Today I have a guest article for you on the importance of monitoring your thoughts. How you feel and what you think has a tremendous influence on the quality of your life.

Positive Thinking and Successful Weight Loss

There is some evidence to support the notion that optimistic and positive people achieve more in life and live happier, healthier lives than pessimists. Whether you look upon a half-filled glass of water as half full or half empty has a greater influence on your life than you might realize.

Eastern cultures have long revered the power of the mind and recognized the value of practices such as yoga and meditation for enhanced health and wellness. Developing positive thinking habits matters. A confident self-belief can go a long way toward furthering your efforts to achieve goals, whether the goal might be to lose weight, get fit, look healthier, or make money.

If you have a goal to lose a significant amount of weight it can be helpful to break your goal down into a set of smaller short-term goals. Each smaller goal will be easier to achieve than your overall goal. For example, targeting and achieving a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week can result in substantial weight loss in only a few months. Each weekly goal achieved will motivate and encourage you to continue.

Should you find a negative thought about your weight loss progress creeping in to your consciousness, take time to consider it and think it through. Going over your original plans and re-affirming your self-belief may be enough to banish negative niggles. By overcoming each negative thought as quickly as it appears you can move forward with determination.

Positive thinking is not mumbo-jumbo, but rather a confident mindset and a belief that a goal can be accomplished. A confident mind is open and receptive to strategies that work. A positive mindset is more likely to recognize and understand when occasional modifications in a weight loss plan may be necessary to achieve success. It is not magic, but a more efficient way of carrying on born of the will to succeed and self-confidence.

Keep yourself motivated to lose weight by looking forward to the time when you will be slimmer and healthier. Imagine how much better your quality of life will be. Once you start seeing results, you will be further motivated and encouraged, and soon you will be on the downhill slope looking toward the finishing line of success.

Frances Andrews is an avid health/weight loss writer and researcher. She currently co-writes a popular weight loss website aimed at helping women to lose weight fast and keep it off.

There are many reasons to achieve weight loss with low calorie healthy eating. Top among them is reducing risk for pain and disease. The benefits, however, can go far beyond this if you choose to eat less AND exercise more. (Yes, it does work. See my article Eat Less and Exercise More for Weight Loss for what you may not know!)

In my experience I’ve learned that I could feel better in ways you might not believe. Just reading about the advantages gained, however, doesn’t compare with FEELING the changes.

Top on my list of reasons to exercise and maintain a healthy weight is the gift of energy that starts early in the day and lasts into the evening. I simply did not believe just how much better it could be till I began exercising every day. Now I am sold on exercise.

More energy is just the beginning. Exercise helps improve mental fitness, which just might give you an edge when it comes to handling stress and other challenges life throws your way. If that weren’t enough, study results are stacking up on the way in which exercise can reduce risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Exercise increases your overall fitness. Protecting and improving brain health is great but so is gaining a more shapely bod. Who wouldn’t want that? Weight loss and exercise can help to tone and firm your body. Being able to fit into those skinny jeans once more is a good feeling! Not only that but you may find your skin to have a healthy glow. Radiance is sexy!

You may also find yourself sleeping better at night and waking up feeling great. You’re likely to get sick less often. Both weight loss and exercise positively influence the immune system. This means having more time to do what you want to do in life including spending more time with loved ones and friends.

Any one of these positive results would be wonderful. But how about gaining most if not all of the benefits simultaneously? Now that’s motivation to keep on keeping on. Get ready to feel GREAT!

Both medical and emotional triggers can be powerful motivators for weight loss. Medical triggers might include sleep apnea, low back pain, constant fatigue, aching legs, varicose veins or something more serious. An emotional trigger relates to feelings.

In a study by the Miriam Hospital/Brown Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island weight loss participants with a medical trigger reported having greater initial weight loss than those with a nonmedical trigger or no trigger at all. Those with a medical trigger also re-gained less weight over a two-year period than those with a non-medical trigger or no trigger. That may be a significant difference but who wants to wait for a painful or otherwise serious medical problem to do what matters?

What may be most interesting about this particular study is that men (as well as older individuals in general) were more likely to report having had a medical trigger for weight loss. Women were more likely to report having an emotional trigger.

We need more research about the power of emotional triggers for weight loss. I believe we can use this information to our advantage. Emotions can provide the drive we need to weather the challenges with weight loss and provide incentive to get healthy and fit at the same time.

