Guest Post: Why Mental Toughness is the Missing Ingredient to Losing Weight
Die Fat or Get Tough
Why Mental Toughness is The Missing Ingredient to Losing Weight
By Steve Siebold
Obesity is out of control! Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese according to the federal government, and while there are so many diets available today that have been proven to work, we are still a nation of fat people. The missing ingredient that nobody is talking about is mental toughness.
Mental toughness for losing weight is about changing the way you think about food, exercise and other lifestyle choices, and it will get you the body and health you have previously been unable to achieve.
The first step for using mental toughness to lose weight is to realize that only you are responsible for how you look and feel. Unless you have a true medical condition, if you’re fat it’s your fault. Instead of blaming the food manufacturers, the restaurants, portion sizes, cortisol and thyroid glands, it’s time to grow up and stop making excuses.
Here are some mental toughness tips to include in your diet and exercise program, and the best part is they will work with any diet plan you choose. Regardless if you choose a low fat diet or prefer to limit carbs, these mental toughness tips can be incorporated to help you lose weight.
· Don’t look at dieting as drudgery that can only be tolerated for short periods of time. Instead, look at dieting as a strategy for a lifetime to keep you healthy, looking good and feeling great.
· Don’t look at exercise as an added burden in life. Fit people see exercise as a mandatory habit for optimal physical and mental health, and longevity. Regardless of how busy you are at work, how many children you have or other things that occupy your time, exercise must be part of your routine.
· 99% compliance on a diet is failure! Sounds harsh, but if you’re going to get fit, it’s all or nothing. A recovering alcoholic wouldn’t have just one drink, and if you are in a committed relationship you wouldn’t cheat on your significant other just one time, so why would you cheat on your diet?
· Expect challenges such as cravings, and when this happens have a plan in place to push forward and stay compliant.
· Developing a world-class self-talk may be the greatest mental toughness tool of all. This is one of the things that will really help you change your core beliefs about diets and exercise, and help you push through those tough times.
· Before you put anything in your mouth, ask yourself how is this going to impact my health?
The bottom line: All of us choose to be fat or fit. No one forces us to eat the way we eat or whether or not to exercise. We are 100% responsible for what we see in the mirror. It all comes down to the choices we make. It’s time to start looking at getting fit and healthy with a sense of urgency, and realize you don’t have forever to change. If you’re fat, you’re just “whistling past the graveyard.” If you want to get fit, it’s time to make a diet and exercise plan, grow up emotionally, get mentally tough and stick to it once and for all.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve Siebold is one of the world’s most noted experts in the field of mental toughness training. He is the author of the best-selling book Die Fat or Get Tough; 101 Differences in Thinking Between Fat People and Fit People, and founder of the free FatLoser.com weight loss program, a 21 day online mental toughness program for dieters. Visit www.fatloser.com for more information.
I agree and disagree. I agree changing your diet is a lifestyle change, and definitely a change in the way you think about food if you want to do it for long term.
I also agree daily exercise is important (and not just taking the stairs), but I disagree with the 99% is failure part. If you look at your diet as an all or nothing thing, then you are just setting yourself up for anxiety and failure. There are times when you can’t stick to your way of eating 100%, and times when you just don’t want to. If you look at those times as blowing it completely you’re more likely to go back to your old ways and give up.
My mind set is to think about the food I put in my body as healing my body or hurting it. I try to put the best foods possible into my body to heal it, and once in a while if it’s really, really good I may eat something that’s not good for my body, but I savor it and enjoy the moment (and don’t do it often).