Focus on the Positive and Ditch the Negative

When you’re on a diet or simply trying to eat better and lose weight, there is a tendency to focus on the negative. Have you ever done this? “Darn, I only lost a pound, I was hoping for at least two pounds.” “I shouldn’t have eaten that bagel yesterday morning, the thing was almost as big as my head.” “That extra serving of pasta at dinner last night was a bad idea. Why did I do that?” “Will this weight EVER come off? At this rate I won’t reach my goal until I’m 90!”

Sound familiar?

Focusing on the negative is a chronic habit that almost all of us have developed over time, and it has the power to sabotage your efforts if you don’t do something to stop it.  How?  By making you feel like you’re wasting your time, not making enough progress, you’ll never succeed, and so on.  If you don’t turn those thoughts around, you’ll give up because it will seem too hard.  This is one of the biggest reasons why so many diets fail.  People can’t see the progress they are making, and they lose hope that they’ll ever reach their goal.

See: 7 Limiting Beliefs That Can Stall Your Weight Loss

Today we’re going to share a fantastic weight loss motivation strategy that can help you stay focused and committed to seeing your goal through to the end.  That strategy is as simple as focusing on the positive.

Don’t dismiss it just yet!  Wait until you see how easy and effective it really is.

Imagine if, at the end of each day, you made a list of all of the things you did RIGHT that day.  How would you feel about yourself and your healthy new lifestyle?

Example:

I got up early and worked out, felt great! I hopped on the scale to see that I’d lost a pound already. I drank plenty of water all day. I stuck to my eating plan 90%. I made time for myself to relax and meditate. I turned away from that plate of brownies Sarah brought to work. I was tempted to stop at the drive-thru on the way home, but I didn’t! I had an extra serving of vegetables at dinner. I ate almost no sugar today, except for fruit, which is really good for me.

Just reading this list, you can probably feel the power of such an exercise.  Okay, so maybe you don’t always do everything perfectly.  Maybe you slip from time to time and eat something you shouldn’t.  Maybe you skip a workout here and there.  But focusing on those “mistakes” will only make you feel bad, which will make you more likely to slip some more.

See: What to Do After Cheating on Your Diet

If you instead make it habit to focus on everything you did RIGHT each day, you’ll feel proud of yourself and motivated to keep going despite any little setbacks.  Just be sure not to include any “negatives” on your list.  Notice that we didn’t write on our list, “I stuck to my eating plan 90% and screwed up the other 10%.”  Don’t write, “I lost a pound but I was really hoping for two pounds.”  That only makes you swing back to a negative focus.  Even if you are aware of the negatives, don’t focus on them and don’t write them down.  Simply set those negative thoughts aside and only focus on what you accomplished that day.

Try it - it’s truly powerful and life-changing.  By the way, you can use this technique in other ways besides relating to your weight loss; use it for general goal achievement and personal development too!  It makes you feel great about yourself, and that’s really the whole point of trying to improve yourself, right?

Must Read
How a Positive Attitude Can Help You Lose Weight
How to Save for Your New Smaller Wardrobe
3 Steps to Get Well and Stay Well