Have you ever experienced anger at being labeled as being fat? Use that anger to do something about it! That’s emotion.

Have you ever felt concern for the example you are setting for children (your own or those of a family member or friend)? Do you have a deep love or caring for their well-being? Use that love to take care of yourself and be the role model they can look up to! That’s emotion.

Have you ever felt rejected because of the way you look? Take that hurt and turn it into action to eat less and exercise more. Show people how strong and beautiful you really are! That’s emotion.

It’s possible to succeed with weight loss and maintenance without any trigger at all. However, if you can tie emotion to your efforts for weight loss and better health so much the better. Take advantage of the positive side of emotion!

You could choose from any number of fad diets to lose weight and succeed temporarily. Or you can go with a healthy diet and physical activity to achieve the same weight loss. However, if you choose the later, you’ll not only look better but you’ll also feel better from the inside out. The added bonus is that your chances for long-term successful weight loss are multiplied.

Just what would better health mean for you?

I could tell you that by making the best choices you can reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, and cancer. I could continue and include the possible benefits of keeping your bones, muscles, and joints healthy. And there are so many other benefits but would that matter to you?

Unless you are experiencing the health challenges I mentioned my guess is that it may not. You might think that these are issues for other people but not for you. Only time will tell… So if these reasons aren’t enough to motivate you to choose healthy eating and exercise what would?

What if I were to tell you that there are many other reasons that don’t get mentioned often enough?

For starters, you’ll look better because you are toned and firm with less unsightly flab. Your skin may have a glow you haven’t seen in years.

Being healthy means having the energy to enjoy your life to the fullest. You might feel more refreshed and ready to deal with the challenges that life sends your way because you sleep better at night. You are likely to find that you are not sick as often and you have more time to spend with family and friends.

Last but not least, looking good and feeling good can give you a self-confidence that can’t be shaken. That’s worth a lot.

So I would encourage you to know the benefits of being healthy. You’ll not only look great but you’ll feel great from the inside out!

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“Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels”
–Author Unknown

It happens to the best of us. We get started on the right track. We begin a diet or exercise program with enthusiasm and then something happens. We realize it’s no longer working. We’re back to square one and the same old habits that created the problem in the first place.

What can you do? First of all accept that you are not alone. Skip the negative self-talk. You might choose instead to seek help to get back on track. Don’t let shame, humiliation, pride, or anything else keep you from getting the help you need.

Here are seven important questions you can ask yourself to get started again.

1. Just how important is it to me to lose weight?

2. What will I give up if I decide not to get back on track?

3. Am I a quitter?

4. How will I feel if I achieve my weight loss goal?

5. What worked for me when I was sticking with my weight loss plan? What didn’t work? What could I change?

6. Was the diet healthy? Was it well-balanced nutritionally? Was I getting enough calories?

7. Who might give me support?

If you need help, I am here for you. I am committed to providing support and encouragement to anyone who is ready and willing to choose healthy eating for success. Eating a healthy, nutritious diet can radically change your life. AND healthy low calorie food can taste great! Honestly.

You CAN achieve the healthy weight you desire as well as look better and feel better than ever. The added bonus is that your choices can also provide support for local farmers in your community and country, reduce environmental pollution and degradation, protect farm animals from inhumane treatment, and reduce global warming. Who knew? The benefits of healthy eating are powerful indeed.

Do choose to eat healthy foods and watch your portion size (calories). You CAN achieve your weight loss goal. In the process you will not only help yourself, you will help so many others at the same time. I’ll show you how. I know you can do it!

[Note: Visit my website: Women and Weight for tips on weight loss with healthy eating and exercise. If you would like to learn more about why healthy eating matters, I encourage you to read Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating by Jane Goodall, November 2005.]

Would you treat your best friend in the negative way you sometimes treat yourself? Do you hear what you are saying to yourself? Are you being kind? Why not? Do you give yourself a pat-on-the back when you make good choices?

If you are not treating yourself well I’d encourage you to turn that around and be your own best friend starting TODAY! There are many things you can do. Here are some ideas:

1. Do you listen to friends if they aren’t in a good mood and need to vent? Yes? If so, then you can listen to yourself. Listen without giving advice. You can do this by ridding yourself of negativity.

Take 15 minutes or so to write down all of your frustrations, feelings of discouragement, or other bad feelings. By doing this you get rid of the negative and you make room for the positive. Simply write the bad stuff down then let it go.

