How a Positive Mental Attitude Helps Weight Loss

Believe it, and you can achieve it. Attitude is altitude. Common phrases that we sometimes take for granted without really thinking about them but really, when it comes to losing weight, as with so many other things in life, your attitude really is everything. These mantras are frequently bandied about by inspiration gurus and self-help professionals, and they have actually, believe it or not, been shown to have a definite positive impact for many people. But can a positive attitude be the cornerstone for dieting success? Many health and fitness professionals believe it is not only helpful, but critical in achieving weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight.

The thought process goes like this. Negative thinking can lead to self-defeating behaviors. This gives you little excuses to cheat on your diet, skip a workout session, and care little in the short term about your long term weight loss efforts. Over time this can lead to weight gain instead of weight loss, an individual then feels frustrated, and self-esteem drops. This leads to more negative attitudes, which then create a self-fulfilling and endless cycle of weight loss failure.
Donald Hensrud, M.D., is a frequent spokesperson for the Mayo Clinic, and he believes that mentally setting yourself up for success in your dieting efforts is vitally important. That is because staying positive will help you through the stumbles and falls you will definitely make in your weight loss experience. No one is perfect, so those fried food dinners and ice cream desserts are going to happen.
But positivity and the right mental attitude can get you over those speed bumps and back on track towards your weight loss goals. Did you know that major studies have shown low self-esteem and a negative self image can rob you of energy, give you a feeling of powerlessness, can actually cause depression and contribute to a lack of motivation?
Negativity even causes a significant negative physiological affect to take place in your body, and this can actually contribute to weight gain and other negative physical characteristics.
However, having a positive attitude means being realistic as well. To achieve your personal weight loss goals,you really do need to set achievable benchmarks. Otherwise you will probably fail and that will simply have the effect of dampening your spirits and lowering your enthusiasm even more. Conversely, you need to reward yourself when you hit significant levels of weight loss, so remember to keep a daily journal for both your positive and negative thoughts regarding your dieting efforts, and make a conscience effort every day to transform the way you think.
Reward your own success. You should also give yourself a mental pat on the back for even succeeding in a small way. For example, if you drink coffee today without sugar, or pass on that second slice of pizza, then congratulate yourself out loud. By reaffirming positive behavior and keeping a positive attitude, you will achieve your diet and lifestyle goals, and possibly quicker than you ever thought possible.

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