What is causing your weight gain?

The first step is to identify what you have done to gain excess weight. In most circumstances, your weight gain happened over many months, if not years. This step is not to beat yourself up, but to do a check-in of where you are so that you know what behaviors you would like to improve. There are several possible habits that may contribute to your excessive weight. For example you may not have been exercising regularly. Maybe you  have a tendency to eat foods that promote weight gain, or perhaps you habitually and often excessively eat. Times of habitual, excessive eating may occur when you get home from work and are standing in the kitchen deciding what to have for dinner, when you watch television, or once you get into bed at night. Even the thoughts you think such as “I am fat” or “I can’t lose weight” are habitual thoughts that are unsupportive of your weight loss effort. Not only do they feel bad and are unkind to think about yourself, but they also program you, subconsciously, to gain weight.

Choose new behaviors to help you lose weight

The second step is to replace the old habit(s) with new, healthier behavior(s). It takes about 28 days to change a habit. To learn a new behavior requires doing it over and over and over, until it becomes a new skill. The key is to be consistent. (You can do it!) So, if you find that you have an eating habit that does not serve you, look at what you are eating, how much you are eating and when you are eating. Say you munch chips mindlessly when you get home from work. What alternate behavior can you do? What will feed you emotionally and nourish you after work that does not involve taking in an excessive amount of calories?

The third step is to be aware of the thoughts you are thinking and make sure that they serve you and your weight loss effort. Praise yourself when you make a healthy choice for yourself. (“Good for me!)” Acknowledge the progress you do make. Find ways to accept yourself even if you are not yet at your ideal weight. By setting yourself up for success with new healthy behaviors and the right mental and emotional attitude, you will soon find yourself well on the way toward achieving your ideal weight.

For support in attaining the ideal beliefs and emotional attitude to reach your ideal weight, in the comfort of your own home, click here.

Deborah Barnett, Ph.D.

http://www.manifestingwellbeing.com/manifest/