Before Losing Weight, Get Your Head Straight!

"I'm going to start my diet, I just have to get in the right mindset first."

Sound familiar? If I had a dollar for every time I heard this statement, well, I wouldn't be rich, but I definitely would have picked up that Tory Burch fitbit I've been eyeing!

Still, as many times as I've heard these words, I had never thought about what "the right mindset" actually is until a couple weeks ago, when I actually thought to ask a client what he thought the right mindset was. His response:

"You know, I have to gear myself up. To get to the point where I'm okay feeling hungry or going without all the good food. I have to build up my motivation and willpower. It's a chore, and I just have to get in the right mood for it."

This got me thinking. Have you ever been in the mood to do the dishes? Probably not. You do them out of habit or because you can't live with the alternative - a smelly, overflowing sink - not because you've suddenly built up enough motivation to get excited about dishwashing time.

Losing weight is the same. Thinking of it as a chore makes it incredibly unappealing. Sure, you may build up the motivation for a day or two days or maybe even a week, but not to sustain change.

We do things for one of three reasons:

1. We want to.
2. We can't live with the alternative.
3. It's a habit.

The trick to making a sustainable diet change isn't building up enough willpower to force yourself into it, but to change your mindset so you actually want to eat differently. In our appointment, we came up with five tricks to change you perspective for sustainable weight loss.

Crowding Out

Stay positive! Don't tell yourself you'll be giving up your favorite foods. Instead, think of crowding them out by choosing so many tasty and nutritious foods, that you simply have less room for the other stuff. 

Trying New Foods

Think of changing your diet as an excuse to try new foods. This is especially helpful if you're an adventurous eater. When you've discovered enough nutritious foods you just happen to love, losing weight stops being about dieting and starts being about simply choosing more of the foods you love!

One Step at a Time

Don't overwhelm yourself. Take it one step at a time, starting with the goals that are easiest for you to achieve. For example, if you're trying to clean up your diet, start with just choosing only whole foods for one meal of the day. When you feel successful, you'll actually want to move on to the next goal.

The End Of The Day

How amazing do you feel at the end of a day spent nourishing yourself with nutritious foods, quality time with the ones you love and fun physical activity. Pretty great, right? Capture that feeling and hold on to it!


What do you do to shift your perspective?