The right mindset to lose weight

It’s a cycle many of us are familiar with - we work hard to get our bodies in shape for the summer but then when the holidays roll round, we take a sabbatical from healthy eating habits.

The truth is, a lot of the work of getting in shape isn't even about knowing what to eat, it’s a mental game.

Here are tips to help you get into the right mindset to lose weight…

Get your head in the game

Before you start trying to cut calories, make sure you’re in the right headspace. If your heart isn’t in it you’re not going to get far.

A good way to make sure you stay in the right mental space is to consider the difference between going on yet another diet, and adopting a healthy lifestyle. The former is about denying yourself and counting calories, the latter is about learning to appreciate a more holistic approach to a healthy life. To distinguish between the two is important and could mean the difference between failure and success.

Define your goal

What is it you really want to achieve? It helps to have a specific goal in mind.

For example, losing a certain amount of weight or completing a race. Why not sign yourself up for a 10 kilometre run or even a half-marathon?

Just don’t set your goals too high. Otherwise you might not try as hard because unconsciously you don’t think you’ll actually make it.

Forgive yourself for bad days

We’ve all gone through this: everything goes well for a time, and then we have a bad eating day. It’s important that you don’t kick yourself for this. Tomorrow is another day. Don’t think that just because you had one bad day, it’s all over.

Know your triggers

For most of us, overeating isn’t a physical issue, but a psychological one. We eat what we know we shouldn’t, we eat when we’re not even hungry, and we eat for emotional reasons. What makes you diverge from a healthy diet? Everyone has different triggers. Perhaps it’s boredom, stress, anxiety or sadness. Learn to recognise why you overeat, so that you can start to combat this.

One final tip is timing. Having false starts is disheartening, so make sure you start when you’re ready. Wait until all the friends and family have left, the holiday is well and truly over, and you can get back into a routine.

This advice was brought to you by Rhodes Quality. Recommended reading: Why you should snack between meals

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