CHANGE THAT TICKER and other mind tricks
Options
KarenBorter
Posts: 1,157 Member
I posted this initially as a blog but decided to put it here. I rarely start new topics in the forums but I think this is important.
While we all know that weight loss has everything to do with Diet and Physical Exercise there is also a mind over body exercise involved. This is why I feel the following "bullet point" are essential to all of our weight loss journeys.
a) CHANGE YOUR TICKER; If you currently have your ticker set to show "weight to lose" change it to "weight lost" ... this will give you a positive motivating factor in your weight loss journey. This is especially true for those who have a great deal of weight to lose. If your ticker says "100 lbs to go" that can be very daunting ... rather set it to show "15 lbs lost" that is much better and you can see your progress much better. It is especially helpful on those days when you are feeling down about how hard this all is (and it IS hard)
b) SET REALISTIC MINI GOALS: If you are setting goals up to lose 20lbs in a month, you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment making it easier for you to quit. Start out slow and actually UNDER estimate what you can lose in a month. If you have your weight loss goals set up to lose 2lbs a week make your goal a 2 month goal to lose 10lbs and reward yourself. You will be undershooting your goal and when you hit that 10lb lost mark EARLY you will be motivated to continue and see that this system is working.
c) ONE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE ISN'T GOING TO RUIN YOUR WHOLE DAY: I see it all the time "I just blew my meal so I am going to eat crappy today and just start again tomorrow" DONT' DO THAT. So what if you ate a chocolate bar at lunch, or had Pizza or whatever. You did NOT blow your whole day you just chose poorly for that ONE MEAL. Make the rest of your day GREAT and get back on track IMMEDIATELY. Don't let your MIND sabotage all the good that you are doing.
d) 1 POUND OF WEIGHT = 3,500 CALORIES: remember that ... remember that every time you get on the scale and say "omg I have gained 5lbs in 1 day" ... NO YOU DIDN'T you have retained water from sodium most likely and those 5lbs will take about a week to come off. Don't use that as an excuse to quit doing what you are doing you will only compound the problem. Much of America is on a downward spiral of weight gain because of sodium rich diets and not drinking a lot of water. You didn't gain weight, you are retaining water (unless of course you really DID consume 17,500 calories in a day ... then it IS legitimate weight gain).
e) EAT YOUR FOOD: Do not go uner 1,000 calories (minumum) per day (women) ... If you look at the top of the home page where it shows how many calories you have less exercise calories that equals NET CALORIES CONSUMED. That number should be as close to at LEAST 1000 calories or that could be the reason for your stall in weight loss. Your body is in SURVIVAL MODE (i don't call it starvation mode). It needs to survive and you are not giving it nutrients to survive on THEREFORE it will retain everything you put ito it in order to survive. You may actually GAIN weight by eating less then 1,000 calories per day
f) DRINK YOUR WATER PEOPLE: You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body weight in 8 oz glasses of water per day or your cells will retain the water you are drinking and you will gain weight. Drinking water helps cells become hydrated and you will elimiate the excess ... over time your bathroom trips will become less even while consuming more water. ANYTHING with caffeine in it is NOT considered water. Caffeine can dehydrate you as well so if you are drinking diet soda by the gallon CUT IT OUT! Drink more water.
g) HAVE A CHEAT DAY: I need to take my own advice on this one ... seriously I rarely cheat BUT I really don't feel like I have to because I work things in like Skinny Cow ice cream or a piece of chocolate or my favorite crunchy unsalted almond butter. Sometimes cheat days will help kick start your metabolism. Just like doing the same exercise and it becomming less effective over time, your body will adjust to the way you are eating (healthier) and your metabolism also adjusts. Shake things up a bit. This is called "calorie cycling" and it may work for some people.
h) EAT YOUR BREAKFAST: Breakfast is what get's our metabolisms moving ... it's called Breakfast for a reason ... breaking of the fast (of sleep) ... try to eat within one hour of waking up to get it going.
I) GET YOUR SLEEP: Studies are showing that people who sleep more tend to be more successful in their weight loss journeys.
Okay ... those are only a few things that can help the mental game of this weight loss and some things that are physiological ... I am not a nutrionist and I am only stating what has worked for ME PERSONALLY ... I am not a doctor, not a personal trainer but I HAVE lost 36lbs since September 1, 2010 and I have done it by setting realistic goals and sticking with this program. Hope this helps.
While we all know that weight loss has everything to do with Diet and Physical Exercise there is also a mind over body exercise involved. This is why I feel the following "bullet point" are essential to all of our weight loss journeys.
a) CHANGE YOUR TICKER; If you currently have your ticker set to show "weight to lose" change it to "weight lost" ... this will give you a positive motivating factor in your weight loss journey. This is especially true for those who have a great deal of weight to lose. If your ticker says "100 lbs to go" that can be very daunting ... rather set it to show "15 lbs lost" that is much better and you can see your progress much better. It is especially helpful on those days when you are feeling down about how hard this all is (and it IS hard)
b) SET REALISTIC MINI GOALS: If you are setting goals up to lose 20lbs in a month, you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment making it easier for you to quit. Start out slow and actually UNDER estimate what you can lose in a month. If you have your weight loss goals set up to lose 2lbs a week make your goal a 2 month goal to lose 10lbs and reward yourself. You will be undershooting your goal and when you hit that 10lb lost mark EARLY you will be motivated to continue and see that this system is working.
