The Mental Side Of Dieting

Athletes swear by it and even astronauts use it so why not you? For super performance they can pick from, and use, a variety of powerful mind-enhancing tools that allow them to consistently perform at their best and beyond. There really is no magic to it and if it works for them it will work for you. To apply these techniques to slimming, follow the ideas below and supercharge your own diet program.

Firstly, you need a strong picture in your mind which describes how you will look at your ideal weight. The way to get this is to sit somewhere on your own and think. Picture in your head how you'd like your body to look; at some point in your life you probably were slimmer than you are now so this should not be too hard. Try to see yourself - this new slimmer you - doing things in real life as if you were watching a movie.

Now expand this view to different situations such as going to work, shopping, going out with friends and whatever else you do. This isn't a chore, this is fun so take your time and enjoy it.

If daydreaming doesn't come naturally, allocate a time slot of 10 to 15 minutes for this activity and do it three days a week until you have the picture firmly in your head.

What you are doing is training your mind to think of you as a slimmer person so that as you begin to lose weight your mind will not panic thinking you are wasting away and try to increase your calorie intake to compensate.

As you do these visualizations (for that is what they are called) try to introduce the thought of exercise. It might be jogging in the park, working out at home or something that is more fun like dancing. But whatever it is, try to incorporate it into your mental videos. You want to really see this wonderful slim person working out and enjoying life to the full!

Now we need an affirmation. If you have not tried affirmations before then this will sound silly but trust me, this is a proven technique that really works so try it. To aid the visualization you need to say this to yourself just a couple of times a day.

“I always think of myself as a slim and successful person”

We all know that if you keep telling yourself something eventually you will come to believe it and this really does work so tell it to yourself and then write it down and put it where you will see it throughout the day.

Try to say it to yourself a few times every day until it becomes a routine; now you are ready to begin your diet but, instead of taking each day as it comes, you are simply following a path that you have already told your body about. Now, as you lose weight and build up your fitness levels, your body will respond positively and try to help you rather than worrying that something is wrong.

Learn more about visualizations and affirmations and, as the diet progresses, continue to use them but now you can begin to expand on them and use them to help you in other areas. This will grow your own self confidence to help you as a person as well as helping you slim.

If you never thought that mental activity and preparation was needed before a diet, I hope that you can now see how important and how useful this is. The mental side of dieting is often forgotten but just try to keep in your mind that, not only are you what you eat, but you are also (and can become) what you think you are!