Mental Challenges to Weight Loss

Yesterday was a tough day for me: I had a few deadlines at work, traffic was horrible, and I was tired. All I wanted to do was go home, eat a chocolate bar, and curl up in bed. I didn’t want to even THINK about exercising, let alone eating something healthy. Ewww….

I’m sure we’ve all had those days when we are stressed out, irritable, tired, and just “not in the mood” to eat healthy or exercise. But we know it’s good for us to fuel our bodies well in order to hopefully live a long, healthy life.

So what are we to do? Do we have to be “perfect” every single day of our lives? In my opinion, No. Because you are human, there are going to be times when you occasionally take a day off from being physically active, or a day that you declare as “fast food/junk food” day (not to be abused as binge eating day, which NOT the same thing!). But when we start having more of those “off” days than “on” days, we’ve got to do something!

Motivational Techniques

1. Self-talk is key. We’ve been taught over the years to be nice to others. Well, the same goes for ourselves. Be nice to yourself. You don’t go around telling someone that they’re fat (unless you’re just plain rude and have no manners), so don’t tell yourself that. You may be carrying a few extra pounds, but don’t carry it mentally too.
2. As well, don’t call yourself stupid and don’t beat yourself up when you struggle. So, you failed at doing this eating well/exercising thing for one day. As Scarlett O’Hara once said “tomorrow is another day”. For example, I decided to take the day off from exercising and I ate “horribly” one day (see example above). That doesn’t mean that I’m a horrible person and I can never succeed at anything. It just means I’m human and I struggle. So, forgive yourself before you go to sleep, and get up the next day and try anew
3. Journal, journal, journal. Part of the mental game is to journal what’s going on with your mood, your food, and your body. Journal when you feel stressed, what triggers you to feel stressed, what you are craving at that point, and how you can relieve that stress without turning to food
4. Find a healthy outlet to stress, be it physical activity, journaling, blogging, being creative (through music, writing, drawing), reading, going out with or calling a friend, doing housework or yardwork, or praying….find an outlet. Get support. It’s important.
5. And finally, smile at yourself. Think positively. YOU CAN DO IT!

_{Photo Courtesy of [LollyKnit]}

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