Have you heard the saying – You’re your own worst enemy? Well, sometimes we are sabotaging ourselves when it comes to weight loss. How can you unleash the power of your mind for health? Quite simply, we have to rethink how we perceive food.
When you think that a pre-packaged food item is healthy, all you have to do is turn around the package and read the ingredient list. If the food you eat has a list of additives and chemicals that you cannot pronounce, put it right back on the shelf. Find out what the top 11 foods that are making you fat.
Dust off that recipe book or get on your computer and type in – fast and healthy recipes for dinner. If you feel like you don’t have time to prepare a healthy meal every day, make double recipes and freeze the rest for the future.
Pre-make your lunch for the week ahead and make a huge pot of soup or stew so your dinner is made for a few days. Preservatives, sugar, sodium and chemicals – just don’t eat them! Program your mind to read food labels and refuse to eat this junk anymore.
When we crave sugar, salt and fat, and we usually go ahead and grab those unhealthy ‘convenient’ foods instead of healthy alternatives. The healthy alternatives to processed packaged foods are not necessarily inconvenient, but we perceive them to be. How hard is it to peel a banana, or wash an apple? Maybe it is actually easier than opening a plastic chip bag without throwing the contents across your floor! Allow your mind to realize that fruit, veggies and raw nuts are a healthy and convenient snack. Click here for 6 tips on how to lose weight and eat more!
Stop obsessing about food. There is a negative part of our mind/ego that likes to think that we are being starved to death when we are on a diet. First of all, if you know that you obsess when you are on a diet, don’t call it a diet. Instead realize you are changing your lifestyle – eating healthy and exercising is your way of life. Know that you are eating to be healthy and stay alive, not purely for pleasure.
Change your mindset when it comes to snack foods in the house. No more processed salty or sugary snacks. If you are the main grocery buyer in your house, this makes your life easier. Don’t buy the chips, cookies, sugary treats and ice cream anymore! If your family wants a treat, go out for a long walk and buy a treat – once in a while. This way you don’t have a huge box of cookies or tub of ice cream staring at you every time you open the cupboard or freezer. If these snacks aren’t healthy for you, they certainly aren’t good for your kids! Be the positive influence on how the next generation eats.
Your mind is a powerful tool, so setting your mind to losing weight and being healthy is the first step. Know that you are capable of controlling your cravings. You are in control of what you buy at the grocery store, not the marketers that make a living selling these unhealthy foods to you and your family. Learn to eat the appropriate amount of daily calories and make exercise an enjoyable part of your life. Eat these 7 foods that burn fat. And finally, stick to it! You didn’t get out of shape and gain weight overnight, it took time to get there and it will take time to lose it. You can do it!
