Some time ago, I stumbled upon the topic of affirmations and found this to be very interesting right from the start. So I had to try this out…
I am a huge believer in the fact that our brain is the most powerful “muscle” we have!
For example, you might have heard of the 40% rule. This rule states that once your body and your muscular system start to scream “STOP!” during a workout, you have only reached your 40% performance level and there is much more available. And this “much more” can be activated by your brain!
I know that this is a fact and I know from my own experience that you can push yourself far beyond the 40% mark.
So I was already open to new proof of the power of our brains. And affirmations seemed to be just right.
Think of the last time you set a goal and achieved it. What was your secret weapon? I found out that for many people, using affirmations is the key to success.
Affirmations are positive statements that we repeat to ourselves in order to program our minds for success. They can be used for any goal, including weight loss.
In this article, we will discuss how affirmations can help us achieve our weight loss goals. We will also provide a few tips on how to create effective affirmations for weight loss.
So let´s dive into it!
Famous and successful people use affirmations
Everybody knows Michael Jordan, one of the best basketball players in the world. Michael Jordan said that 80% of the game is mental or psychological.
Coaching helped Michael Jordan to develop the right mindset to stay self-confident and “headstrong” during a game.
The US track and field athlete Valarie Allman won Olympic gold in Tokyo using affirmations to build an unbeatable mindset.
“I am capable of winning. I deserve to win. I will win.” – these were the phrases that she used over and over again to program her mind for success.
I could go on and on listing examples of successful and well-known people all over the world – athletes, politicians, business owners, entrepreneurs, and many more – who use affirmations daily.
And they use them with huge success!
So if you haven´t used positive self-affirmation so far, then it´s high time to do so.
You have used affirmations already
Yes, you have – I am absolutely sure about that. But the affirmations you have used subconsciously might not have been the most encouraging words for that particular situation.
“Don´t be afraid”, “I better not screw this up”, “Hopefully I don´t fall”, “I can´t do this”, and “Let´s hope we don´t lose this game” – all these are examples of negative affirmations creating negative emotions.
When reading through these statements, do you feel positive emotions?
Well, I don´t! These are examples of negative self-talk.
That is also why it is absolutely wrong to tell your kid “Don´t fall off the tree!” or “Don´t be afraid of that exam!”. These statements plant the seed of possible failure in their minds and don´t help at all!
A positive statement like “You are prepared, you will master this exam with ease” is much more supportive.
What are affirmations?
The Definitions of Mirriam Webster states about affirmations:
Definition of affirmation
Tricking your brain
Our brains are masterpieces of evolution enabling us to think about, articulate, and calculate the most amazing things in our everyday life.
We are able to come up with thoughts and review these same thoughts at the same time in order to reevaluate if our thinking goes in the desired direction or not.
As miraculously our brains work, as easy they are also manipulated.
We use this fact to our favor and “program” beliefs and thoughts into our operating systems that will finally keep us on the right path and improve our overall life situation.
Simply said, it is a “fake it until you make it” thing.
Fight Uncertainty
Think about something you are now – after years of performing that activity or ability – good at. It might be your job or a hobby.
Think back to the beginning. How did you feel one day before you started?
You might have been eager to learn something new. You might have felt positive tension. You might not have felt very confident about the next things to come. You might even have felt anxious.
This anxiousness creates uncertainty.
We all feel uncertain at times and the funny thing is that the people around you feel your uncertainty. They see it in your behavior and your body language. They hear it in your voice.
You feel, see and hear your own uncertainty as well which makes you even more uncertain.
We have all been to this place called uncertainty.
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7 Exercises To Do EverydayBuild Self-Assurance
Because of its obvious presence, this uncertainty blocks your moving forward and achieving things you want.
By affirming yourself, you tackle exactly these situations and conditions that make you feel uncomfortable.
You prepare yourself in your mind to find your inner strength with whatever makes you uncertain.
It might be the situation of a job interview, it might be the tension before a competition, it might be handling an illness, and it might also be pushing through a weight loss process.
Pros use self-assurance
Professionals who constantly have to face challenging and tough – sometimes life-threatening – situations use affirmations to prepare their minds for exactly these situations.
They tell their minds that all the training and all preparation they did will let them succeed once they have to perform.
Positivity is key
So a positive affirmation is a positive statement that programs the subconscious mind toward our desired goal. It creates a positive mindset and a positive attitude and helps you stay motivated.
Positive affirmations boost your positive beliefs about your own successful self.
A lot of positivity here… But finally, that is what it´s all about!
Affirmations are meant to make positive changes through positive thoughts. They are meant to eliminate any space for negative thoughts in your mind.
