You know WHAT to do, but it’s really hard to keep doing it. Know what I mean? So many of us struggle with getting into the right mindset for weight loss.
Thought patterns, habits, limiting beliefs… these don’t get discussed on your average diet plan, but for so many women, they make all the difference.
Thankfully, no matter how long you’ve struggled, you can learn and CREATE a mindset that works for you.
In this blog I’ll share some of the tools I use with my online clients, to help you do just that.
First…
What’s your vision?
To passionately charge towards your goal… you need to know what it is.
More than just having a figure in your head of a scale weight or dress size.
You need to be able to picture your goal, see it, feel it, get EXCITED by it.
Visualise being that person you want to be.
What will it be like to experience the results you create?
How will life be different?
If you’re thinking ‘That’s pretty hard to imagine, Hayley, given that I’ve never been my goal size and living my ideal lifestyle before…’
That’s understandable. And it’s also totally fine. Keep thinking about it – it will become clearer in time.
But what makes the BIGGEST impact anyway is envisioning the process that will get you there.
Reverse engineering that goal…
What actions do you need to take?
Who do you need to become?
What habits does Future You have that Current You needs to adopt?
This is what you can take action on now – the daily habits that will take you to your ultimate goal.
With an exciting vision of who you are becoming, you’ll be more inspired to keep going.
Set your intentions for each day
Every day is a chance to make progress, but you need to be intentional and create it.
Many people end up reacting to circumstances and events, rather than proactively deciding in advance how they want things to go.
Each morning as you lie in bed or go about your morning routine, as yourself a few questions.
How do I want to show up in the world today?
What does the most awesome version of me look like?
How do I want to think, feel and act?
And… what might test me?
There will often be situations that can challenge your resolve, and we can usually predict them ahead of time.
If you do that, you can empower yourself with a pre-planned response.
So, what could potentially throw you off? And how do you want to react?
Visualise what you WANT to do
Let’s say you have a work event on where there will be pastries and cakes.
You know you’ll be tempted, but you don’t want to eat them.
There’s far better indulgent treats you’d prefer to spend your calories on.
But in the moment, when they’re staring at you, and everyone is sitting around you eating them… that’s going to be tough.
Many people in this situation imagine themselves struggling to resist.
You might visualise how delicious the food will look, and how difficult it will be to not eat it. You might recall past experiences where you caved and felt guilty after.
This is rehearsing what you don’t want to happen.
To give yourself the best chance of being successful, you want to be rehearsing what you DO want to do.
You want to go into that situation feeling prepared and in control.
How could you do that?
Practically – you might bring some healthy food with you, or eat a snack just before so you’re not hungry.
Mentally – see yourself in the situation, feeling and behaving exactly as you want to.
Not bothered by the food around you. Calm, present and focused on the actual event itself.
Remembering your goal and feeling proud (perhaps even a little smug) as you stay firmly on track for it.
Visual reminders of your goal
To be successful in this crazy busy world, we need to remember the goal and the reason why.
Which sounds obvious, but when life is hectic and there’s delicious tempting food in front of you.. it’s easy to forget without practice.
Visual reminders are great because they prompt your brain to think about what you want, and motivate you to keep taking action towards it.
Here are some ideas…
➡️ make a vision board – finding photos and words (from magazines or online) that represent what you’re working towards, things that make you happy, things you want to do and achieve
➡️ set your phone or desktop screensaver to an image or quote that inspires you
➡️ put a photo on your fridge, cupboard, bedside table or in your car
➡️ find an item of clothing that you’re working towards wearing with pride, and put it as the first thing you see in your cupboard – every time you see it, visualise wearing it and feeling fabulous
➡️ find a book that’s inspired you, and put it out by your bed or sofa so you keep seeing it and remember it’s teachings
➡️ order a new book that looks inspiring
➡️ order a motivating photo or poster to display somewhere you’ll see every day
➡️ find something that represents health and fitness and keep it out visible in your house – could be a pair of trainers to go walking or running in, a foam roller, a kettlebell, well stocked bowl of fruit, etc. When you see it remember you are a fit and healthy person because this in your house – yasss! Then make sure you actually use or eat it
Read something that empowers you daily
As we go about our day, a lot of what we see and hear is negative.
