How Positivity Can Assist Weight Loss

Body image is so important in our culture. We are obsessed with how we look and comparing ourselves to others. So, no wonder so many people’s weight is an issue affecting their self-esteem and mood. A survey in America found that only eleven per cent of American middle-aged women were satisfied with their body shape. Only eleven per cent!! It poses the question:

What comes first, poor body image or weight gain?

Depression is a huge factor when it comes to weight gain. If an individual is dissatisfied by the way they look and feel, this takes away that person’s sense of power and feeling that they are in control of the way they look. This in turn takes away our self-efficacy that we can take back control and change the way we look.

So, if you merely change your attitude towards your body, this is a huge positive step forward in taking back control of your weight. As long as there is not an underlying medical issue, or you are taking certain medications which make weight loss more challenging, changing our habits and being consistent really does facilitate weight loss quite rapidly and by being patient with the process we can keep going and keep it off. If you’ve ever had a personal trainer, they have probably annoyed you preaching ‘Consistency is key!’ However, changing old habits can be hard especially if you are not in the right headspace for change. Research has now found that having an improved body image did in fact reduce emotional eating behaviours. This means that your own attitude towards your body and your weight is in fact having a direct influence on your ability to shift extra pounds!

Research has also found that having a positive body image has a major effect on how satisfied we are with life overall. Body image satisfaction has been identified as the third strongest predictor of overall life satisfaction in women and the second strongest predictor in men. The American Psychological Association also recognises self-esteem as the greatest factor which affects our overall health. This is about more than just our health this is also about our mental state and happiness. By combining a more positive attitude with new found faith that your goals are in fact attainable, your success for weight loss should sky-rocket! You must trust the process and not give up too soon – this is where people tend to falter.

So, how can we put these findings into action and achieve our goals?

Dialogue such as “I just can’t do it,” “It’s just too hard,” “I just don’t have the time.” Are you guilty of saying these phrases before? This negative self-talk is self-sabotaging and essentially wasting more of your time and efforts as you find yourself in a cycle of taking two steps forward and three steps back. Ditch the negativity! Every time you hear yourself questioning your ability or progress- instantly come up with three reasons why you can and will achieve your goals! Surely three positive thoughts can outweigh one negative one and set you back on the track of success. Our bodies are incredibly designed structures that when fuelled correctly and trained can achieve more than you can imagine. So, take a leap of faith and sign up for that gym class or race that you currently think is impossible because you can do it!

Being positive about your body also helps us to enjoy the process. Feeling more positive and appreciating our bodies instead of hating and punishing them, instantly moves us towards healthier food choices because this new found love and appreciation for ourselves encourages us to want to look after our amazing bodies. Here, at The Pure Package we don’t view dieting as a punishment, we view it as a celebration of our bodies by nourishing ourselves correctly with the right amount of healthy and delicious food. When we eat properly and ensure our diet is well-balanced, we are also ensuring we receive a release of serotonin. Serotonin is not only the hormone that makes us happy, it is also the hormone which stops us from feeling hungry and having cravings. It’s all about balance and it goes without saying that under-nourishing your body is just as damaging to our mental and physical health as over eating.

So, let’s be positive about our goals and achieve the possible!