To Lose Weight You First Must Lose Your MIND (Pt 1)

Diets don't work. Yet, even though we all know this, we keep trying them anyway; just in case there is that magic diet that will drop pounds effortlessly. However, you have probably been on dozens of diets, yet you are still struggling with your weight.

The reason you may be struggling is that you have been making one or all of these four mistakes of the mind when it comes to taking control of your weight. We are going to use an acronym for these 4 mistakes using the word MIND. This will be an easy way for you to remember these four mistakes and it will also be the acronym to turn your thinking around. In order to lose weight, you must first lose your MIND.

The acronym MIND stand for: M, mindlessness; I, indecision; N, nemesis and D, doubt. These are the 4 mistakes which you may be unknowingly making that are stopping you from achieving your weight loss goals.

This article will discuss 2 of these 4 mistakes, we will then explore the opposite side of the MIND and show you how to turn these mistakes around and create a MIND that works to your advantage to achieve your specific weight loss and health goals.

The M in MIND is Mindlessness: These are things we do out of habit without thinking about them. Did you know eating just 100 extra calories a day more than your body needs will lead to a 10-pound weight gain over the course of a year? Have you seen those 100-calorie snack packs? That is not a lot of food or calories to add all that extra weight. Over the course of 10 years, those extra 100 calories can lead to being 100 pounds overweight.

Do you wonder where your extra weight comes from when you don’t feel like you’re eating very much? Mindless eating is one culprit that many people don’t realize because, as the name implies it is mindless. While we are eating we are not consciously aware of what and how much we are consuming.

Think of the times you are watching TV and munching on a bag of chips. How much are you really consuming? Or when you taste everything as you are preparing dinner, how much are those bites adding up to?

The “I” in the word MIND is for Indecision. This plays a key role in whether you are effective in losing weight or not. Our bodies are affected by the choices we make in life. Many women will go on a diet, but they don’t even know why they are doing it. They lack commitment or decisiveness for why they want to lose weight. Or they do it for a lot of “Should” reasons, not because they have a strong desire.

Why do you want to lose weight? Is it so you can weigh 20 pounds less? Probably not; whether you weigh 170 or 150 doesn’t matter, it is how you feel on the inside, the emotions you have about the way you look, the confidence you feel when you talk in front of a group of people, having energy to run and play with your kids, feeling sexy when you go out on a date with your husband or significant other.

It is difficult to get excited and commit to losing 20 pounds that is just a number on a scale. It is very possible to get excited about fitting into that sexy black dress you have always wanted or getting up in front of a group of people to do a presentation knowing you look great and feel confident.

It is not the decision to go on a diet or off a diet that will lead to weight loss success. It is in deciding to commit to your goals 100%, and put your focus on achieving that goal and what that goal will bring to your life, that leads to ultimate success when it comes to weight loss, building your confidence and feeling great from the inside and out.

These are 2 of the 4 common mistakes that people make. They are based in the mind. They are all thinking problems. The great news is that they can be solved. It is actually easier and more fun to solve than you may think with the proper tools and commitment.

There is the flipside to the mind. The part of your mind that can create anything you want in life. In this case the M stands for mindfulness, I intuition, N now, D decision. You can not solve a problem with the same mind that created it. You can’t solve your weight loss problem with a mind that is mindless, indecisive, being run by your nemesis and full of doubt, but you can solve your weight loss problem with a mind that is mindful, intuitive, living in the now and decisive. This is where it gets exciting. This is where you are in control. You get to start losing weight once and for all, you regain your control and enthusiasm for life and you start to look and feel younger.

In our supportive MIND acronym, M is Mindful. How do you become more mindful? It is simple, but not easy. Being mindful takes practice. You are currently in the habit of living your life based on habit, which is useful to not have to think about everything, but also, dangerous at the same time. You are undermining your health, productivity, energy levels and more through your mindless patterns. Taking control and being more mindful takes practice. This is where you must commit to your goals and start to put them in the forefront of your mind.

One simple tool to being more mindful is keeping a food diary. While this is a simple step, it is not easy for many people. Just writing it down can make a big difference in helping you be more aware of what you are eating.

Intuition is the I in our new healthy resourceful mind.
When we are eating out of habit, frustration, emotions and so forth, we are not in touch with our intuition. As you clean up your diet, start to be mindful, start to live these principles, you will clear up your mind and have more access to your intuitive self. Everyone has the ability to be intuitive. Most of us have lost touch with that side of ourselves.

Your body knows what it needs to be healthy and feel energized. When you quiet your nemesis and are mindful of what you are eating, you will find yourself in the grocery store being drawn toward natural healthy foods instead of toward the junk and comfort foods. This is when you know you are in the flow and moving towards your goals.

We have discussed two of the four mistakes of the mind when it comes to weight loss. In part 2, we’ll discuss mistakes 3 and 4.