Reviewed by Garrett Seibold, DO of Forum Health Utah
If you have been wanting to lose weight, understanding the power of your Subconscious mind will make your goal much easier!
The subconscious mind is not only your memories, autopilot habits, tendencies, and behaviors but also your beliefs and your inner conversations about your life and about yourself. Here are 12 strategies to help you with your weight loss goals!
- Get in touch with your emotional reasons for wanting to lose weight—Ask yourself why you actually want to lose weight. Go deeper than to “be healthy.” Think about what’s important and meaningful to you. To feel more at home in your body? To show up more fully in life? To live a richer life for yourself, your kids and grandchildren? Say it in the positive – what is it that you DO want?
- Ask for what you want—Have a clear picture in your head about the body that you want. Instead of having a number of pounds in mind – have a body in mind. Google pictures of the body you want. The subconscious mind likes to have targets and it speaks in and responds to images and feelings.
- Meditate—Practice being no body, no one, nowhere, in no time and in no place. Think no thoughts. This helps to loosen old patterns of thought and notice how you talk to yourself. The word meditate means “to become familiar with.” Become familiar with what you’ve been saying to yourself, what your desires are. Our negative thoughts like anger, sadness, fears, doubts, insecurities and judgments can wear us out.
- Notice your self-talk—Be your own best friend. Speak to yourself in encouraging, loving ways. You are doing your best at every moment in time so stop beating yourself up. Be your own cheerleader. Affirm that every day, in every way you are getting thinner and thinner, slimmer and slimmer.
- This is an identity level change—This isn’t just I’m on a diet, I’m losing weight – this is who you are. You are a person that chooses healthy, nutrient rich options even when you go out to eat.
- Know that every little thing you do adds up to results—If you were to eat 45 calories less a day – over the course of a year you’d lose 3-4 pounds. Don’t check the score too soon! I recommend weighing yourself once a month. Check your body in the mirror less – this process takes time! Some have said that it takes a month for you to notice results, two months for other people to notice.
- Eat in a way that you know is nourishing for your body—Eat greens like kale, spinach, fresh salads. These help to alkalize the body so it feels comfortable to let the weight go. Fruits and vegetables have magical healing properties that help support your mind and body as you are transforming. This is a shift from punishing and abusing yourself with junk foods thinking you are comforting yourself to truly comforting and nourishing yourself.
- Make your goals ridiculously small to get some movement in your day—Instead of saying I’m going to walk 5 miles a day, say that you’re going to walk for 60 seconds a day. Exercising in the morning changes your state to make you more resourceful and in a better mood so that you run the day, the day doesn’t run you. Get acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, massage and reiki – these create powerful shifts in your chi that makes you choose healthier habits and thoughts.
- Be grateful for and appreciative of your body right now and the things you already have—By radically changing your beliefs to be thankful for the body you have now actually creates a powerful energetic shift biochemically in the body.
- Know that you are deserving and worthy of this just because—It’s as simple as that. Every moment, every day is fresh and just allow yourself to freely experience this journey.
- Notice your relationships—You don’t have to tell anyone what you’re doing. Some people will have disheartening, discouraging opinions disguised as well-meaning advice. They are seeing life through their lens, their experiences – not through the resources you have within you. Watch out for basement people (those who bring you down) and surround yourself with balcony people – those who lift you up and make you feel good.
- Enjoy the delicious journey—Enjoy the process of momentum building, finding what works for you with meal timing and prepping, what foods you enjoy. Enjoy your clarity, your peace of mind, the satisfaction of doing what you’ve wanted to do for so long.
