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Think Your Way to Weight Loss

The right attitude will help you lose weight permanently. First of all, you need to develop a support circle, which ideally would include your physician. Your family and friends may be eager to help, but may not know how, especially if they aren't overweight. What you can do is figure out where you specifically need support or assistance. This will make it easier for all. For example, at work, ask co-workers not to tell you that someone in the neighboring department brought in a giant tray of homemade brownies.

Next, keep track of your progress, but don't overdo it by weighing yourself every day or taking measurements all the time. But do record your eating and exercise habits. This way you can see at what times you are most likely to overeat or eat unhealthy food, and how consistent you really are with workout out.

Don't forget to reward yourself. But don't do it with food. Write out, on tiny pieces of paper, some rewards, such as a manicure, a facial, a back massage, a new pair of shoes, or new earrings, or maybe even hired domestic help. Put the papers in a jar. When it's time to reward yourself for a whole week of healthy eating, or attending cardio classes every day that week, then close your eyes and choose a paper from the jar.

Do not get trapped by the following negative attitudes:
The "all or nothing" approach. This way of thinking is when you see either black or white, or one end of the continuum or the other end. Translation: You add an extra tablespoon of high-calorie Ranch dressing to your salad, and then beat yourself up for the rest of the day over this, even skipping a planned exercise session. Forget you slipped a little; gee, what's 100 extra calories? This should be motivation to pump harder at the gym, if anything. (You would have to make this same mistake every day for the next 350 days in order to gain only one pound.)
The "This time it's gonna work" approach. Well, we should always be optimistic, but if you set expectations too high, expecting to be perfect all the time, you can then feel doomed when a minor slip-up finally occurs, like having to cancel your cardio class because the dog got sick. Your journey to permanent weight loss is just that: a journey, not a pit stop. It's a lifestyle change, for the rest of your life.

People who have experienced permanent weight loss all have one thing in common: They have accepted the fact that they had to make permanent lifestyle changes, which included sticking to exercise. And almost always, the exercise includes weight lifting.

Learn more about this author, Lorra Garrick.
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