Can positive thinking lead to weight loss?

Well, the negative thinking almost certainly can’t, so why not try this other approach, right? Constantly repeating to yourself that it’s no good, that you simply can’t stick to a diet or make regular exercising a habit – those things are bound to demotivate you and to kill your desire to actually work on losing weight before you reach any significant goal.

“Okay, but affirmations for weight loss? Yeah, that’ll work…”, I can almost hear some of you thinking now.

Oh yes, it will. Well, it can work if you allow it to – if you stick to being skeptical then nothing will work for you.

Let’s Face It: It’s Not Easy to Lose Weight

If you have ever tried, you know.

There will be physical hunger pangs that do not subside easily, there will be mental and physical fatigue that will undermine your ability to take part in a decent exercise program, there will be dietary changes which are never easy to make…

A mental wear down, common to all those who try to stick with a diet that doesn’t seem to be going where they want it to go, makes it a thousand times more difficult to achieve your weight loss goal.

And that’s where the affirmations come into play.

They can’t make you slim. But they can do the second best thing: they can help you shift gears and create the proper mindset that will dramatically enhance the odds of you reaching your desired weight.

And why exactly?

Well, every affirmation helps with a different issue. We made a selection of 5 of our weight loss affirmations that seem to be the most helpful (i.e. most people reported that these are the affirmations that “did it” for them) along with the explanation of why they work.

You’ll be surprised to see how simple and yet powerful some of them are...

"I believe in my ability to lose weight and keep it off"

The issue this affirmation tackles: demotivation and self-doubt coming from the above mentioned mental wear down.

When things get hard, it’s so tempting to just give up, making the most common excuse of them all: “I just can’t do it.” But when you intentionally switch to “Oh, I CAN do it” it automatically becomes easy; and not only easy – it becomes natural, as here you affirm it’s your ability, something that’s a part of you. And one doesn’t just give up on the things that are natural to them!

"I deserve to be slim, healthy and happy"

The issue: low self esteem

Believe it or not, many people struggle with weight because deep down they believe that being slim, healthy and happy is reserved for those more lucky, or more deserving, than them. That leads to them not trying as hard, because it’s not for them anyway. So this particular affirmation aims to help them realize that it’s their right to be just as good looking, just as happy as those “others” – which in turn, you guessed it, makes their motivation to work on getting there skyrocket.

"I am comfortable with my body"

The issue: dramatically unhealthy body image / high level of insecurity

Usually formed in early childhood, insecurity often gets the shape of “my body is ugly” (or similar) in the society that glorifies photoshopped models (you do know ALL of them are photoshopped?). This affirmation is for those with very high level of self-consciousness - that’s why it’s formulated as “I am comfortable”, to help them make that very first and unbelievably important step, acceptance, for as long as they don’t accept their bodies, they won’t be trying as hard to get them in shape.

"I am changing into someone who is always motivated to exercise"

The issue: aversion towards physical activity

This is another affirmation for extreme cases – those who have never been physically active and who have developed a sort of aversion towards it, so much that they find it really difficult to even imagine themselves exercising. The formulation “I am transforming into someone who…” is to make the notion of themselves as physically active closer, more natural and imaginable to them. Any drastic case requires gradual transformation, so this formulation is just to make them feel comfortable with the idea, and to create the base for further progress.

"I will have the body I’ve always wanted"

The issue: no deeper issue here, this is simply a powerful motivational affirmation

It’s the words ”I will” that make this affirmation so powerful and the rest of it, “the body I’ve always wanted” makes it easy for everyone to interpret it according to their own image and, at the same time, evoke the image of that desired body in their minds. With time, this image becomes so compelling that you simply stop noticing any obstacles and just work your way to the desired body.

Basically, these affirmations help you avoid giving up and make you stick to your weight loss routine. As you know, losing weight isn’t something that can happen overnight – the process will last for months, even a full year or more for some, so you’ll need all the help you can get to keep sticking to it, day in and day out.

Eventually you won’t even think about it anymore.

But you could probably use this kind of support until you get there.