Thread: That frame of mind ...

How do you get yourself into that frame of mind to be successful? I don't think it matters what "diet" you are doing, I think you really need to be in the right frame of mind to lose weight.

I have been on many diets in my time and lost a little weight but it never lasted and I never lost enough to even notice a difference.

The one time I did manage to lose alot of weight was years ago, I done WW. I was so strict with myself and almost became obsessed but It was the only way it worked for me, my frame of mind was almost like disgust, certain foods disgusted me and so did my weight. I hope I can get that back lol.

What is yours like?

thats a really good question, I just seem to get into the right frame of mind at certain times but it doesn't happen often enough, for some reason this time I feel all geared up and motivated and that is when I usually do my best, I have often started diet plans when not in the right frame of mind and been a bit half hearted and have always failed, I seem to need to be really focussed on the goal and motivated. I personally find for me that being in the right frame of mind diet wise usually follows on from me having hit such a low re my weight that I feel its now or never, I am usually at my most motivated after hitting an all time low and feeling as if life sucks pretty much at this weight and that I need to change. I hit an all time low in Jan / Feb so I'm thinking thats why I seem to have come out the other side all clear thinking and motivated, sometimes when you reach the depths the only way is up! Em

For me it was a specific health related event that was the tipping point. I know I need to have fairly major abdominal surgery within the next 5 years, and I was expecting I'd need it sooner than that as my pains were returning. I'd had a laparoscopy the year before and got a really bad post op infection that laid me up for weeks. There was no way I was having that op without being in the best possible shape I could be - for me that target was the key to kick me off.

Maintaining that focus and headspace has been difficult. I'm reading through the Beck Diet Solution very slowly and it really does help - I've noticed my attention tends to wander when I've not picked it up for a few days and the habits try to creep back in. One of the most powerful techniques in the book is to right a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight right at the beginning of your journey when you are feeling most motivated and refer to this often, at least twice a day - it really does work!

There are a lot of analogies in the book about throwing in the towel when dieting, and how we view failure on diets differently to in other areas of our life, it uses CBT and positive psychology to alter your perspective on food issues and is really rather good

I generally start in the right frame of mind. It's a month or two in that I start to wain, bad habits slip back in and then I'm back to gaining. I'm trying it a little differently this time. I've signed up for a half marathon in October with a friend and I will soon be having a fitness test as part of job interviews for when I finish uni so I have an actual deadline to work towards so to say. I know that I will struggle one heck of a lot more on both of these things if I stay the weight I am and as I get recurrent shin splints and have a knee problem I really need to lose the weight to stop me from injuring myself by putting extra strain on both of them. Unlike last time I've also put more stuff around me to motivate myself. Above my computer I have 3 A4 sheets of motivational quotes and pictures stuck to the wall that I am constantly looking at. I've also made a ********* board with loads more so that when I start losing that motivation I can look at them to try and get my head back into the right frame of mind. My friend will also be dragging me down the gym on a regular basis and I want to start running along the local canal which is something I've done before and really enjoyed (though I need to get over my current cold, chest infection and anaemia first). Once I'm near goal I want to go to a hypnotherapist and either have some food related hypnotherapy sessions or a hypnoband so that I don't come off this and go straight back to my old way. I've also ordered the Beck book to do whilst I'm on this.

Fingers crossed that all this will keep me in the right frame of mind this time round and it will be the last time I have to diet!

That is exactly how I feel, I so need to be in the right head space or I just give up so easily!! I have just been on here for the last hour or so and reading all the diary s and posts, I feel geared up to do this and stick to it now! I am about to go to work night shift so just need to keep my head in the right place!

s x