A Mindset Shift Is Required To Lose Weight, Get Well And Heal Yourself
- Sep 28, 2021
- 8 min read
Written by: Natalia Schifini, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You can do all the diets, and cardio exercise in the world, but unless you create a mindset shift out of your status quo… losing weight, getting well, and healing yourself will be a challenge. One that will make you feel like you want to give up, and rather tolerate being overweight, unhealthy, and out of shape, than keep on failing at every attempt.
Nothing happens overnight, usually, there is a tendency, a repetitive pattern, lack of self-care and motivation, being busy, not being willing to exercise, enjoying a few drinks that add more calories and or indulging in sweets, fast food, and soda, which soon enough turns into extra pounds on your body, and make you lose control of your weight.
Diet and exercise are just one part of a successful weight-loss plan, losing weight is one of the goals, but the most important one is not gaining that weight back, so unless you create a new mindset, make some changes to your behavior, and attitude, as well as healing the parts of yourself that made you not take care of yourself, most likely you will deal with gaining that weight again, and having a hard time maintaining your weight.
When we talk about mindset, we point to what is underneath the conscious mind, to create that transformation. It’s not really what we talk about all the time, instead, it is how we act, the motivation behind the actions, the attitude, the belief that runs our actions, that produce the results you get. So, shifting the mindset to align it with the intentions and commitments only makes sense, because if things are to continue the way they are going, what is predictable is to continue gaining weight and getting out of shape.
A lot of us try to lose weight, coming from a place of not liking ourselves, being frustrated, and fixing what is “wrong with ourselves”. Trying to lose weight while not feeling good about yourself or liking the way you look and feel… is a double challenge, not only because you must discipline yourself anyways, but also, because it is challenging to appreciate your body when you are flabby and overweighted… yet coming from a place of self-care, and self-love is key, that is part of the healing required to be able to not only lose the weight but to ensure you do not gain that weight again.
Without the “right” mindset anything you try to do will be challenging, aligning your mindset with your goal and intentions, should always be the first step to succeed in anything. When you find yourself at the point of having to lose weight, the process of gaining that weight surely did not start yesterday. So, it will take some time to get yourself aligned with your mindset and what you need to do, get motivated, and in action, to have any chance to succeed.
Regardless of where you start, and how much weight you must lose, the process is the same, you will highly benefit from starting to take care of yourself and making that a priority. At times, that mere process can be an obstacle to overcome, because you are so used to putting everyone else first.
Starting with self-care will make it easier to take the first step. When you start taking care of yourself, it might feel like you are selfish. The truth of the matter is that if you do not take care of yourself, you will not have energy left to care for anyone else, so it is important to care for yourself, first, anyways, and not feeling guilty to nourish yourself to be a better person for you, and everybody else. It’s like when you travel on a plane, and they teach you what to do in case there is an accident, the first step is always to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you focus on putting it on for anyone else.
As an expert in Weight-Loss and Wellness Coach, I always get the same questions and concerns:
What do I need to do to lose weight?
What do I need to eat to lose weight?
How do I keep the weight that I lost, off, for the rest of my life?
From more than two decades of experience helping people lose weight, I learned it is more important to know what not to do, than what to do, when trying to lose weight. Many times, I see people falling into vicious cycles, doing the same things (that do not work), repeatedly.
Many times, people are still expecting a different result from the same actions. Losing weight takes effort, time, and consistency, but beyond all, it takes having the right mindset to get started the right way and healing the parts of you that had you not take care of yourself to gain that weight.
Even when you do all things perfectly if your mindset is set that you will not succeed, that is most likely what will happen, you will fail time and time again, unable to lose or keep that weight off. A similar loophole will occur with losing and gaining weight unless you address the parts of you that need to heal, to avoid letting yourself gain that weight again.
Most people start their weight-loss journeys with a diet, and exercise, overlooking so much of what did not work, without knowing their goal and or what It will take to get there, and then, they wonder what they failed, again. There are so many things that need to be in place.
So, the first three effective steps to take when trying to lose weight are:
Eliminate the weight of failed past attempts and learn to take care of yourself.
Create a new goal, define your why, and stand in an empowering context for weight loss.
Follow a step-by-step process, creating new ways of doing things and healthy habits.
As you noticed in the steps we mentioned, there are two steps prior to figuring out the methods to lose weight, one has to do with looking at the past and identifying what has not worked, and focusing on taking care of yourself, the second one is to define the reason you want to lose the weight, and creating a way to empower yourself, rather than failing again.
