Key Points of a Conscious Weight-Loss Journey

An essential aspect of a consciousness weight loss journey is to stay motivated, as there will likely be challenges as you progress. It is important to have a toolbox with some useful devices to keep you on track to success. Here are seven of the most important tools to take out and use whenever you need.

1. Be ever conscious of your Weight-loss Why.

Never lose sight of why you are taking your weight-loss journey. Visualize vividly where you want to be and how healthy and happy you will be when you get there. If, on one day, you feel you might backslide, powerfully recall your good reasons for losing weight—health, appearance, self-image, or whatever they may be. Consciously congratulate yourself on the progress you have made and realize how proud you will be of yourself when you break through this day’s challenge.

2. Motivate yourself with positive self-talk.

Throughout your journey, purposefully and clearly articulate to yourself your strong belief that you will succeed. No negative judgments allowed, please! Your mantra should be, “I am worth this, I choose to do this, and I will do this.”  Because you are, and you do, and you will!

3. Set achievable short-term goals for your weight reduction journey.

Your overall goal may be to lose a significant amount of weight, get healthier, and stay there. And that may seem to be a huge task at the beginning. But the way every big task is accomplished is by performing many smaller tasks. The same is true for weight loss. Set short-term goals  that you can accomplish today or in a brief amount of time. Not to lose 50 pounds, but to lose 1 pound or 8 ounces in the next week. Not to be as slim as a fashion model or as proportional as a champion weightlifter, but to get 5,000 steps in today or to cook up a tasty-looking low-calorie recipe for dinner. Keep today’s and this week’s goals small and doable and watch them pile up over time as you reach bigger and bigger goals.

4. Keep track of your progress.

Having a visual representation of the progress you are making can be a great incentive to keep on truckin’! Keep a journal or wall chart on which you record your weight loss each week, how many minutes you spend on the treadmill or exercise bike each day, or how many calories under your baseline metabolism requirements you refrain from each day. Or put the information in a special file on your cell phone or computer. In any event, make time each day to update and review your record and to congratulate yourself on your progress. Have a pack of gold star stickers or some virtual stars to slap onto your record for days on which you did especially well or overcame a mental challenge.

5. Seek enjoyable ways to exercise.

Some prefer the elliptical, others the treadmill, exercise bike, or weights. Still others prefer to take brisk daily strolls down to the park or to bicycle for half an hour along the river path. The essential thing is to get up and start moving and to look for exercise methods that are best geared to your preferences. Partaking in a variety of different exercises can help prevent boredom. Listening to music or watching a Netflix series while you exercise indoors can help you melt away minutes while you melt away the extra weight.

6. Do not use just the scale to determine your progress.

Find an old top or a pair of pants that do not quite fit you anymore. For the top, there may be a small gap between buttons, or the pants may feel just a little too tight in the waist. Set the item aside in your closet. After two weeks or a month, try it on again. Even if the fit is still not perfect, it will be better – proof that diet and exercise are working. Keep periodically checking the fit until it is perfect. Voila! Still more proof! Then find another piece that is still a bit small for you and do the same thing. A great alternative is to buy some new article of clothing you really like but is a little snug on you and hang it in your closet. This is an award to give yourself when you get to the point where it fits just right.

7. Forgive yourself if you backslide.

This is very important. Your weight-loss journey will take time, and occasionally you may backslide for a day or a meal. If that happens, make sure you do not beat yourself up about it. A good trainer would tell you to let it go and move forward. Be a good trainer for yourself. Just tell yourself that your body needed a short break, and now it is time to move forward again toward where you want to be.

Learn more about our Conscious Fasting & Weight Loss Program.