Weight loss questions to ask yourself if you want to lose weight

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Susan Kersley

One of the most important skills to learn when you want to lose weight is being assertive. Saying no when you mean no. Not letting people persuade you to do things you don’t want to do or eat what you don’t want to eat. Recognise what it is that you want and avoid doing things just because you don’t want to upset someone. Learning to say no is vitally important. Be selfish because that is the way to look after yourself and when you do that you will begin to eat more healthily and exercise more too.

Do you really want to lose weight?

Of course you probably say, that’s why I’m interested in how to do this. But do you really want this?

You see if you want a different outcome then you have to do something differently.

If you continue to eat too much, or eat unhealthy food, or fail to exercise then fine but you will then continue staying overweight or continue gaining weight.

The outcome for not changing anything will be how you will be in twenty thirty or forty years time.

When you are eighty years old will you then turn around and then say, ‘OK now I’m ready. Now I have the time to eat more healthily, do more exercise and find other ways to respond to emotions instead of overeating. Would that work well for you?

Do you know how to change?

When you are totally sure you really do want to be slimmer then you need to know how to do this. I think you already know the formula for this: ‘Eat less, eat more healthily and exercise more.’

Are you going to apply the changes?

So you know the true outcome you want and you know what to do, so now you must actually take the actions needed!

What’s stopping you?

What do you need to motivate yourself?

Some people find tremendous motivation from being accountable to a coach, or a buddy or a support group.

Also you could ask yourself the 4 important questions:

1. What will happen if I do?

2. What will happen if I don’t?

3. What won’t happen if I do?

4. What won’t happen if I don’t?

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Can clearing clutter lead to feeling better and losing weight?

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Susan Kersley

Here is a tip which will enable you to feel better in yourself, eat less and lose weight. It’s a really simple thing to do, so simple that you may not believe until you try it what a profound effect it will have on you and your life.

If you tend to overeat in relation to feeling stressed then  doing what I’m about to suggest will lead to less stress and so you will no longer overeat as a reaction to stress.

What you have to do is to clear your clutter. Yes, when you get tidier and throw away what you no longer need or want then the result will be less stress and so you can say goodbye to overeating too.

Look around your home. Start with the room you are in right now and ask yourself what could you do to make it look tidier and refreshed.

If you have surfaces covered in old newspapers or letters, unwashed cups or plates, packaging or bits and bobs, start right now to sort these out.

You can do this section by section such as one surface at a time or one cupboard then a drawer as you gradually  sort out your belongings and re-arrange them in a more orderly way.

Have some boxes available into which you can put things for re-cycling: paper, for example, or could be other things you no longer want but might be useful for others. Charity shops or re-cycling groups such as freecycle or freegle are useful for getting rid of these.

Store those things you want to keep in a more orderly way so you know where to find them. You may discover you have something you’ve been looking for which you’d forgotten where you’d put it.

Sooner rather than later go through this process in your kitchen too. Clear out fattening and unhealthy foods from your refrigerator and cupboards and keep the work surfaces as clear as possible.

You are much more likely to prepare and eat more healthy meals when you have a clear kitchen filled with good quality foods than when you live in a constant mess.

The bonus is that living in a clear and uncluttered home will enable you to feel relaxed, happier and  less stressed and so eliminate the need to go to the food cupboard to relieve tension.

So clear your clutter, starting today and notice how your weight gradually returns to how you want it to be.

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The right mindset to lose…

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Susan Kersley

Losing weight is less about the food you put into your mouth and more about the mindset you bring to weight loss. Let me give you a generic example of how weight loss fails us. We want to lose 20 pounds, so we draw up a diet plan, maybe an exercise routine, and a promise that we’re finally going to get the slim body we want. You feel great the first day and you are excited that you made the right decision. One to two weeks later, we hardly notice any results, and we just fall back to our old ways of eating. It’s an endless diet cycle that for most people never stops. All because the mindset we bring to weight loss is flat out wrong. Most of us will look for specific results when deciding to lose weight.

Related Coverage: Why Lose 20 Pounds Being able to lose 20 pounds is going to have to be some real commitment on your part. This isn’t a two week diet and you’re done to lose that fat. How to Lose 20 Pounds Fast If you are considering of losing 20 pounds fast, this article will be right up your alley. Just spend a short 2 minutes to read the rest of this article where I will share with you 3 ways you can use to lose 20 pounds fast.

Lose 20 Pounds: How To Do It Can you really lose 20 pounds? Of course, you can. There are so many things you can do to achieve that. But before we get into that, lets try to clear one thing: dont go for it if its not ideal. This … 10 Tips to Lose 20 Pounds Fast You can easily lose 20 pounds fast by following a good diet plan. Here are 10 basic fast weight loss rules: Maybe you want a slim waistline, maybe you want to lose 20 pounds in a month.