We are generally conditioned to play it safe, stay small, and avoid risking failure. Which kinda sucks.
So… we need to be consciously empowering ourselves on a daily basis.
It doesn’t have to take long.
A few pages or a chapter of a book each day can make a huge difference to your mindset over time.
At school we are taught biology, chemistry, physics, maths, literature, history, geography. On a weight loss program we are told what to eat and how to exercise. But no one ever teaches us about the enormously powerful machine inside our head that controls everything we do.
We aren’t taught that we can control how we think, feel and act.
We aren’t taught to understand our patterns and habits, or how to change them.
Seeking and applying this knowledge can change EVERYTHING.
These are a few books that can help you do that:
- The Daily Stoic – Ryan Holiday
- Mindset – Carol Dweck
- Feel the Fear and Do it anyway – Susan Jeffers
- How to Have your Cake and your Skinny Jeans too – Josie Spinardi
- Awaken the Giant Within – Tony Robbins
- You are a Badass – Jen Sincero
- The Chimp Paradox – Prof Steve Peters
- Shine – Andy Cope and Gavin Oaties
They are all less than £10 on amazon. Pick one, dive in, and if you don’t like it, keep searching for one that resonates with you. Or…
Listen to books or podcasts to boost mindset for weight loss
Two of the best inventions ever for inspiration and learning on the go.
Even as an uber-busy person, there are ALWAYS opportunities to listen to a book or podcast:
- driving your car
- on the bus or train
- walking
- doing chores in the house such as cleaning, washing up, hanging up the washing
- while getting ready in the morning
- preparing or cooking dinner
An Audible subscription is £7.99 per month. This lets you download one book each month (you can buy more if you want to), and you can try one month for free. To check it out, click here – Audible Free Trial.
For podcasts, Apple users can find them all in iTunes. If you have an android phone, there are free podcast apps in the Google Play store – Podcast Addict and Podcast Republic are two good ones.
Three podcasts worth checking out:
- Losing 100lbs with Phit n Phat
- The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo
- Think Healthy with Hayley – my podcast! Find it HERE
Many of my clients love Losing 100lbs with Phit n Phat – it is brilliant for no BS advice on mindset and weight loss.
(They love my podcast too obviously..!)
Daily Wins and Gratitude
Us women are highly skilled at noticing our flaws and anything we did ‘wrong’ each day.
We’re not so good at recognising all the many things we do well.
So, make a pact with yourself to recognise all your wins each day.
These could be compliments you receive, staying on track with food, getting in a short walk, realising you just ran up the stairs without getting out of breath, discovering your clothes are fitting better, overcoming a food craving, getting your work project done, keeping your children alive… there are SO many good things you do on a daily basis.
As an extra positivity boost… every morning or evening, write down 3 things you’re grateful for.
Try to make this list different each day, and truly feel that gratitude.
If you have to keep writing new things, you’ll find even more to feel good about.
When you’re noticing your wins and feeling happy in general, you’re primed to keep taking action and reach your goals.
Daily positive self talk
Thoughts create feelings. Feelings lead us to take action. Consistent action produces results.
So whatever actions you are (or are not) taking, you can trace that back to the words floating round in your head.
And while it’s by no means easy, you always have the power to choose what those words are.
Choosing what you think will make you feel better, take more consistent action, and, in time, achieve incredible results.
To be successful… your brain has to become your responsibility.
If you think a thought that doesn’t serve you, you don’t have to believe it.
You can choose a better one.
Practising this consistently can literally change your life.
I think that last point is a great way to finish this blog.
If you struggle with mindset, there’s nothing like the support, guidance and accountability of having a coach.
Through coaching we work together to identify exactly what you want, what really lights you up, and what holds you back… then set you on a path to overcome those struggles, reach that goal and keep the results for good.
To see some amazing client success stories, check out the Client Results tab on my site.
And to find out more about having me help you, click the link here:
Online Coaching.