by Peter Fisher

Created on: April 17, 2007   Last Updated: April 29, 2007

Win the Weight Loss Battle with Your Mind

Most people who really do want to lose weight need first to conquer what's going on in their heads! When you consider the weight-loss process, it is almost entirely in your mind. I'm not just talking will-power, actually something much easier.

Most of your weight loss help is going to come in the form of changed thinking. Much of the time we seem to spend telling ourselves what we shouldn't do, yet the more we tell ourselves these things, the more we seem to do them. It's as if what we resist most, persists longest. When we feel as if we've got no willpower what do we do? We confirm that this is the case by going on to eat that slice of cake just to comfort ourselves. It's no surprise then that the real battle is with that negative self-talk.

So what you really need more than a new gimmicky diet as a means of weight loss, is a way to rethink those self-defeating thoughts and replace them with something altogether more positive. However, this is easier said than done and requires a certain amount of practice. The trick is to listen to yourself the chatter in your head is almost constant. Do you find yourself saying "I shouldn't eat that, but I'm such a gannet that I'm going to"? Think about this - you applied the label then showed how true it was. Aren't you better than being a gannet'?

So start by looking out for when you use one of those negative statements, then try to replace them with a positive thought; "I am only human but I don't need to give in to every temptation" can be used as a delaying mechanism, then you can decide to enjoy that snack in an hours time. Or later!

Many people find they cannot change their eating habits until they change their relationship with food, eating and drinking. By discarding any negative labels you apply to yourself and replacing them with supportive and productive thoughts, eating habits can be changed and weight loss can be sustained.

In our society, food is more than simply fuel, but if you use too much, or the wrong type of fuel for your lifestyle you are in danger of creating a health hazard for yourself. Aim to rethink your relationship with food and you can thoroughly enjoy it without it overburdening you. You can be good to yourself more by careful appreciation than by over-indulging.

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