Whatever the reason, I’m going to tell you this kind of mentality will only lead to failure. Instead of thinking of the results, think about what you could be doing right now to help your body lose weight. The only way to real permanent weight loss is to forget about losing weight. Weight loss is a slow process, unlike what many fad diets will have you believe. If you’re caught up looking at results, you’ll feel discouraged and resentful. That when we make silly excuses like, maybe I’m destine to be fat, or it’s not my fault, it’s genetics. Those excuses are bogus. They only exist to make you feel better about the fact that you have failed in your weight loss goals. I’m not saying this to be mean, quite the contrary. I’m telling you this because the moment you wake up and learn you can change your body, the faster you will get the body of your dreams. But looking for specific results will only get you discouraged or cause you to fall off the wagon. That’s not to say motivation isn’t an important step. I once knew a friend who would put up pictures of attractive women in bikinis by her computer. Every day she was reminded of the joys it would bring her to finally put on her own slim bikini, which pushed her to stay on track. That’s perfectly fine, but never make your motivation your actually weight loss. Always remember, the slow and steady win the race. So focus more on permanent real results, and less on the latest fad diet!

Author: Matt Kelly Source: http://health.ezinemark.com/the-right-mindset-to-lose-20-pounds-7d2e464632a3.html

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50 tips for changing mindset

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Susan Kersley

Source: TotallyZen.com

You know there is no magic way to shed pounds or become fit. The only way to get there is through hard work and eating right. Yet you can give yourself a leg up in the process by changing how you think about food, weight loss and eating healthy. By changing how you think, you’ll also change how you act and hopefully impact your health for the better.

Meditation can play a key role in helping you overcome food issues and create the body you want to have now. Awareness, consciousness, focus and concentration developed through yoga practice and meditation will help you to embody these key points.

Here are 50 tips to help you learn some tricks to get your mind ripe and ready for weight loss.

General
These general tips will help you learn to adapt your thoughts to healthy weight loss.

1. Be patient. Losing weight in any kind of healthy way is going to take time. Give yourself a break and relax, and the weight will come off.

2. Don’t stress. Stressing about weight loss will likely only make it harder to lose.

3. Be realistic. Setting unrealistic goals for your weight loss isn’t healthy for your body or mind. Get your mind set on more realistic accomplishments and you’ll be happier and healthier.

4. Create a routine. Success with any weight loss program requires creating a routine and sticking to it in what you eat, when you work out and how you think about your progress.

5. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you aren’t eating enough, you’re eating too much, or you’re pushing yourself too hard.

6. Use your imagination. Our imaginations are powerful things and you can use yours to picture your body and your life the way you really want it to be.

7. Take it slow. You cannot expect to change your mindset or your body overnight. Take the process slow and steady for the best results.

8. Be honest with yourself. Being honest might be more difficult or more painful, but you cannot move forward in changing your body or how you think about it without facing some hard truths about yourself.

9. Find out what you truly want. The reality is that you might not be ready to lose weight or commit yourself to the work that it takes. Find out what you truly want in your life. Knowing that you really, really want to lose weight can be a huge factor in motivating you.

Mindset
Learn how to change your mindset with these tips.

10. Always be accountable. There is no one else who is responsible for you losing weight. You have to be accountable for what you eat and how often you work out.

11. Break the cycle of excuses. We all make excuses to try to justify our behavior, but these kinds of excuses aren’t doing you any favors when it comes to weight loss. Force yourself to accept your failures and work to improve them.

12. Deal with your emotions. For many people, food is an emotional thing and a coping mechanism for other things that aren’t right in their lives. If you want to change your mindset about your body, you’ll first have to deal with these powerful emotions.

13. Make the decision to be thinner. Sometimes all it takes is a firm resolution to make a change in your life. If you want to lose weight, make the choice to do so and let your actions follow suit.

14. Take responsibility. No one is forcing food down your throat or keeping you from the gym. Once you realize that and can take responsibility for your own actions regarding your health and fitness, you’ll be one step closer to meeting your goals.

15. Think clearly. Weight loss, body image and personal health can be emotionally charged issues. When you think about these things it it important to separate them as best you can from your emotions and make logical, thoughtful decisions about what is best. For instance, our emotions might tell us we need a piece of cake after a hard day, but our logical thinking would tell us it will only make you feel worse about yourself.

16. Change your programming. Many of us have programmed our brains to think we are fat, unhealthy and will never look or feel like we want to. Thinking this way is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, but by changing your mental programming, you’ll change what you’re capable of in weight loss.

