You'll find it easier to lose weight if you make yourself a priority. Here's how.
Think yourself thin
Take care of yourself, and change how you think about things with positive thinking.
Those two concepts seem so simple, but actually accomplishing them can be challenging. So I've come up with some easy-to-follow tips that'll help you achieve both, because they are crucial to weight loss.
Just try one of the tips each day this week, and before you know it, you'll be making yourself a priority and shifting into positive thinking when it comes to weight loss.
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Monday: Restructure your thoughts
Some people view weight loss as punishment, but it's one of the best things you can do for yourself. Reducing your weight to recommended levels lowers your risk for developing a chronic disease, and may improve your health if you already have one. While weight loss may not improve every aspect of your life, it will help you more easily enjoy some of life's most precious moments, like playing with your kids or walking through scenic areas without gasping for breath.
The way you think affects how you feel, which affects your behaviors. So instead of focusing on the less-appealing aspects of weight loss like eating less, look forward to its benefits, and your positive thinking will likely inspire you to make changes.
More from Prevention: 5 Motivational Mantras To Make Exercise Feel Easier
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Tuesday: Place yourself at the top of your priority list
How many times have you thought that you don't have time to take care of yourself because you're busy caring for others or have too much work to do? But the truth is that if you don't take care of yourself, you might not be able to take care of those most important to you.
Take time to take care of yourself mentally and physically. One way to ensure that you have time for yourself is to make yourself a priority. This may mean that you have to say "no" when asked to take on a new task, or ask a friend or a family member to help you do something. Treat your health as an important responsibility—take care of it and you'll ensure that you're well enough to do everything in your life. (Try these 25 easy ways to fit in 10 minutes of exercise to get started.)
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Wednesday: Make a list of things you enjoy doing but rarely do
Brainstorm a list of things that are not related to food and that are relatively easy to do (e.g., soak in the bathtub, go to a movie, read a book, listen to music, leave work on time, etc). The idea is to develop a list of non-food alternatives to nurture, comfort, and take care of yourself (a.k.a., self-care). In addition, these ideas can be used to comfort or distract yourself when faced with an upsetting situation or dealing with a craving.
More from Prevention: How To Stop A Binge
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Thursday: Schedule self-care into your life
As often as possible, (at least once a week), look at the list of enjoyable activities you generated (Wednesday's tip) and schedule a self-care activity. Seriously, get out a calendar and make appointments with yourself. You can even use self-care as a reward for making positive thinking and healthy lifestyle changes. For example, if you've been putting off going to a Zumba class after work and finally take the difficult first step and go, reward yourself by taking a long, hot bath or by getting a professional massage rather than rewarding yourself by sitting in front of the TV with ice cream.
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Friday: Remember to enjoy the foods you eat
Long-lasting changes in eating are based on a regular pattern of eating that avoids deprivation and guilt. There are no "forbidden" or "bad" foods. Eating is not a moral issue. Eating should be a pleasurable experience. Rather than deprive yourself of foods you enjoy, allow yourself to have and appreciate some less-healthy foods every now and then. The "trick" is to plan to eat them and work them into your daily or weekly calorie allowance.
When you severely restrict your food selections, you set yourself up to feel deprived, frustrated, and irritated. These are the kind of feelings that can lead to overeating and abandonment of weight loss efforts.
More from Prevention: The Most Pleasurable Way To Lose Weight
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Saturday: Make exercise fun
Exercise shouldn't be a chore. To make the experience more pleasurable, select an activity you actually enjoy. Create a pleasant environment (e.g., exercise in a park, working out to your favorite music, exercise while watching a movie or your favorite TV show, etc.). Enlist support. Schedule an appointment with a personal trainer or exercise with friends. You may even want to set up a friendly "win-win" competition. Add variety to your weight loss routine by mixing things up with different activities during the week. (Try these 7 ways to be workout boredom.)
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Sunday: Practice constructive self-talk
Suppose you planned on having one slice of pizza and no dessert at a party but ended up eating two slices and a giant piece of cake; what would be the first thing you would say to yourself? "I blew it again. I will never lose weight! I'm such a failure," or "I ate more than I had hoped today, but it's only one day"? If the first thought sounds like you, give yourself a break.
Is it true that you you'll never lose weight because you ate a little more than you intended on one day? Of course not. Since many automatic thoughts tend to be irrational, it's important to learn to counter them with positive thinking. Rational thoughts are more likely to lead to feelings that support constructive behaviors than irrational thoughts that often lead to feelings of frustration, hopelessness, and behaviors that do not support healthy weight loss goals.
Article source: http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-tips/how-to-think-like-a-thin-person
Article source: http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-tips/how-to-think-like-a-thin-person
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