Lose More Weight by Being Optimistic

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist, or a pessimist? Would you believe that your state of mind day to day has a big impact on how much you weight you lose? Let’s face it; losing weight can be hard. You’ve got to constantly work on improving your eating habits, avoiding fattening foods you used to love, making time for exercise each day, and generally devoting a fair amount of time to taking good care of yourself.

When you try to do all these things under a cloud of negative thinking, it just feels that much harder. Your negative self-talk works against you so you feel unmotivated, bitter, and disgusted by all the things you “have” to do to lose weight.

On the other hand, when you develop some healthy positive thinking habits, you’ll find that losing weight becomes much easier. You’ll enjoy exercise. You’ll love preparing healthy meals and snacks. Taking good care of yourself becomes a joy, not a chore.

Here are five good ways to develop a positive, optimistic state of mind to make your weight loss easier:

#1 – Believe in yourself.

Start affirming your belief that you deserve to lose weight and create a healthier lifestyle. Say things like this to yourself often: “I know I can do this, and I know I’m worth the effort. I deserve to be healthy and happy, and the actions I take today will help me achieve that.”

See: 7 Limiting Beliefs That Can Stall Your Weight Loss

#2 – Believe in your abilities.

If you don’t believe you can easily lose weight and keep it off, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle the whole way to your goal weight. Combat this by consistently affirming that you CAN reach your goals. “I’m stronger than any cravings for sweets and junk food. I can make better choices for my own health and well-being. I’ve accomplished a lot in my life, and this weight loss is just one more achievement I can look forward to.”

#3 – Believe that challenges are fleeting.

When you have a rough day, don’t take the pessimist’s viewpoint that you can’t handle it. Keep telling yourself that challenges come and go. It’s how you react to them that’s important. “I’m having a hard time sticking to my eating plan today, but I’m just going to take it moment by moment. The cravings will pass and I’ll feel really good about myself tomorrow if I just do my best today.”

See: Willpower and Weight Loss: Turning No into Yes

#4 – Believe that you can never fail.

Failure is only sure when you give up. If you simply keep reminding yourself that you are in this journey for the long haul, you’ll know that you can’t fail. Keep repeating to yourself, “Failure is impossible for me.”

#5 – Believe that you are already successful.

Make a long list of everything you set out to do in the past, and did it. What have you accomplished in your life? What goals did you meet that make you feel proud? They don’t have to be big goals! Did you intend to drink more water yesterday, and you did it? Did you intend to exercise for 30 minutes and did it? Write down every little success you can think of, and affirm that achieving your weight loss goal will be just as easy, and just as certain.

See: Focus on the Positive and Ditch the Negative

Weight loss is a challenge, and all challenges shrink in the face of an optimistic, determined mindset.

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