Mind frame affecting weight loss?

rbeardshaw
rbeardshaw Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I am curious about whether or not a "negative" mind frame can impact on weight loss?

It may sound silly, but I feel that if I am unhappy with a certain part of my life, I feel I cannot control all of it. I stress out over a lot of things and I worry all the time. Recently my life has been turned upside down and I feel like I have lost control of things - some people have suggested meditation to help relax.

If a positive mind helps with weight loss success - then can people make some suggestions of how to get that healthy mind?

I hope I make sense. x

Replies

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Physically it won't have any affect as weight loss is caused by a caloric deficit. Mentally, if you aren't in a good place, you are likely to cheat or not log accurately which will cause problems with your caloric deficit.

    Even if you're upset or unhappy, stick to your calories as you will fell better in the long run!
  • rbeardshaw
    rbeardshaw Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks. Any tips on how to not cheat myself with sticking to my calories?
  • pompeyjosh1990
    pompeyjosh1990 Posts: 90 Member
    yes do the preparation on a Sunday for the whole week and be organised with food.....80% of people are less likely to indulge when food has been prepared for the week....ive done it for 3 years now....best decision I did!
  • rbeardshaw
    rbeardshaw Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you. I am going to prepare some good meals and write out a meal plan for myself.
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
    I would also go easy to start with. Just set up a maintenance plan or slight deficit, something that's enough food for your body and doesn't leave you feeling deprived in any way. Sticking to that should give you a mental boost, because success begets success, and can give you that positive motivation to jump into it wholeheartedly :) I don't like preparing all my meals ahead of time; I do some cooking so I do have individual servings but I never know if that's what I'm eating that night. I really enjoy the puzzle aspect of it, it's kind of like Diet Tetris - if I have that burrito for dinner, how many calories do I have for the rest of the day? What foods fit those calories? It's like a game and that makes it more fun and less work!
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    Working out has greatly decreased my panic attacks. Find workouts you love and will actually do.

    To keep yourself on track, write down your Big Why. Why do you want to loose weight? What are your goals? How do you plan to get there? What are your fitness goals? To look "hot" is not a good enough answer, dig deep. Keep this page handy. When you feel like giving up, re read your Big Why.

    Focus on your victories, no matter how small and don't beat yourself up over slip ups. Everyone is a work in progress, just keep trying to be better than you were yesterday.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Stress very definitely can have a negative impact. So can issues with depression or other emotional disorders. One thing that can help is to start small and build. Say, make one change to your diet that you know you can keep up but that does impact your calories. I started with swapping out soda at lunch for unsweet tea with Equal. That cut 200-300 calories out of my day with one change, and since I like tea with Equal, it was a change I was comfortable with. One simple change can make a noticeable difference, and you can use that as a springboard to make other changes.

    You can also try setting smaller goals within your big one. Meeting the smaller goals can have a positive effect on morale. Small successes help set you up to hang in there for the big ones. Some people can have that one large goal and that's all they needed. Me, I needed smaller goals so I could see progress as I went along. That helped me keep on track.

    Something else to keep in mind: you will make mistakes. You will have off days where you stress eat, don't feel good, have unexpected celebrations, etc. When those days happen, log it and start fresh the next day. One day isn't going to sabotage you or make your a failure. It just makes you human. As long as you get back on track the next day, you'll be fine. That's a very hard lesson to learn, but once you are able to finally internalize it, things become a great deal easier!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I've always been depressive. It didn't stop me from losing weight.

    The point is that what you eat and how active you are is something you CAN control. Heck now when I'm feeling down (which has been the case quite a bit recently), a good walk is what helps me the most... and I don't get any guilt from it (versus eating a box of cookies or whatnot). Although it does suck when it's so hot outside - can't wait for Fall.

    You just have to make it as 'enjoyable' as you can. Find healthy recipes that you'll like, don't choose an aggressive goal, find some exercise/activity that you enjoy (walking for me, obviously, or just hopping on my stationary bike while watching Netflix). Don't deprive yourself.

    About medication, I can't really help - I tried it once. All it did is making me sleep and I was so out of it, I just ended up throwing away the rest of the pills.

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