Are you making weight loss mentally harder than it has to be? In order to succeed with losing weight, you want to ensure that your mindset supports your efforts.


The following are five mental attitudes that will sabotage your weight loss success.


“I want it now.”

One of the hallmarks of being an adult is the ability to delay gratification; in other words, you must be able to say ‘no’ to yourself when it comes to eating foods that are not healthy for you. Or if you can’t say no, you should at least be able to say “not right now.”


By now, you probably realize that you can’t keep doing the same things and expecting different results. The reason that you are battling excess pounds now is because you have made errors in judgment regarding your health and allowed them to compile.


Conversely, if you make wise decisions about your health and allow them to compile, then you will have a better body in the future. You must be willing to keep rejecting the unhealthy habits (even if it hurts for the moment) long enough for the new, healthy actions to stick.


The outward changes won’t happen overnight, but they will happen. If you trust that, then ‘now’ will show up sooner than you think.

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Procrastination is the enemy of any successful endeavor. Each day that you continue to eat unhealthy foods and avoid exercise is a day that you are choosing to remain sick and tired. Decide that this is the day that turns your life around.

“When I lose weight, then I’ll”

When it comes to doing nice things for yourself, don’t delay. If you have a “When I lose weight, then I’ll” attitude, it is like saying to yourself that you aren’t worthy of nice things because you aren’t a certain size or don’t weigh a certain amount.



You are worthy no matter what size you are, so start doing nice things for yourself now. Have fun and treat yourself well now. Buy that new pair of earrings. Go on that trip. Talk to that cute guy. Tomorrow is not promised to you, so decide that you are worth the best, which includes having the healthiest habits around.

“I am in control.”

A recipe for frustration is attempting to control those things you cannot change, yet failing to control those things you can. A popular prayer illustrates this point:



God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.





When it comes to weight loss, you can control the actions you take, such as choosing healthy foods to eat or choosing to exercise on a particular day. However, you only set yourself up for frustration when you attempt to control those things you can’t control, such as the rate at which your body loses weight.



For most of us, weight loss comes in spurts: Some weeks you will lose a lot and some weeks you will lose a little. But you will eventually reach your goal if you continue to do the right things regarding your body.



So relax and let your body decide how it wants to drop the weight. It’s going to anyway, whether you fret about it or not.

“This is too hard.”

If you believe that losing weight is too hard, then it will be too hard. Instead of complaining, try asking yourself, “How can I make this easier?” Is it hard for you to set aside 30 minutes to exercise in the morning? Then try breaking up your exercise routine into 3 10-minute segments. You will get the same benefit.



If it is too hard for you to stop trying to clean your plate at restaurants, then ask for a “to-go box” at the beginning of your meal. Put aside half of your food in the box and then eat the remainder on your plate. Your plate will still be clean, but this way you will get to enjoy the meal later when you become hungry again.



Focus your attention on seeking solutions to your health obstacles instead of arguing for them. If you argue for them, you get to keep them.

I hope this series has been helpful for you in identifying possible problems you might face in your weight loss quest. If you stay the course and stay away from these pitfalls, you will be fit and fabulous in no time.

A Registered Nurse for many years, Kimberly Floyd battled obesity for much of her adult life. She was finally able to achieve her ideal weight and is currently writing a book that is designed to help others win their weight loss battles entitled ‘Take Back Your Temple’.

Kim has written articles for the Georgia Nurses Association publication and Nursing Spectrum Online. Now a technical writer, she has written training programs for corporate clients, including IBM, U.S. Bank, and Cingular.

Kim also teaches an online course called ‘Goodbye to Shy’. This course is distributed to over 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Australia through Thomson Learning. An accomplished speaker and trainer, she delivers presentations on health-related topics to enthusiastic audiences.

Tags: black women wellness, christian diet, christian fitness, christian weight loss, diet, women weight lossblack women wellness, christian diet, christian fitness, christian weight loss, diet, women weight loss

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In order to succeed with losing weight, you must have the mindset of a seasoned soldier. Your daily task is to watch for potential pitfalls and be prepared to respond to them.

In the previous article, Dieting Pitfalls Part 1: Are You Sabotaging Yourself?, we reviewed some of the common physical ways you can derail your good nutritional intentions. In this second part of the series, we will cover some additional ways you can be your own worst enemy.

The second time around

If you are accustomed to having second helpings with meals, this habit can be hard to break. However, going back for second helpings is probably due more to habit than bodily hunger. This is especially true if you tend to eat fast.

Within the brain is an appetite control center called the ‘Appestat.’ It regulates feelings of hunger and satisfaction. However, the Appestat takes 20 minutes to register satisfaction once you have started eating. So if you eat really fast, then you could end up eating two or three helpings before the Appestat says “Enough!”

You want to make the Appestat your friend. There are two ways to do this. The first option is to slow down and enjoy your meal so that it lasts twenty minutes. The second option is to eat as fast as you always have, but instead of going back for a second helping, give yourself a time out.

Wait 10 minutes to check if you are still hungry. You finish your meal, and then enjoy the environment, chat with friends, or think about what your next adventure is going to be for the next 10 minutes.

If you are still hungry, then you may eat the second helping. If not, then you can go on to other things.

My crazy life

This last item is the most important to ensuring your weight loss victory: Making sure that the things you can control in your life are controlled. If you are dealing with a lot of needless stress because you haven’t taken the time to manage your time well, then that will hinder you.

To lose weight requires planning and good organization. You must plan your grocery lists so that you can have the foods necessary to obtain good health; you must schedule time to exercise; finally, you must take adequate time for rest and relaxation. If you fail to do these things, then you will ultimately fail in achieving your goals.

Is your home cluttered? Are you constantly late for work? These are some items that need to be evaluated to get your life in order. Again, you want to create an environment that makes it easy for you to win.

If your home is cluttered, then clean up one small corner. You will boost your confidence, which will translate into other areas of your life. If you are constantly late for work, make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to prepare adequately for unforeseen delays, such as traffic snarls. You might iron what you are going to wear the night before, take your shower at night, or learn how to make breakfast smoothies to create a faster breakfast option.

While I have covered the most common physical pitfalls that can sabotage your best dieting efforts, this list is not all inclusive. There are also mental pitfalls that can sabotage you. We will cover those issues in Dieting Pitfalls Part 3: Is Your Mind in Shape?

A Registered Nurse for many years, Kimberly Floyd battled obesity for much of her adult life. She was finally able to achieve her ideal weight and is currently writing a book that is designed to help others win their weight loss battles entitled ‘Take Back Your Temple’.

Kim has written articles for the Georgia Nurses Association publication and Nursing Spectrum Online. Now a technical writer, she has written training programs for corporate clients, including IBM, U.S. Bank, and Cingular.

Kim also teaches an online course called ‘Goodbye to Shy’. This course is distributed to over 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Australia through Thomson Learning. An accomplished speaker and trainer, she delivers presentations on health-related topics to enthusiastic audiences.

Tags: black women wellness, christian diet, christian fitness, christian weight loss, women weight lossblack women wellness, christian diet, christian fitness, christian weight loss, women weight loss

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