Diet and exercise are not enough

Use your brain to drop the pounds.

Story: James Keck

Most weight-loss plans are complicated, expensive, and especially frustrating because even if we do manage to lose a few pounds, they usually come right back. However, losing weight does not have to be such a struggle. Nobody should have to struggle to take control of their weight.

It is easy to believe that you struggle to lose weight because you lack motivation, you have a weak will, or you might even think you are lazy, but actually, you are struggling against your own mind. Our minds are not our friends! Our minds want us to be happy and comfortable, but losing weight takes commitment and effort, so our minds try to take us out.

We need to gain control of our minds to take control of our weight. Here are three simple steps to gain control by shifting your mind to work for you instead of against you:

We need to eat better

When we are on a “diet,” we feel like we deny ourselves foods we enjoy, and since our minds want us to be happy, they tell us, “Just wait until your diet is over, then you can eat as much of that as you want,” and we do because our mind has given us permission. Our minds make us believe that our diet is temporary, and that makes the diet unsustainable.

So forget about dieting; instead just decide to eat better. Your mind knows you need food and that food makes you happy, so your mind is perfectly OK with you eating better. This simple shift from dieting to eating better gets your mind on your side: you shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance, from struggle to support. Everybody can eat better and still eat the foods they enjoy.

We need to move more

Even when we know what’s good for us, our minds try to talk us out of it. Your mind resists “exercise” because it wants you to be comfortable and believes that sweat and effort make you uncomfortable. However, your mind knows doing certain activities makes you happy, so you can just forget exercise! Instead, you want to move more and have fun while you’re doing it; that way your mind will support you with little to no struggle. Everybody can move more doing the things they love to do.

We need to get help

It is difficult if not impossible to lose weight on our own. Getting help is the key to success. For instance, we need information in order to make a plan, and the more information we have, the better our plan will be and the better choices we will be able to make. We need the motivation to keep focused on our goals, and we need support and accountability to stay on track.

But the most important help we need to succeed is right inside your own head. That is where your struggle begins and that is why this mind shift is such a powerful tool. The people I coach through my weight-loss program learn to wake up every day knowing exactly what they want and why they want it. This gives them laser focus toward weight goals because they are training their minds to support them without the struggle.

Eating better, moving more, and getting help are the three simple steps you need to gain control of your mind and take control of your weight. These small incremental changes, performed every day, will create big results. These are simple steps because “simple” works. When you shift your mind, you will create new healthy habits that last a lifetime.

About the writer:

 James Keck is the author of “Lose 20 Lbs KEEP IT OFF FOREVER,” the owner of Kuma Health and Wellness, and the creator of Drop Zone Healthy Weight—helping everyone lose weight simply, naturally, and permanently. Visit dropzonehealthyweight.com.