How I’m Improving My Overall Mindset to Lose Weight

Mindset to Lose Weight
22 Apr

Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank

Since building this website, I’ve been on a quest to lose more than 100 pounds. And although I’ve lost 80 thus far, I’m struggling with the last 20 to 30. For the most part, it all centers around my mindset to lose weight.

It’s not that my body doesn’t want to burn fat, or that some workouts are too difficult. It’s not because I have some ailment that prevents me from dropping the pounds.

I’m not “big-boned” or have “glandular issues.”

Like my dad used to tell me when I was much younger, “your give-a-shit is broken.” In other words, I simply stopped caring as much to lose weight.

Why is that?

Well, I have a lot of excuses as to why I haven’t been able to reach my fitness goals. And while some are reasonable in certain circumstances, it all comes down to just not having the right mentality.

It goes beyond simply being lazy, though.

Setting Up the Right Mindset to Lose Weight

As fat isn’t just going to fall off because I want it to, it’s time to start putting mental changes into motion.

Now, these are the things that are directly affecting me as of late. You may have your own list of issues, which I suggest you write down somewhere. Then, write a few paragraphs about how you’re going to change your mentality for each point.

This gives you something to look at every morning or when you’re starting to feel like you just can’t handle things at the moment.

Forget About Instant Gratification

Instant gratification can be incredibly detrimental to losing weight. That’s because you’re assuming it can happen within a short timeframe. This can lead to frustration and thoughts of giving up when you don’t meet your own expectations.

Losing weight and getting fit is all about playing the long game.

Unfortunately, I see too many people who want fast, instant, or quick results when it comes to burning fat. Perhaps it’s just the state of the world we live in today, where we have instant access to so much.

In any case, when you get rid of the mentality of instant gratification, everything else will seem so much easier. This is because your expectations are lowered and you’re able to appreciate the small changes.

Prioritizing Health Over Workload

One of the biggest problems I’ve been having lately is prioritizing my workload over everything. I have a lot on my plate and am easily distracted by what I want to get done on any given day.

What I need to do is prioritize my health over my career. This is because I am no good to anyone if I get sick or if something happens that could have been avoided by better health.

Lately, I’ve been scheduling workouts in Asana to break up my day. This way, I can remind myself that it’s something important that I want to accomplish.

When you’re as busy as I am, it’s pretty easy to simply forget.

Identify Mindset Issues and Follow Through to Lose Weight

So, I’ve spent time looking at myself and identifying weak points. This is how I know that I fall apart in terms of snacking shortly after dinner. Not to mention that lately, I’ve been jumping immediately into my workload first thing in the morning.

In general, I know where my issues lie. Now, I just need to follow through with the steps and ideas for curbing my snacking or adding physical activity.

For example, I know that I don’t snack at night when I’m either playing games or am on camera. It’s all about keeping my mind occupied outside of binge-watching Stargate. A quick solution would be to play more games or do more live streams.

That’s just an example. Really, anything that keeps me away from simply watching shows would curb my snacking overall.

Understanding Fitness Goes Beyond Appearance

This is another aspect that I realized a long time ago. Losing weight and getting fit has more to do with living life than it does with looking good. Yes, a lot of people focus intently on appearance. But fitness goes WAY beyond that point.

A lot of things in life are much easier when you can handle greater loads or have increased stamina. One of my favorite examples is still when I lifted a 50-pound bag of dog food while thinking I bought the wrong size because it didn’t feel as heavy.

This isn’t to mention how I can spend more time working on the yard without getting winded. Or, shoveling my entire house of snow without having to take several breaks.

And let’s not forget sex. Being intimate is much more fun when you’re 80 pounds lighter. Well, at least it is for me.

Finding Ways to Make Fitness Fun

I’ve been gamifying ways to do just about anything for many years. Even before it was a popular topic, I’ve been using gamification in everything from writing to exercise.

Gamification is when you can take an otherwise mundane chore and turn it into something you enjoy. Because if you’re having fun, you’re more likely to keep doing the activity.

For me, it’s mostly about breaking personal records, keeping track of case study data, or throwing myself into Kinect games. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I’m a dork when it comes to spreadsheets.

In any case, making exercise fun can vastly improve your mindset to lose weight…as long as you thoroughly enjoy what you do.

Assigning Accountability

Perhaps one of the biggest issues many people have with weight loss is accountability. As with freelancing, you’re only accountable to yourself without a boss standing over your shoulder to make sure things get done.

When it comes to health and fitness, you are pretty much in control of every aspect. If you decide not to work out one day, you really don’t have immediate consequences.

In my case, I am actually putting in the effort to develop Crossing Colorado into a brand. This means I am going to be held accountable by social media and, with a bit of luck and determination, sponsors.

I know it’s a long shot. However, it helps me focus on what I want to achieve. By putting a more business-like mentality on what I’m creating, I get a sense of purpose and motivation.

In other words, I’ve decided to go all-in as I did with my computer business more than a decade ago.

Realizing Time Is Finite

Lastly, we all have a limited amount of time on this planet. And after losing so many people close to me over the past two years, this fact has been drilled into me from all angles.

In fact, most of the people I’ve lost recently could have avoided death by focusing more on physical and mental health.

Every day I put off from meeting my health goals is one more that I’ve lost. Considering how unhealthy I’ve been in the past, it’s truly a wonder that I’m not part of fatality statistics.

Time is not on my side.

How a Positive Mindset Helps You Lose Weight

So, why does it matter to keep a positive mindset when approaching health and fitness? Because when you approach anything in life with a negative viewpoint, it’s going to alter your perceptions.

It can even affect your moods in general.

For example, let’s say that someone wants you to try the keto diet. In your mind, it’s a foolish plan and you don’t like the idea of being restricted. Several things are going to happen:

  • You’re more likely to cheat on the diet to get what you crave
  • You’re going to put in less effort to follow the diet because you don’t really want to
  • Having the thought of failing is going to influence your decisions to create a self-fulfilling prophecy
  • You’ll focus more on the negatives than on the positives

If you’ve already formed a negative opinion about something, you’ll only see the negative aspects.

Now, sometimes you’ll surprise yourself and find something positive in the very things you hate. However, the chances of doing so are much lower if you have the wrong mindset.

This is why I normally try to remain objective when trying new diets, foods, or workout routines. By focusing purely on the data of certain case studies, I somewhat remove the influence of my opinion from the equation.

Case in point, I lost quite a bit of weight doing the keto diet, even though I don’t like the restrictiveness of keto in the slightest. That’s because I was more interested in the data than I was in how much I hated restricting my carb intake.

All I’m saying is to keep an open mind and approach diets and exercise with a proper mindset to lose weight. You’ll never know what will work best for you unless you give something an honest try.

How is Your Mindset to Lose Weight?

In the end, if you don’t believe something is going to work, it probably isn’t going to. This can be said for just about everything in life. Having a negative approach before even trying something new is going to affect the end results.

The human mind is a powerful tool. Why not use it to your full potential? It’s not easy changing your mindset about things you’re totally against. But it can be done if you really want change in your life.

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