How Your Self-Talk Influences Your Weight Loss Goals

Are you trying to lose weight? Are you struggling to keep up with your eating and work-out schedule? Do you need help keeping yourself motivated? Look no further, here are five ways your self-talk influences your weight loss goals.

One of the things people struggle with the most in life is their weight. It’s not only women who feel that they have to be a certain size, but men also fight their own weight demons. It’s not just society that dictates our weight needs, but we also have to think of our health and our life goals.

Weight can be a tricky issue. The struggle to completely change your lifestyle from frozen pizzas and microwave burritos, to healthy salads and light snacks, is a very challenging thing indeed. You might have friends and family to support you. You might have a dietitian or healthcare specialist to back you up. But, the truth is, you’re going to be your own best friend in your weight loss plans, and your self-talk influences your weight loss goals like nothing else ever can. You have the ability to give yourself all the motivation you need.

#1 Cleans Your Thoughts

I know it sounds kind of kooky, but when people tell you that you attract the things you think, it really is true. If you keep thinking you’re too fat, or you aren’t losing weight fast enough, or it’s too hard…then you’re setting yourself up for self-destruction. In all honesty, keeping your thoughts positive (and truly believing in them) is the best way to keep motivated.

First, you have to tell yourself “Wow, I am losing weight” when you look in the mirror. This sentence tells your subconscious what you really want (and then you act on that without even realizing it). Next, you have to keep constant “weight loss” thoughts. Tell yourself that you love the salad you’re eating. Tell yourself you don’t really care for chocolate and don’t want any of it. Talk yourself into exercising by saying how much you love to be out in the sun. Keep your thoughts positive about the changes your making, and the transition will be easier (also the results will be quicker).

#2 Builds Your Self-Confidence

beautiful girl in lingerie looking at herself in the mirror

Talking to yourself not only cleanses your thoughts, but it also builds your self-confidence. Look at yourself and say “I am beautiful!”. Even if you don’t fully believe it now, you will eventually begin to truly realize and believe that you’re beautiful. That realization will build your self-confidence.

One trick I use is not only “I’m beautiful” but also “I’m awesome”. My son has a habit of saying “I know, I’m awesome.”, very matter of fact-like, whenever I praise him for something. He told me to give it a try, and at first I felt ridiculous, but now I realize that it works. Self-talk yourself into feeling beautiful, slender, or awesome.

#3 Reinforces Your Goals

One of the most important things that self-talk does is reinforce your goals. Reinforcing your goals is important for two reasons. First, it keeps you going. If you don’t reinforce your weight loss goals by telling yourself that you are beautiful and you will (not just might…but WILL) lose X amount of pounds, then you’re going to have a hard time losing weight. Motivation is the key to everything.

Second, reinforcing your goals is important because it builds up belief. If you say something over and over again long enough, then eventually you will begin to believe it. That’s true for everything in life, not just weight loss, so it’s important to keep your thoughts and your words positive.

#4 Tricks Your Brain (in a Good Way)

happy beautiful young woman is measuring her head and thinking to be fit

Talking to yourself during your weight loss goals and keeping your thoughts and feelings positive actually tricks your brain. Have you ever wanted a day off work because you felt a little bad, but you didn’t feel bad enough to stay home? Did you suddenly start feeling worse so that you could actually feel bad enough to stay home?

This is how you trick your brain. When you want something, your mind knows it. Whatever you tell yourself is true. Now, you can’t tell yourself “I’m a millionaire” and wake up with a bunch of money in your account…and you can’t tell yourself “I’m a supermodel” and wake up looking like Heidi Klum, but, you can talk to yourself and trick your brain into working extra hard to get to your ideal size. Your self-talk tricks your brain into working harder and enjoying the work needed to achieve your weight loss goals.

#5 Supports You Like a Friend Would

Finally, one of the most amazing ways your self-talk influences your weight loss goals is by being your own best friend. When you talk to yourself, you truly believe it. I can listen to my friends tell me something and I won’t believe it, but I believe it when I say it to myself.

When I go to my mom’s she always says, “You’ve lost some weight, let me make you a sandwich”. My family associates weight loss with stress (which is usually the case here). The truth is, though, I very rarely have actually lost any weight, my mom just thinks I stress myself out too much and she wants to remind me to eat and relax.

Now, when I have lost weight, and I look at myself and say, “I look great! Look at that, I must have lost, what, five or ten pounds? Yeah, I’m awesome!” then I actually believe it. Why? Because I said it myself. In all honesty, in the back of our mind, we all know that other people lie to us. We know they tell us things we want to hear, or they sugar coat the bad so it isn’t as bad. However, who in their right mind would lie to themselves? Our brain thinks we always speak the truth about ourselves, so when you talk to yourself like you are your best and most supportive friend, your self-talk motivates you just like a best friend should.

The next time you’re struggling to lose weight, or you think you can’t do it, talk to yourself. Treat yourself like you would want your best friend to treat you. Tell yourself you’re beautiful and you are losing weight…positively reinforce your thoughts. Tell me, what kinds of things do you tell yourself in the mirror?

About the author

Trina

Just another hard working mom who loves her kid, loves to write, can’t cook, and has a thing for tentacles! When I’m not hanging out with my Spawn, I’m happily sharing my dating experiences and offering advice and trying to control the chaos that comes with being human.

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