Then, and only then, we should look at how to do it, and what is the step-by-step nutritional plan and exercise, because if you overlook the first few steps most likely you will keep on losing the weight, that is if you manage to succeed, to only gain it again a few months later, causing you to fall into the eternal yo-yo dieting that many people fall into.
There are many methods, diets, techniques, programs that could work, the main deciding factor on whether you will succeed or not succeed is how you start the weight-loss journey and what is your mindset this next attempt, not to lose that weight to only gain it again.
So next time you are attempting to lose weight, keep that in mind, that without a mindset shift, not only it might not be possible to lose any weight, but also if you lose some you will most likely end up gaining it again, because the parts that needed healing, and attention within yourself have been overlooked again.
A mindset shift is required to lose weight, get well, and heal yourself. For changes to take place, and last, it is required that you change the way you operate, how you behave about taking care of yourself and create a new lifestyle where your first focus is you and how you feel about yourself.
The main parts of the process that will make the changes happen and last, are introspection and healing, other than a commitment to yourself. Introspection to understand your emotions, looking at the reasons why you have gotten to where you are, and what is the impact of that. The healing for the parts of you that allowed you to get to your current weight and letting yourself go until you became overweight. And last, but not least is the commitment to be consistent with your self-care, putting yourself first, and not allowing to abandon yourself again.
So, to get started and succeed, the main things to focus on are understanding what got you to be where you are, look at the impact of being there and stuck, and what is your motivation to get started, your goal, the healing that will need to take place, while always focusing on taking care of yourself.
The process of weight loss does not need to be torturous or challenging, once you are clear on what did not work on your previous attempts, why, and what has been the impact, you will have an easier time defining what you want to accomplish. All there is to do then, is to start, step-by-step.
Most people know that they should do to lose weight, the main thing that is missing is addressing the mindset to create a behavioral change, to be effective, and have the weight loss last. If the only action you take is diet and exercise, and overlook everything else, you will most likely continue dealing with issues as yo-yo dieting, not being able to lose the weight, or losing all the weight with a strict diet, to only gain the weight all back as soon as you go back to doing the same things you were doing to gain the weight.
Ultimately what is required is a new way of doing things, a new lifestyle where you focus on yourself, your wellbeing and learn to enjoy taking care of yourself first. When you feel good about yourself you will have the energy and focus to be a better you, have more to share with everyone else, and feel better about that, because all your needs have already been met. So, unless you create a mindset of self-care, commitment, and consistency, you will continue spinning in wheels, being stuck, and not motivated to get started with weight loss.
When you address the mindset first, things will get easier and doable, allowing you to be effective with your weight-loss, and mostly ensuring that you do not gain the weight you lose, ever again. You will learn to take care of yourself, making yourself a priority, and understand how to make the changes last, by understanding yourself, motivating yourself for weight loss and staying consistent until the end, then managing to keep your ideal weight for the rest of your life, without gaining any of the weight back. It will make you feel great, so proud of yourself, and confident that you learned how to best take care of yourself, not to fall in the same trap ever again.
Are you ready to get your weight under control? Join me to learn how to create a "Weight-Loss Mindset Breakthrough".
This 3 hours-workshop is for you if you are looking to get started and you need some support! RSVP to participate! Saturday, October 02nd, from 10 AM to 1 PM EST
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info!
Natalia Schifini, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natalia Schifini is a Bilingual – Ace Certified Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer with more than two decades of experience in the Fitness Industry. She is also Kundalini & Hatha Yoga Instructor, a Latin Social Dance Teacher, and a Hands-on Healer and Master Practitioner.
Natalia was featured in "The Spirit of Healing" book by Linda Harford RN in 2017; She believes there is no shortcut to Wellness. In order to accomplish this goal, one must create an integral approach where Exercise, Nutrition, and the Mind/Body connection play a role.
She enjoys working with women of all ages and backgrounds, coaching them to make a difference in their own lives. She also believes in making Nutrition and Fitness a part of each individual's life in order to create confidence, balance, and being unstoppable.
Personal Philosophy:
"For me, working as a Wellness and Weight-Loss Coach is an exciting way to empower women to make fundamental, long-lasting, and very positive transformations in their lives. Other than improving their fitness level, taking on their weight loss and wellness is beneficial in many ways. Being in shape, and feeling energized, makes us feel confident, grounded, and positive. It also provides a sense of focus, and the feeling of being able to accomplish anything we set our minds to do. It develops a Champion's mentality."