17. Stay positive. There is no upside to negative thinking when it comes to losing weight. Staying positive will help you feel better about yourself, keep you motivated and reduce stress — all of which will help you lose more weight.

18. Train your mind to think in your best interest. If you want to lose weight, focus on replacing your unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones. After a while, you will think less unhealthy thoughts and be a step ahead in reaching your goals.

Motivation
Give your mind some motivation with these ideas.

19. Pick out a motivational photograph. Whether you want to look more like you did 20 years ago or have the physique of someone else you admire, choose a photograph you can look at when you’re struggling to help keep yourself motivated.

20. Set smaller daily goals. While your larger goals are important, focusing on smaller, individual goals will give you more of a sense of accomplishment and change your mindset on a daily basis.

21. Use support from friends. There are few things that can change how you feel about yourself and your progress like motivation from friends around you.

22. Reward yourself. When you’ve worked really hard for something it’s only fair to reward yourself. Give yourself an indulgence, though not a food-related one, that you’ve really been wanting.

23. Tell yourself you can do it. Change your mindset about weight loss by constantly reminding yourself that no matter how hard it is that you can and will do it.

24. Never stop thinking about your goals. Keeping your goals in mind throughout the day will help motivate you and keep you on the right track.

25. Surround yourself with good role models. You won’t do yourself any favors when you’re trying to lose weight if you surround yourself with people who practice bad habits and influence you to do so as well. Spend time with friends who motivate you to be healthy instead.

26. Have a mantra. Finding your own personal weight loss mantra can be a great way to help keep yourself positive and focused on your goals.

27. Look at the bright side. Setbacks don’t have to ruin your motivation for weight loss. Instead, think of them as a chance to work harder and prove your commitment to your goals.

28. Create a map to your health and happiness. Spending some time laying out your goals, collecting photos that motivate you, and planning out your steps along the way can help make process easier, more real and something you’re more motivated to do every day.

Food
Change your relationship with food by changing your thoughts using this advice.

29. Think yourself out of bad habits. Bad habits with food don’t have to take down your weight loss goals. Instead, use the power of your mind to fight these bad habits. It will take some doing but you can overcome them.

30. Look at food differently. Food isn’t your enemy or your friend — it’s neutral. Learn to look at food as a source of nourishment rather than a reward or a way to deal with emotions.

31. Picture what food is doing for your body. When you look at what you’re eating, picture what that food can do for your body and how the nutrients will help you feel.

32. Allow yourself to eat when you’re hungry. Losing weight should never mean starving yourself. Listen to your body and feed yourself when your body tells you it’s hungry. Just make sure it’s actually hunger and not boredom or thirst you’re giving into. Likewise, stop eating when you are full.

33. Eat foods you crave. You can have foods you crave while you’re trying to lose weight if you can do so in moderation. Keeping things totally off limits could cause you to binge.

34. Be conscious. Always be aware of what you’re eating. Eating mindlessly while watching TV can lead to a lot of unwanted and unneeded calories.

Self-Image
How you see yourself can make a big impact in how much weight you lose. Try these solutions to feel good about yourself no matter how much you weigh.

35. Change how you think about your body. If you think you are a fat person, you’ll likely stay that way. Train your mind to see yourself as attractive at any weight and you’ll see more weight loss progress.

36. Get control over your thoughts. When your thoughts are out of control it’s easy to think cruel things about yourself and put yourself down. When you start to feel your thoughts heading in that direction, take the wheel and steer them somewhere positive.

37. Stop looking at the numbers. Weight isn’t everything when it comes to health. Some people look super skinny and feel healthy at one weight while another person might be totally different. We all have our own comfort zone, so listen to your body, not the scale.

38. Focus on how you feel. You might not have met your goal weight yet, but focusing on changes in how you feel can help keep you motivated and feeling good about yourself.

39. Stop berating yourself. Negative thoughts aren’t going to help you lose weight. If you have a misstep or aren’t progressing as fast as you’d like, never berate yourself. Simply get up the next day and start again from a positive standpoint.

40. Fill yourself with love. If you want to get the most out of your weight loss journey, make part of the process learning to truly love yourself. No one is perfect so get a handle on accepting and appreciating your faults.

41. Take pride in your appearance.It doesn’t matter how much you weigh, you can look good and feel good about yourself. Shower, put on a fragrance, style your hair, and wear your favorite clothes. It will change how you see yourself and how others see you as well.

Meditation
Learn how to turn your meditation practice into a reflection on your personal weight loss goals with these tips.

42. Imagine yourself eating like you should be. The more you imagine it, the more likely it will become reality.

43. Picture yourself thin. If you believe that you can and will be thin, then you give yourself the motivation and drive to actually make it happen.