Now read and review a list of positive affirmations. (Read my previous post to learn more about affirmations for weight loss.)

Review your positive affirmations each time you release your negative emotions. It’s also a good idea to review your positive affirmations when you wake up in the morning, once or more during the day and then again before you go to bed.

2. Keep a log or journal of your successes with weight loss. By writing down the positive and not just the negative you validate your efforts and as such give yourself a well-deserved pat-on-the-back. You will also have more of a sense of accomplishment for the healthy new habits in your life. This can result in the kind of positive healthy habits that stay with you for a lifetime.

3. Make up a list of the things that make you smile so you”ll have it handy when you need it most. In doing some research online, I discovered some things that make others smile.

“being greeted by my dog”

“cuddling with my fluffy cat”

“reading a novel”

“watching a beautiful sunset”

“sharing a meal with a good friend”

“taking a bubble bath by candlelight”

“allowing myself to occasionally daydream”

“keeping a gratitude journal”

How about you? What makes you smile?

Go now and discover your best friend. It can be you!

Affirmations are repeated words or phrases that help to focus your mind on achieving positive change. You begin with the conscious mind but over time your subconscious mind takes charge. In this way, you can transform your thoughts, feelings, and habits. There are, however, a number of things to keep in mind to make it work for you.

1. Keep your affirmations short and specific to have the greatest impact on your subconscious.

2. Express your affirmations as a positive statement. For example, instead of saying “I don’t overeat.” you might say, “I eat with awareness of my needs.” This might lead you to visualize yourself eating smaller portions of food. The mind works best with images. Your brain cannot visualize negative words such as “don’t”, “not”, or “no.” Saying “I don’t overeat” might have the unintended consequence of having your mind focus on the word “overeat”, which in turn could result in you actually eating more!

3. State your affirmations in the present tense. Instead of saying “I will be physically fit and healthy.” say something such as “It is a pleasure being physically fit and healthy.” In this way you focus on the results you want and you create a mental image now of how you will look.

4. Involve your Senses. Listen to yourself saying your affirmations out loud. Imagine how your desired affirmation looks, feels, smells, or tastes.

5. Involve your emotions. Imagine what it will feel like to be more slim, fit, and healthy. See yourself experiencing the positive emotions that go along with the new you.

6. Repeat your affirmations at least twice each day. Some experts recommend saying affirmations just before bedtime and again when you first get up in the morning. You might experiment to find the times that work best for you.

Here are some possible affirmations you can use as is or adapt to fit your circumstances:

I weigh less each day.

I am aware of my eating habits and how they affect my weight.

I do what I need to do to be at a healthy weight.

I am happy about my progress.

I like challenges and handle them well.

I eat with awareness of my needs.

I drink plenty of water.

I love healthy food that makes me look and feel great.

Healthy foods taste good!

I reach my goals because I am determined and persistent.

I have a positive attitude about what I eat, how I eat, and when I eat

I enjoy being healthy.

Tip: When affirmations don’t work.

Pay attention when you hear yourself thinking “yes but” after saying an affirmation. You may need to rewrite your affirmation to be more believable for your situation. If you don’t believe that the desired goal is possible, the affirmation will not work.

Coaches of all kinds recommend having a reward system as a motivator for achieving short- and long-term goals. Given that long-term goals can take quite a while to achieve, the short-term goals can be just what you need to stay motivated for weight loss.

You may want to consider having short-term goals that include developing new healthy habits and not just weight loss of a few pounds or more. Why? Because weight loss is not always a good indicator of how you are doing.

With respect to body composition, adult women are about 60 percent water or more in terms of weight. Fluctuations in water weight are very normal and can positively or negatively influence your total weight on any given day. So you don’t have as much control over your weight from day to day as you do your habits.

It’s not that you shouldn’t reward youself for achieving a certain amount of weight loss. Just consider also giving yourself rewards when you choose to eat healthy, stick with your diet for a week or more, or you stay on track with exercise. These are things over which you have far more control.

What kind of system might you use? The simplest thing you could do would be to have a point system. You get points for good behavior or healthy choices and points subtracted when your choices aren’t the best. This gives you a way to give yourself positive reinforcement for multiple good behaviors at the same time. You also have an easy way to give yourself a “pat-on-the-back” not only for weight loss but other things as well. When you achieve a certain number of points, give yourself a reward!

