How to kid your brain into doing things that move you TOWARDS your weight loss goal!

Our brains are hardwired to work out how to give us what we want and what we desire.  You can’t kid your brain into wanting to eat fruit if you don’t WANT to eat fruit.  You can’t make yourself exercise if you don’t WANT to.  Your brain will simply find a thousand reasons not to do those things because it knows it’s not what you truly want.

BUT, here’s the good news!  You CAN kid yourself into believing that you do truly want these things and so making your brain more likely to help you rather than hold you back.  The way to achieve this is simply by constant affirmation of what you would like to do but don’t want to.  So, say you would like to start to make better food choices but find yourself always reaching for the cake instead of fruit or chips instead of vegetables even though you know that eating the fruit or vegetables will take you towards your weight loss goal faster.  Here is a step by step way to change this behaviour:

1. Acknowledge the behaviour – It is a known fact that we need to acknowledge something before we can change it. So, from now on, every time you make choices about what you want to eat make it a point to accept and acknowledge the decision you have made without judgement.
2. Think small – Don’t attempt to change a habit of a lifetime overnight. Be prepared that you are likely to keep repeating old patterns over and over again and that it’s perfectly OK to fall many times.  Just commit to not giving up and persisting.
3. Remember this – It’s OK if you do not even truly want the change of behaviour or only want it so that you can reach your weight loss goal as this technique will increase your chances of making a positive behaviour change either way. It’s natural to feel a bit of a ‘fake’ in the beginning so accept this but don’t let it stop you.
4. Affirm the new ‘want’ – Every day and as often as you can repeat an affirmation that promotes the new ‘want’. In our example we want to begin to make healthier food choices so great affirmations for this are:
   1. I am nourishing my body
   2. I love fruit
   3. I love vegetables
5. Re-affirm the ‘want’ – Every time you eat fruit, vegetables, nuts or any other scientifically proven food to be better for your body repeat your affirmations:
   1. This is nourishing my body
   2. This fruit is delicious
   3. This vegetable is delicious

‘practice makes perfect’

With perseverance and practice, you will gradually and permanently be able to make a huge change in your mindset.  You will start to make better choices without feeling as if you are missing out on life and the enjoyment food has to offer.  You still eat cake, chips etc, but there will be more balance in the food choices that you make VOLUNTARILY.

Good luck!!

Author of The Anti-Diet Lifestyle, 4 Crazy Steps to Weight Loss Success!