Many people start a diet or fasting program with enormous motivation and determination and end up losing a really large amount of weight. But, unfortunately, many end up getting it back because they haven’t addressed the psychological aspect of fitness, weight loss, and health.
In this article, we will discuss “How Our Brains Work”, specifically as it relates to keeping the weight off for good through re-programming the subconscious belief system. Thus the mind starts supporting your progress instead of destroying it.
As I’ve said in other articles, most diets don’t produce long-lasting results because they are often viewed as temporary rather than permanent changes in lifestyle and eating habits. The key phrase here is “permanent change”. This article aims to help you accomplish that.
I spent years in that see-saw of losing weight, gaining weight, losing weight, gaining it back; ad infinitum. Let me tell you, being stuck in this kind of vicious cycle – as the years go by – is extremely crushing and frustrating. It affects the person physically, mentally and emotionally to the extent of despair and total hopelessness.
That’s why, after so much trial and failure, I’ve concluded that my mindset is one of the most important elements to successful weight loss. All the fasting in the world won’t produce lasting results if my thinking and self-image are based on negativity and defeatist belief systems.
beyond positive thinking
Positive thinking is far from being a new concept. Neither is imagination or visualization. Recently there was a film called The Secret which talks about this process in depth. It is very interesting and provides good information and inspiration.
In short, the premise is that having a sharp mental image of what you want to achieve can actually attract the desired outcome into your life. Now believe me, I am not one of those people to bring a nice little tool I learned and present it as a foamy solution or a panacea.
What we’re seeing here is a combination of the techniques that saved me from 15 years of obesity, suicidal behavior, self-loathing, and total hopelessness and isolation. That’s why we’ll cover a variety of topics and issues so that you too can make powerful changes in your life as they pertain to food, nutrition, as well as physical and emotional health!
Visualization is one of the tools that, through consistent and stubborn practice, has helped me break destructive thinking patterns. For example, take a moment and imagine yourself in a particular dress or pant size you want to go into.
Spend some time each day conjuring up this mental image – preferably at night before you go to sleep. One technique that worked very well was to put pictures around my house when I was young and skinny.
magazine decapitation
Other times I browsed through magazines and snapped photos of sleek and fit male bodies. I then cut my head out of another photo in my family album and pasted it into the fit body image from the magazine. He, she It is very powerful indeed.
I was a chronic food relapser, and seeing my face in the skinny body from the magazine kept me from eating on multiple occasions. try it! Stick the pictures in places like the bathroom mirror, nightstand or desk, right next to your bed (so it’s the last thing you see at night and the first image you take when you wake up), and — of course, the refrigerator door.
Look at the pictures every morning when you wake up and say to yourself: “This is me. I want to look like this physically. I can do this.” Create a collage of fit individuals participating in a variety of athletic and recreational activities. Then stick your heads in the bodies!
Self talk
One book that made a huge impact on my life was Shad Helmstetter’s “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself.”
It taught me that I do in fact have the ability to reprogram my subconscious mind and give it direct and precise instructions to support the changes I want to make in my life. I must admit that at first I thought this was very silly. I am a born skeptic. But the pain eventually made me humble and I agreed to give it a try with an open mind. The results were life changing.
You can: *Go to the pharmacy and buy a package of flashcards. *Fill at least 20 of them with positive affirmations about your weight, health and image. *Write in the present tense so that your mind absorbs the statement as a done deal and not a future pie-in-the-sky wish.
Here are some examples:
* Now it has always been easy for me to control my appetite all the time. * It is now always easier for me to say no to _____. (Fill it with your specific trigger foods). I had pizza and donuts. Hey, God! He-he * I lose weight easily and effortlessly all the time now. * Now I always have superhuman will power to achieve all my goals at all times. * Now it has always been easier for me to keep the weight off and I always and easily resist all temptations.
Evaluate the different areas of your life that you want to change, and create statements directly related to them. These can include self-esteem, spirituality, lifestyle, etc… For example:
* I now and always feel great about who I am and am full of intoxicants for life at all times. (Self-Respect) *I receive powerful spiritual guidance and wisdom to overcome all problems at all times. (Spiritual) *I am always full of energy and motivation to live and love to be outdoors and active all the time. * Now it is easy for me to talk to others and I always feel good about myself in every situation.
You can of course add your own. , Once you have them ready, pull them out in the morning in a quiet place and read them out loud. Allow each word to enter your mind and imagine the message entering the center of your soul. If you receive negative feedback such as: “Yeah, right! Poppycock!” Just let go of the thought and move on.
The mind must eventually follow the instructions you give it! If you practice a specific religion, end the session with a prayer of your choice and whatever other inspirational reading you are accustomed to. Repeat this process during the day when the mind starts filling you with opposing thoughts. End the day by doing the last lesson just before sleeping. Make sure the final message your brain receives is a positive one.
If nothing changes, nothing changes
The point I’m trying to make in this article is: don’t start fasting or dieting and go through all the detox and hunger pangs, yet let the mind just sit idly by. In other words, dieting and/or fasting while filling your mind with negativity will take you back to where you started: gaining weight.
Make sure that while fasting and/or dieting, you are also fasting from negativity and continuously feeding your mind with powerful thoughts that go against any mental blockages you may be finding, allowing you to always have all the best. Has helped in gaining the weight back.
In psychology, the “bombshell theory” states that if nothing changes, nothing changes. So the message I want to get across to you is this: You can fast for 100 days and feel clean, slim and great.
But if there is no inner change in the way you think and believe, there is every possibility that the mind will block your progress and take you back to where you started, or worse. Dear reader please do not take this message lightly. If you were anything like me, you are reading this article because you have health and fitness goals that are important to you.
I learned many years ago that “in freedom comes sacrifice.” Fasting and proper diet are big parts of the process. But in order to maintain the freedom gained through these positive changes, it is imperative to directly and forcefully address those inner voices that seek to destroy your dreams.
Source by Robert Dave Johnston
