategy that can help — one that’s often overlooked. It actively engages your emotional elements, to help you achieve success in your weight loss efforts.
When it comes to weight loss, don’t underestimate the power of intention. There’s a difference between being on a diet and eating healthy. Changing your relationship with food and setting yourself up for success has more to do with positive talk, affirmations and mindful eating than you might think. When researchers studied the impact of mindful eating on body weight, they found that those who finished three mindfulness sessions in an obesity management program lost an average of 6.6 pounds in the following six months, while those who attended only two mindfulness sessions or less lost only two pounds.
Looking at your weight loss journey as a long term plan to rejuvenate and maintain your health, instead of wishing for a quick fix, can help promote a mindset that will lead to success. If you’re not in a happy and healthy place, be honest with yourself about how you got there, then focus on what you’re eating and why. Taking the time to train your mind using meditation can help enhance your physical fitness, as well as your mental well-being.
The same goes for exercising. Changing your mindset to see exercise as something you get to do to help keep your body healthy and strong, instead of seeing it as something you have to do to lose weight, can make all the difference. When you’re working progressively toward something that is important to you, you generate a feeling of success and achievement, which allows you to feel more positive and motivated. If you’re struggling with your weight loss journey, stop focusing on the scale, and instead focus on your health and happiness. The rest will fall into place.