Or you could choose to ignore keeping a point system and simply reward yourself each time you successfully stick with a new healthy habit for a predetermined amount of time.

What kind of rewards might be suitable? Food rewards are not a good choice, otherwise the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Here’s a short list of ideas:

Get a massage
Buy a new bottle of perfume
Tickets to a play, concert, or art show
Pedicure or Manicure
New dress
New book
Favorite craft or hobby item
Fabulous new pen for journaling
New earrings
CD or MP3 download
Time with a friend
A day trip some place special

What other ideas do you have? Whatever they might be it helps to have a picture of your rewards that you can see often to keep you motivated. Have fun with this. Reach your short-term goals and ENJOY!

There’s nothing wrong with snacking. Healthy low-calorie portion controlled snacks can help you succeed with weight loss. However, snacking is a good choice only when it satisfies true hunger.

Tip #1 – Eat a healthy satisfying breakfast. Yes, your mother was right. Breakfast matters. It is especially important when you are on a low calorie weight loss diet. This one meal can set the stage for staying on track the rest of the day. You get off to a great start feeling good about your healthy choice, your metabolism gets revved up, and your body doesn’t have the sense that you are in starvation mode.

Need some healthy, easy-to-prepare, low-calorie breakfast ideas? Check out Healthy Breakfasts for Weight Loss.

Tip #2 – Take stock of how you are feeling. Ask yourself what you were thinking or doing just before having an urge to snack. Are you actually hungry or are you turning to food for comfort as a reaction to something you are feeling?

Tip #3 – If the urge to eat beyond your needs seems uncontrollable, ask yourself if you might be thirsty instead. So often thirst masquerades as hunger.

Tip #4 – In addition to drinking a glass of water or a cup of unsweetened tea or coffee, wait 20 minutes before re-evaluating your hunger. Chances are you will no longer have the urge to eat if you are not actually hungry.

Tip #5 – To distract yourself while waiting the 20 minutes, have something to do that will take your mind off of food. Be prepared in advance with ideas for what you will do to keep busy. There are hundreds of possibilities. Get creative! Read a book, work on a craft project, knit, draw, call up a friend, go for a walk, or play with your dog.

Tip#6 – Keep snack foods out of easy reach and better yet out of sight. Ever find yourself mindlessly eating a cookie or some chips just because the food is there? It certainly happens to me. The solution is to store snack foods where you won’t be tempted.

Having a plan of action is essential to keep from overeating. Not overeating and staying on track with your weight loss plan will keep you motivated to continue. How might you modify these tips to work best for you?

Join a Weight Loss Challenge and experience the power of numbers! Weight loss challenges can trigger a deep motivation to succeed with your weight loss goal. Challenges are good for anyone but may be especially effective for those with a competitive streak. A challenge can provide the push you need to get you past the inevitable obstacles that you will face.

Weight loss challenges are popular because they can be so powerful. And what better way than to make an otherwise undesirable task fun! If you are not aware of any local challenges that you might join, there are many convenient online programs.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Probe deep inside yourself for that all-important REASON WHY you are setting a weight loss goal and taking on a challenge.

2. Set a healthy realistic goal and make a public declaration of your intent. Make sure your goal is written down. Tell everyone. And then proceed to show everyone just what you are capable of achieving.

3. Ask for support along the way. The challenge won’t be easy so whatever support you can get will be a big help.

4. Begin! Stay in touch with the other participants and helpers. Don’t give up till you achieve what you set out to do.

Here are two inviting online weight loss challenge sites:

Weight Loss Wars

At this site you can start a weight loss or exercise competition with your friends and family, or join a public competition. Share your knowledge with one another, learn from others, and motivate each other.

You are encouraged to select a group of friends who will be available to cheer you on. They will also receive a weekly progress report. Knowing that your friends will be aware of your progress can help hold you accountable.

Included at this site are free tracking tools. Record your weight, calories, and exercise minutes. Get inspired by viewing your own personalized graphs of your progress.

Weigh Ins: Challenge Yourself

This site provides a venue for you to host a weight loss challenge or join another challenge and compete with your teammates. You set goals in your profile and receive reminders till you complete them. In addition to setting and tracking your goals, this site has a calorie counter, diet journal, personalized diet charts, message boards, personal homepage, and recipes.

There’s no need to tackle weight loss on your own. Either a local group or an Internet program can provide you with a positive, supportive environment!