c) ONE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE ISN'T GOING TO RUIN YOUR WHOLE DAY: I see it all the time "I just blew my meal so I am going to eat crappy today and just start again tomorrow" DONT' DO THAT. So what if you ate a chocolate bar at lunch, or had Pizza or whatever. You did NOT blow your whole day you just chose poorly for that ONE MEAL. Make the rest of your day GREAT and get back on track IMMEDIATELY. Don't let your MIND sabotage all the good that you are doing.
d) 1 POUND OF WEIGHT = 3,500 CALORIES: remember that ... remember that every time you get on the scale and say "omg I have gained 5lbs in 1 day" ... NO YOU DIDN'T you have retained water from sodium most likely and those 5lbs will take about a week to come off. Don't use that as an excuse to quit doing what you are doing you will only compound the problem. Much of America is on a downward spiral of weight gain because of sodium rich diets and not drinking a lot of water. You didn't gain weight, you are retaining water (unless of course you really DID consume 17,500 calories in a day ... then it IS legitimate weight gain).
e) EAT YOUR FOOD: Do not go uner 1,000 calories (minumum) per day (women) ... If you look at the top of the home page where it shows how many calories you have less exercise calories that equals NET CALORIES CONSUMED. That number should be as close to at LEAST 1000 calories or that could be the reason for your stall in weight loss. Your body is in SURVIVAL MODE (i don't call it starvation mode). It needs to survive and you are not giving it nutrients to survive on THEREFORE it will retain everything you put ito it in order to survive. You may actually GAIN weight by eating less then 1,000 calories per day
f) DRINK YOUR WATER PEOPLE: You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body weight in 8 oz glasses of water per day or your cells will retain the water you are drinking and you will gain weight. Drinking water helps cells become hydrated and you will elimiate the excess ... over time your bathroom trips will become less even while consuming more water. ANYTHING with caffeine in it is NOT considered water. Caffeine can dehydrate you as well so if you are drinking diet soda by the gallon CUT IT OUT! Drink more water.
g) HAVE A CHEAT DAY: I need to take my own advice on this one ... seriously I rarely cheat BUT I really don't feel like I have to because I work things in like Skinny Cow ice cream or a piece of chocolate or my favorite crunchy unsalted almond butter. Sometimes cheat days will help kick start your metabolism. Just like doing the same exercise and it becomming less effective over time, your body will adjust to the way you are eating (healthier) and your metabolism also adjusts. Shake things up a bit. This is called "calorie cycling" and it may work for some people.
h) EAT YOUR BREAKFAST: Breakfast is what get's our metabolisms moving ... it's called Breakfast for a reason ... breaking of the fast (of sleep) ... try to eat within one hour of waking up to get it going.
I) GET YOUR SLEEP: Studies are showing that people who sleep more tend to be more successful in their weight loss journeys.
Okay ... those are only a few things that can help the mental game of this weight loss and some things that are physiological ... I am not a nutrionist and I am only stating what has worked for ME PERSONALLY ... I am not a doctor, not a personal trainer but I HAVE lost 36lbs since September 1, 2010 and I have done it by setting realistic goals and sticking with this program. Hope this helps.
0
Replies
-
Very insightful.
Nicely done.
Blue0 -
What a great reminder for us all! Thanks for the great post!:happy:0
-
Thank you!0
-
thanks! Every little bit of info helps me!0
-
Thanks, all great points. The one thing I cannot wrap my head around is this idea of drinking half your body weight in water every day!? I thought it was 8 glasses or 64oz a day. I can barely get there without having to wear an adult diaper. Can you please show where this advice comes from? It just really seems a bit extreme.0
-
Thanks!!!
0 -
Well put as always Karen!!! Great information there, I hope everyone has a chance to read over it!0
-
Thank you for the excellent advice!
0 -
:drinker:
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/15Plateau_tips.htmThanks, all great points. The one thing I cannot wrap my head around is this idea of drinking half your body weight in water every day!? I thought it was 8 glasses or 64oz a day. I can barely get there without having to wear an adult diaper. Can you please show where this advice comes from? It just really seems a bit extreme.
absolutely...half your weight in ounces0 -
Thanks, all great points. The one thing I cannot wrap my head around is this idea of drinking half your body weight in water every day!? I thought it was 8 glasses or 64oz a day. I can barely get there without having to wear an adult diaper. Can you please show where this advice comes from? It just really seems a bit extreme.
Check this google search link ... lots of information there. 8 8oz glasses is the MINIMUM people should drink per day.
http://www.google.com/search?q=water+to+drink+per+day&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a0 -
:drinker:
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/15Plateau_tips.htmThanks, all great points. The one thing I cannot wrap my head around is this idea of drinking half your body weight in water every day!? I thought it was 8 glasses or 64oz a day. I can barely get there without having to wear an adult diaper. Can you please show where this advice comes from? It just really seems a bit extreme.
absolutely...half your weight in ounces
Thanks ... that link plus all the other ones. This depends on a lot though but as I said above ... 8 8oz glasses is a suggested MINIMUM and most people don't get that.0 -
Thanks for thoes great tips, helps alot!!0
-
awesome! thanks!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 395 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 960 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions