When trying to shrink your waist size or tighten your thighs and add lean muscle, negative self-talk can do more damage than that tasty bowl of ice cream.

We all want that perfect body and there are hundreds of books, websites, bars, powders and pills that offer an easy quick fix to get the healthy mind and body you want. Don’t waste your money on a sure to fail fad. There is no lasting quick fix in a bottle that will change your health. The only way to make real change is to start by changing the way you think. It all starts in your mind. The initial thoughts in your mind may sound like…, “I would like to be healthy again.”…”I’d really like to get off my list of medications.”…”I want to keep up with my children”….”I want to change the future of my family and friends.” Listen to these positive desires and put action behind your thinking. Don’t let negative talk drown your desire to make a positive change in you and your family’s lives.
When things don’t go your way and your jeans are fitting a bit tighter, you may feel unattractive and broken down. It is easy to give up the fight and head to McDonalds for nutrition void comfort foods. Stop the negative thinking and replace it with words that will help you obtain your goals and change your life for the good.
Negative self-talk will sink you like the Titanic. It penetrates the subconscious and becomes deeply ingrained…
- “This cupcake will make me feel good right now.”
We think, why bother eating healthfully, when the reward is far off? Keep focused on the goal and talk to yourself as if you are there now. “I look amazing.”…”I have boundless energy”…”I love running”…”I am beautiful”…” I know she thinks I am buff”.
This creates desperation, which undermines a healthy long-range approach to sensible eating. Also, perfectionism pervades this thinking (I must not only be thin, but also perfect).
People eat to avoid feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety. Fatty and sugary food provides immediate comfort and distraction from other issues. Those foods actually release opioid like chemicals that can lead to food addictions and intense cravings for those thigh expanding foods. Resolving some of these problems may help you overcome poor eating habits.
- “I feel awful.” “It’s terrible being heavy.”
For some, being overweight is the worst thing imaginable; it can immobilize you and leave you dumbstruck. That’s a reaction more suited to tragedy. Weight loss is best achieved without that end-of-the-world outlook. Think of how you can give something back to those less fortunate. Do a random act of kindness. This will change your self-perception when you focus on the greater good of mankind.
- “It’s intolerable to stick to a diet.” “It’s just too hard to diet.”
This thinking renders you helpless. People who are easily frustrated want easy solutions. We’re seduced by fad diets because they appeal to that immediacy. Yet people who rely on fads suffer high failure rates. When you diet with the short term in mind, you don’t learn strategies that require patience and persistence. You are in this to make long term changes in your life.
- “I am no good.” “Because I am having trouble in this one area I am worthless.”
Being overweight can be viewed as a sign of weakness or worthlessness, and most people aren’t motivated when they feel that way. Another form of worthlessness: “My worth is dependent on my looks.” This idea confuses beauty with thinness, a concept played out endlessly in the media. You are loved for just being you, for being a human being. You are wonderful and special just because you are alive and God made you just the awesome way you are. You don’t need to be thinner to have worth. You just want to obtain health, live life to the fullest and enjoy it every step of the way.
Replace these thoughts with thoughts of who you want to be and what you want to do with your new healthy powerful mind and body. Be sure to write your goals down to increase your potential to change and help you visualize who you WILL be. Don’t do it alone. Share your journey with someone you love and studies prove you are twice as likely to be successful.
Change your mind, change your body.