Losing Weight Starts In Your Head

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By Steve Siebold

obesebikeObesity is an epidemic that is out of control. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Ironically, with so many diets and exercise programs on the market today, the problem seems to be getting worse. Mental toughness is what’s missing from the weight loss equation.

Mental toughness as it relates to losing weight and getting healthy is about changing the way you think about food, exercise and other lifestyle choices. The first step is to realize that unless you have a true medical condition that causes weight gain, your weight is your responsibility. Being overweight or obese is not the fault of the food manufacturers, restaurants, portion sizes, emotional issues or anything else. Mental toughness for losing weight means growing up emotionally and making the decision to beat obesity once and for all.

Here are some ways to incorporate mental toughness into your diet and exercise routine. If it sounds tough, remember that getting the results you want isn’t always easy.

• 99% compliance on a diet is failure! Sounds harsh, but if you’re going to get fit, it’s all or nothing. You wouldn’t cheat on your significant other just one time, so why would you cheat on something as important as your diet?

• If you’re a yo-yo dieter, you know by now that diets are filled with challenges such as cravings. Expect these challenges and know that they are going to happen, but have a plan in place to push forward and stay compliant.

• Stop looking at dieting as drudgery that can only be tolerated for short periods of time. Instead, look at dieting as a strategy for a lifetime to keep you healthy, looking good and feeling great.

• Don’t look at exercise as an added burden in life. If something is important enough, you make it a mandatory habit. It’s why you see the same fit people at the gym at the same time each day. It doesn’t matter how busy you are at work, how many kids you have or anything else, exercise must be a priority.

Self-Talk

overweightbusmanThe greatest mental toughness tool of all is developing a world-class positive self-talk. This will change your core beliefs about diet and exercise, and make it all come together.

For example:

Negative thought: Dieting equals pain.
Positive thought: Dieting equals pleasure through feeling successful, more energetic and looking great.

Negative thought: Diets don’t work.
Positive thought: People don’t work. My diet works perfectly every time as long as I stick to it.

Negative thought: Dieting means denying myself pleasure.
Positive thought: Dieting creates the pleasure of being fit, feeling great and looking my best.

Negative thought: Dieting is too much work.
Positive thought: Being fat is too much work. If I want this bad enough I have to make it happen.

If you want to get fit once and for all, develop the mental toughness to make it happen. It all starts with your thinking.

– Steve Siebold is a mental toughness trainer and author of the book Die Fat or Get Tough: 101 Differences in Thinking Between Fat People and Fit People. Visit www.diefatbook.com