44. Think about activities you’ll do when you’re thin. If you’re too overweight to do things you love right now, picture yourself doing those things as the new, thinner you.

45. Relax. You can’t take control over your thoughts and your mind if you’re stressed out and distracted. Simply relax and let go the problems of the day.

46. Picture yourself wearing something you’ve always wanted to wear. A big reason many people want to lose weight is to fit into the clothes and style that they love and admire. Get a mental picture of how you’ll look sporting something you’ve always wanted to wear to give you some motivation.

47. Imagine that you love to exercise. Rely on the power of imagination to help give yourself the initiative you need to get fit and in shape.

48. Don’t let negative thoughts interfere. It’s easy to think negative thoughts about yourself when you’re tackling a big and difficult obstacle like losing weight, but you have to make sure to keep these kinds of thoughts out during your meditation. Replace them with happy, supportive ones instead.

49. Kick all unhealthy habits and foods out of visualization. Don’t let your mental fantasies include unhealthy foods and behaviors. You might really crave them but the purpose is to retrain your mind to let them go.

50. Breathe deeply and calm yourself. Once you’re calm, relaxed, and in control of your mind and body, you’ll be able to start thinking clearly about who and where you want to be.

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A Positive Mindset Will Make You Lose Weight

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Susan Kersley

from Joanna: http://www.loseastoneinaweek.co.uk/

April 27, 2011

One of the best things that you can do to make your way to losing weight much simpler is to learn how to maintain a positive mindset for weight loss. As with other physical tasks, having the right frame of mind is a great way not only to ensure success, but also to minimize the amount of stress that achieving one’s goal will cause. Here are certain things that you may do to be able to maintain the best way of thinking to achieve weight loss. With these secrets, you should not only achieve a better body but you should become exponentially happy and satisfied as well.

First and foremost, make sure that you surround yourself with positive reinforcement. While there may be times when doing something to prove a certain group of people wrong may seem like a good motivation, maintaining a positive attitude to lose weight is the better route. Keeping a positive frame of mind about your situation will help you inch your way forward towards achieving your goal. It will also help you keep your thoughts away from the different things that you are avoiding, in your efforts to lose weight.

It is also important that you settle your reasons once and for all. Why are you even trying to lose weight in the first place? People delve into weight loss regimes for various reasons, all of which are serious enough to make them adapt big changes in their lifestyles. Being able to develop positive thinking for weight loss relies heavily on knowing that you are undergoing all these sacrifices for very good, and not to mention valid, reasons. Keeping your focus on why you are trying to lose weight in the first place will give you the motivation that you need to keep trying to achieve your goals.

It’s important to realise that this mental aspect of losing weight is just as important, if not more important, then any exercise or diet plan you may undertake. The mind is where the journey begins and is the foundation of everything else. In order to develop a goal, stay motivated, and have the dedication and commitment to fulfill it regardless of the obstacles faced is something we can only do by remaining positive and this is why it is so important you do not neglect this factor.

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Losing weight the healthy and effective way

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Susan Kersley

If you find out after trying numerous “slimming diets”, that diets don’t work in the long term, then it’s time to find out how to lose weight and healthy and effective way.

It’s a combination of three things: what you eat, how much you exercise, and your mindset.

What you eat. You need to look at what sort of food you eat, how much of it you have on your plate, and how often you eat it. A Mediterranean type diet is very healthy. This means eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, lots of fish, low-fat meat and healthy oils from olives and avocados. Also you need to cut down on sugar and simple carbohydrates and increase complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, brown pasta and wholemeal bread. Although on its own a Mediterranean diet may not result in significant weight loss, unless your diet now is full of sugar and fat, it will help you to become generally more healthy.

The next thing is to notice how much you’re eating. If you switch your diet to be more healthy and don’t lose weight then you need to reduce how much you put on your plate. Try to fill half your plate with salads and vegetables, a quarter with low-fat protein and a quarter with complex carbohydrates.

To stop overeating is important to in something every 2 to 3 hours because when you get very hungry it’s common to eat too much.

How much exercise. Think about the amount of time you spent exercising, and the sort of exercise you do. For health and well-being you need to do some cardiovascular exercise your heart health, and some to stretch and exercise your joints. For example, you may want to take a brisk walk each day for about 30 minutes and do some yoga a couple of times a week. Not only will these exercises help your weight loss, but will also increase your sense of personal well-being.

Your mindset. One of the most important things you need to engage with is your mindset, what you think about yourself now, and the difference you expect when you achieve a healthy weight you’re aiming for. Success and confidence won’t magically appear after you’ve lost weight. Do what you can now do feel better about yourself and to increase your self-confidence. Imagine yourself in the future: if you do nothing about your weight, look back at the you in the present time. What advice would the future you give to the present you?

 

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