Mindset Resilience in Losing and Maintaining Weight

Mindset resilience is having a positive perspective and overcoming setbacks and challenges quickly.

We know that habits are extremely important, not just for a healthy weight, but for all aspects of life. Habits are the bridge that brings us from thinking about flying a plane to taking the lesson and flying that plane. It may also be the difference from thoughts of running a 10k marathon to finishing the 10k race. There are many reasons for organizing a walk although you may physically and emotionally benefit as well.

Now, in terms of weight loss, how we think about weight loss, or a healthy journey is key at the onset of it all. Some of us start with weight loss “hoping” not “believing” we will accomplish or make attainable progress. If we approach the idea of weight loss without believing in ourselves or with a negative mindset, we are more likely to give up before we make progress.

I remember my first time trying to lose weight and nourish more healthily and beneficially, I did not want to hear about losing weight slowly or learning lifelong strategies.

Strategies are necessary to achieve success in anything that we set out to accomplish. Then, there are those of us who set out to accomplish goals such as increasing physical endurance and simply beginning exaggerated weightlifting, strength, and/or cardio exercise. When we do not have a strategy, we often end up causing disruptions and damage to muscle membranes. This typically comes with pain, limitations in movement, fatigue, damage to muscles, tendons, and bones. It could even include temporary disability or worse, because of compulsive exercise. What usually happens with endurance is for weight loss purposes a lot of individuals become discouraged and give up without support or a strategy.

What’s most helpful is to shift our mindset. It’s better if this is done at the onset of setting a goal as well. To develop a strategy, we want to include the condition of our thoughts about the specific goal. We begin by setting our motivation, (Ex. What was the motivation behind increasing endurance?)

Build up mindfulness to increase resilience.

Mindful and thankful individuals are typically resilient because they understand that people don’t have to spend time, support, or do anything for us. Part of being human is that these gestures are typically automatic. We learn to appreciate the time and efforts of others and realize that we have an individual responsibility to share our time, space, support, talents, and expertise with others. Our ability to find our way through life’s challenges allows us to appreciate all that we are. It helps us to navigate the highs and lows of weight management and other challenges.

We can cultivate mindfulness and resilience through prayer and meditation which can be a few minutes to hours. Learn to live in the moment which will take practice if this is a new habit.  Remember, building resilience helps us to embrace obstacles and setbacks as opportunities. It helps to reshape like water in changing circumstances in nature and to become tough mentally and emotionally.

I’ve learned to listen to what my body is telling me. Unfortunately, even when I recognize its cues, I’ve been guilty of ignoring them. The guilt is part of the problem. Once we learn to listen to our body, we practice listening by assessing our habits and the results of each one. We learn to almost measure our behaviors automatically as we recognize the habits of our children and spouses. When a certain action happens, you may notice almost identical actions happen. When children are sleepy, they may do the same thing such as try to snuggle or rub their eyes. Many people eat meals at the same time daily or even the same or similar foods on certain days. When paying attention to our behaviors related to situations such as when we feel happy, sad, anxious, and loved. The examples are guidelines for assessing our most common behaviors, moods, and even our eating, sleep, and exercise patterns.

Resilience in weight loss is about comparing desired outcomes and actual outcomes. Also, which outcomes may be connected to how we feel. For some, it can be discouraging, or it may be motivating.  This is the time to be resilient and not give up. This is the reason for strategies. When we feel discouraged or like we’ve failed, referring to your strategies of what worked in the past or what didn’t work will assist us with remaining resilient and moving past your previously defined limitations. It’s not necessary to move quickly, just keep moving with an effective plan and strategy, remember why you started, and be kind to yourself.

Strategy

Strategies are crucial to any long-term goal. A strategy might be “Don’t eat in the morning until you are absolutely hungry or drink natural fruit juice to help regulate blood sugar in the morning.” It could also be to evaluate stress levels because stress affects hormones and sleep. Without getting enough sleep it will be challenging to lose weight.”

It is a good idea to have support or someone who knows how to get through the discouraging times. They can also help with accountability and keep us focused on what we already know and learn about ourselves and our habits. They can also remind you to look at the positives and how much you have accomplished.

Resilient people bounce back. They have learned to acknowledge and evaluate themselves, look at the causes, and listen to their bodies’ responses on various days to their choices. Ultimately, over time practicing and learning about yourself, how to navigate food choices, your mood, rest, and body responses lead to managing and losing weight according to a plan that looks at your BMI, lifestyle, and accessibility to the nutrients your body and mind needs to live the best quality of life.

The growth mindset is necessary for resilience and success in losing and maintaining weight. It helps create a resilient attitude.

We will need to understand how to use visualization, growth mindset, self-compassion, goal setting, mindfulness, and resilience.

Reading, talking, and listening to podcasts won’t help you act unless you have considered your thoughts and how to increase thoughts that benefit having the resilience to lose and manage weight, remain positive, and commit even after breaking previous commitments to yourself. I promise you it is “Okay” to re-commit and remain.

committed longer each time. I must be realistic; people give up, forget, and get discouraged all the time. One of my most important mindset postures with coaching is to prepare for the unexpected. “Why?” because we all have different backgrounds and live and have lived in different environments.

Losing weight is more about what we think than what we eat. The things you want or do not want in your life are based on the type of thoughts we have. I ask myself questions that are not always easy to answer. “I want to know, does what you’re thinking about right now contribute more to what we want or do not want?”

You are worth the time and energy that you give to others.