by Linda Parker

So, how do thoughts impact your success (or not) in losing weight? To answer this question in regards to weight loss, it's better to ask the bigger question: how do your thoughts impact your life in general?

Many of us walk around thinking that we make conscious choices, when really, our subconscious mind drives a large portion of our thoughts and actions on any given day, and that subconscious is driven by some ingrained belief systems that we've been carrying around for years (often from early childhood), which means our thoughts and actions are driven by those same ingrained beliefs, and this can either propel you forward or hold you back when it comes to achieving your goals in life. Given this, don't you want to make sure you know and understand your thought patterns to ensure they're supportive of your goals, including weight loss, in life? Of course!

So the goal is to become more aware and mindful of your current thoughts so you can begin making any tweaks where necessary. Many of us are much more negative than we realize, and this means we get negative results in many cases, and more negative things seem to happen to us; whereas those who promote positive energy and thinking generally receive positive results and success and have a happier and healthier life all around.

How can you become more aware of your current thoughts?

To begin to bring conscious awareness into your life around your thoughts in general, or specific to weight loss, start a daily tab, or journal, and keep track of every time a negative thought enters your mind. Anything from "I can't" to "That's ugly" to "Why me?" to "Losing weight is too hard" are all negative thoughts that are often part of our every day dialogue. Also, are you often putting yourself, or others, down?

In addition to what you're thinking and saying notice how much negative emotion comes in when you're speaking, as well, because the more negatively charged a thought is, the more detrimental it can be to your success.

You also want to ensure that you take note of the people and places you surround yourself with. To make shifting your thoughts easier, you want to surround yourself with positive and supportive people, places and things.

How can you shift your thoughts to bring about positive results?

Some techniques to use in shifting your thoughts include:
1) positive affirmations that you state daily to yourself,
2) meditation to help you quiet and clear your mind to make room for positive thoughts, and
3) visualization to assist in seeing or picturing the life you want (in a positive light, of course) to help you shift your thoughts to a more positive vibration to achieve your goals.

Now sometimes our results aren't exactly what we want, even if we are thinking positively, so keep an open mind, because sometimes, things continue to manifest in our life the right way, though it might be different than the path we assumed, or thought, we'd take. The key is to remain positive, and in the long run, you will find that your goals and dreams fall into place, and the pounds will slide off your hips as you take this approach and begin to lose weight. - 39969