A few years ago, the weight loss business in the U.S. was in the millions per year and over 90 percent repeat business. Today, the numbers are in the billions per year and still close to the same percentage of people keep coming back to lose weight again and again. In fact, there are over 30,000 diet books and plans on the market, and that number is growing daily. The same people keep going back to lose weight, trying every 'miracle' they can find, but it doesn't seem to be working.
Weight loss is possible by diet alone, but the problem is that low calorie and fad diets, while they cause some fat loss, cause a loss of lean body mass (muscle). The more muscle your body has, the more calories you burn just living. If you diet and lose muscle, your calorie-burning metabolism goes down. This means that you will need fewer calories than before. If you go back to eating normally (to what used to be your maintenance calories), you will be eating more calories than your body needs, and this leads to weight gain. The cycle usually starts again (diet, fat and muscle loss, slowed metabolism) and you will have to eat less and less to maintain your weight. This makes it very difficult to keep weight off permanently.
You can lose weight by just exercising, but the problem here is that if you don't change the habits that caused weight gain in the first place, you will gain the weight back if for any reason your exercise decreases. What makes this better than diet alone is that when you exercise, you can increase your lean body mass, and your calorie-burning metabolism goes up. This means that your body will use more calories to do daily activities than it did before.
When you put diet and exercise together, you get even better results. Your calorie intake goes down, your calorie usage goes up, and this creates a calorie-deficit, which causes weight loss. This is the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Does this sound simple? If it is, then why do people keep going back again and again to weight-loss plans and lose the same 15, 20 or 50 pounds? What stops people from staying with their weight-loss plans?
The equation for losing weight is simple: Less calories in plus more calories out equals weight loss, but there is another factor that is often overlooked: The mind and body connection. How you see yourself has a lot to do with your results. What do you see when you think of your body? Even more importantly, what do you see? Do you see a thin, healthy person who is getting better all the time? Or do you see fat? If you are constantly seeing what you don't want, chances are you will have a hard time getting what you do want. Working on the mental/emotional aspects of weight loss can help you stick to your new eating and exercise habits and achieve permanent weight loss.
When I begin working with a new client for weight loss, I always ask the same question: What do you see when you look in the mirror? A very large percentage of them will give the same answer: Fat. Most people don't even realize that they are constantly visualizing themselves throughout the day in a negative way. The problem with this is that what we focus on the most tends to be what we create for ourselves. This can be a very unconscious process, but it is very effective. If you want to be thin, yet you are always seeing yourself as fat, you may be subconsciously motivating yourself to be exactly what you don't want to be.
When you begin to see what you want to accomplish, rather than what you don't want, weight loss seems to become easier. Sticking with exercise and food plans become more tolerable. Why? One of the main reasons that this makes weight loss easier is that your imagination is now working together with your will, instead of against it. You may want (will) to be thin, but if you always see yourself (imagination) as fat, you will most likely go in the direction with the imagination. When the will opposes the imagination, the imagination wins. The key here is to work toward getting your imagination in line with your will.
One of the ways that you can begin is to set aside five or 10 minutes a day to practice your visualization exercises. Sit or lie down in a quiet place and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and let yourself relax. Imagine that you are relaxing in a peaceful and beautiful place, perhaps a garden or a beach. See, feel and remember what it is like to be there. Hear the sounds. Take another deep breath and let yourself relax.
Visualize yourself exercising: Feel how great your body feels when you allow it to move. Notice how good it feels to breathe. Imagine yourself doing your favorite physical activity and really enjoying it. Now try a different activity, perhaps one that you have been reluctant to try. See yourself effortlessly performing the activity.
Now visualize yourself eating your favorite food. Imagine how good it tastes, in fact, it tastes so good that you don't have to eat much of it. Imagine making better food choices. It makes you feel good to eat healthy foods, and because you feel so good when you eat healthy foods, you choose to eat healthy foods more often.
Allow yourself to see yourself as thin and healthy. See yourself in your favorite outfit. Imagine how good it feels to wear these clothes and you know they look good on you. Your clothes are fitting loosely, and that feels good. Imagine stepping on the scale and seeing that you are the perfect weight for you. See exactly what you would like to see. The possibilities are endless...
Another effective method of keeping your imagination in line with your will is to do daily affirmations. An affirmation is a statement that you agree that something is true, and it is important to say them in the present tense. The statement "I am" is very powerful and it can be used with any positive affirmation. "I am becoming thinner every day," will be more effective than "I will get thinner."
Affirmations are most effective when they are said daily, and as many times a day as possible. Writing affirmations is also a very good a good idea. Make little affirmation cards and put them in your car, on your mirror, and anywhere that you go many times a day, so that every time you see them, you remember to say them. Another effective method is to tape record your affirmations in your own voice and listen to them. This makes it much easier for some people, because it takes the work out of it. You can just relax and listen.
When you begin practicing visualization, you may notice that negative thoughts will come up often, thoughts like "I'm fat," "This will never work," or "Why bother," etc. These thoughts were most likely there before, but you may not have been aware of them until now. Negative visualization habits may have taken years to create, so don't expect to change much by trying positive visualization once or twice. Practice your visualization every day, for at least 30 days. As you get closer to your goal, reassess your goals and create a new picture of what you want to achieve.
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