8 Mindset Shifts that Help with Weight Loss

Have you ever started a new diet or workout program full of motivation to finally lose the weight THIS time? And, how did it go? Most people can easily find the drive to get the weight loss train rolling but, sustaining that effort over enough time to actually create results is another matter. So, why do so many of us fail when it comes to weight loss? In my experience, it’s because we don’t have the right mindset to sustain our motivation throughout the journey. Yes, that’s right! Weight loss just like health and fitness, is a journey, not a ‘3 week’ challenge so. Start your transformation by focusing on the inside with these 8 mindset shifts that help with weight loss.

1. Don’t Let Your Past Limit Your Future

By our mid 30’s, most of us have been through at least a few different periods of weight loss and weight gain. Things like having a baby, facing illnesses and injuries, breakups and life’s stresses often cause us to lose sight of a healthy lifestyle and pile on the weight.

But, just because you’re unhappy with what your body currently looks like, doesn’t mean that it’s always going to be that way. Give yourself permission to forgive yourself for doing whatever it was that got you here and realise that every day is a possibility to make positive changes. Unless you let go of the past, you’ll keep on making excuses that will hold you back.

2. Stop Comparing

It’s SO tiring to constantly be comparing your body, personality and success to that of other people! Sure, it’s great to be inspired by someone else’s journey but, at the end of the day, your progress is all that matters. Think of today as your starting point and focus on being the best that you can be. This positive mentality will get you so much further than putting yourself down just because you don’t look like they do.

3. Step Off the Scale

The scale is an old school way of thinking. It doesn’t tell you how much of your body is made up of bone, lean muscle, fat or water storage. And, that’s why it’s not an accurate picture of the progress you’re making towards your weight loss goal. If you eat less carbs for a week, you’ll most probably drop a bit of weight but when you start eating a balanced diet again, this will come straight back on because it was ‘water weight’, not true fat loss. Step off the scale and focus on your body composition, how your clothes feel and how you look in the mirror.

4. Prioritise Your Health

Regardless of what season of life you’re in, you will be busy! And, responsibilities, work pressures and the demands of having a family can make it seem like there’s not enough time to prepare healthy food and exercise every day. But, without your health, your enjoyment of life will go down the drain too. In order to give yourself the best chance of successfully losing weight, prioritise your health. Don’t feel guilty for taking some ‘you-time’ to go for a run or have a personal training session. You deserve to look and feel your best and when you do, your family, friends and work will probably see the difference too.

5. Prepare for Rough Times

Most people trying to lose weight put a TONNE of pressure on themselves to lose weight now. But, the journey to weight loss isn’t all smooth sailing! You’re going to experience ups and downs, hold ups and set-backs and that’s okay! It doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. If, and when, things don’t go as planned, be kind to yourself. Take a minute to breathe, reassess then get back up and keep going.

6. Realise It’s a Lifestyle, Not a Diet

Not matter how hard we try, you simply can’t lose all the weight you’d like overnight. That means that no short-term, ‘diet’ mentality is going to get you where you want to be. Instead, you need a healthy lifestyle that you can see yourself maintaining. Forget fad diets or severe calorie restriction. By making healthy food choices most of the time, you can lose weight while enjoying your favourite treats. It’s about moderation, not deprivation.

7. Focus on Consistency, Not Perfection

You don’t need to eat ‘perfectly’ and always give your all in the gym to lose weight. Taking that approach will just set yourself up to think that you’ve failed just because you ‘gave in’ and treated yourself to a slice of birthday cake or weren’t really feeling your workout. At the end of the day, it’s about consistency, not perfection. What you do on a daily basis will add up to weight loss results over time. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect but do aim to show up and look for motivation when you’re feeling a bit down.

8. Train Smart

To lose weight you don’t need to start running marathons or working out for multiple hours a day, every day of the week. Exercise also shouldn’t leave your body feeling worn out and exhausted. Just like you’ll benefit from having a sustainable diet, your workout program needs to be easy to maintain too. To do that, focus on exercises that are going to give you more bang for your buck. Strength train to build lean muscle and boost your metabolism, do interval training to burn more calories in the same amount of time and always give yourself enough time to recover between sessions so that you’re not just beating up your body and your mind.

If you’d like some personalised help on how to use these 8 mindset shifts that help with weight loss, contact us today. Weight loss can be an enjoyable and empowering journey if you do it right so focus on what’s inside and you’ll naturally see your body start to transform.