Be Patient
Although affirmations are a very powerful tool of our subconscious mind, you need to practice regularly and be patient! The positive changes don´t happen overnight!
At first, you will feel stupid standing in front of the mirror and talking to yourself, using the same sentences over and over again.
But hey – we get used to everything, don´t we?
Once your positive beliefs settle in and the positive feelings arise while you keep repeating your affirmations, you really feel the power of your own words.
What does it mean to do affirmations?
When doing affirmations, we create a new belief system for ourselves. We “reprogram” our subconscious mind to think in a new way and to achieve different results than before.
Affirmations can be done verbally or written down. The best way is to do them both!
You can write your affirmations down on post-it notes and stick them everywhere in your house or apartment. You can put them on the fridge, on your bathroom mirror, or on your desk at work.
You can also create a vision board with all the affirmations that are important to you.
And don´t forget to say them out loud every day! The more often you do them, the better.
What should affirmations look like?
Make it plausible
First off, you shouldn´t formulate phrases in a way that makes them unbelievable to yourself. For example, if you just started out running, maybe an affirmation like “I am the best runner on this planet” might be of little help!
Your brain can be tricked into believing things, but if your affirmations sound absolutely over-exaggerated right from the start, it won´t work.
So stick to something plausible. In the case of our runner just starting out, something like “I can run 3 miles easily” will work much better.
Use present tense
Secondly, formulate your affirmations for weight loss in the present tense!
By doing so you make them present! Weight loss affirmations formulated in the future will also give you that little “I still got time to start tomorrow” feeling since your weight loss affirmations are formulated that way.
Use your own affirmations
Come up with your own ideas for positive weight loss affirmations! These are much better than just some standard quotes that you have already seen and heard all over the place.
You will much more believe in your own affirmations than in some other peoples´ quotes.
What is an affirmation example?
An affirmation example for weight loss goals could be “I am a healthy person”, “I lead a healthy lifestyle, I will slim”.
You can also use affirmations like “I deserve to be slim and healthy”, “I love my body”, or “It is easy for me to stay in shape”.
The more specific you are with your affirmations, the better.
And don´t forget to add a timeframe! For example “I will be 20 pounds lighter until June”.
If you want to achieve success with your weight loss goals, then start using positive affirmations today! They will help you to create a new belief system and change the way you think about yourself and your body.
James Clear wrote in his book “Atomic Habits” that you have to identify yourself with the person you want to become.
It is much easier to live according to your own newly set rules when you say something like “I am a person who makes healthy food choices” or “I love eating healthy food”
Do affirmations work physically?
On your weight loss journey the combination of physical activity, healthy foods, a healthier lifestyle, and positive affirmations to lose weight are an unbeatable package!
So, when it comes to the physical side of things, our mindset is just as important as all other components of our weight loss process!
If we believe that we can´t do something, then most likely we won´t be able to do it.
But if we have a positive mindset and tell ourselves that we will achieve our goals, then this increases the chance of success immensely.
Positive weight loss affirmations will also help you stick to healthier eating habits and build strong self-esteem.
It is the same with working out and losing weight.
If we tell ourselves that we are not able to lose weight or that we don´t like working out, then this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But if we use positive affirmations and tell ourselves that we can do it, that we are strong, and that we will reach our goals, finally this will help us to actually achieve them.
So yes, affirmations do work physically!
How long should you repeat affirmations?
You should repeat your affirmations as often as possible!
The more you do them, the better.
It is best to repeat them in the morning when you wake up and in the evening before you go to bed.
But you can also do them throughout the day, for example when you are brushing your teeth or during your lunch break.
The important thing is that you are consistent with them and that you do them regularly.
You can write your affirmations down on little notes and spread these all over your living space as said before. Or you write them down in a little book which you can take out whenever you go through your affirmations.
You can speak your affirmations out aloud or just in your head. Find out what works best for you.
Do affirmations work for weight loss?
Yes, affirmations do work for weight loss, BUT affirmations are only one little piece of a much bigger plan – in this case, your weight loss program.
It won´t help much if you constantly repeat your favorite weight loss affirmations and then speed over to your local junk food dealer to pick up the next calorie bomb.
Of course, you also have to lead a healthier life, make educated food choices, avoid unhealthy foods and eat healthily, and you have to adjust your exercise habits.
Positive weight loss affirmations will play their part in your weight loss journey to your desired weight and a healthy body by keeping you motivated and boosting your mental well-being.
With the help of positive weight loss affirmations, it will be much easier to stick to the necessary changes in your life as you will see an increase in physical and mental health.
Healthy habits will spread throughout your daily routine and negative thoughts and emotional eating will be eliminated by positive affirmations.
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Also, check out our article about visualization from our Mindset category here.