Change Your Negative Thoughts

Have you ever wondered why you are not getting the desired weight loss results even after an intense exercise routine and following a proper diet plan? Well, there may be a factor that you are not focusing on "your thoughts." Yes, you have heard it right. Your thoughts are deeply connected with your weight.

The only way to fail a diet is stop and negative thoughts encourage you to do this. These negative thoughts can prevent you from reaching your goals if they become a habit or feeling. For example, slipping up and having a cookie can end up making you abandon your whole diet.

We can't say that stopping and overcoming such negative thoughts can be easy. But here are a few things you can do to slowly convert your negative thoughts into positive ones and improve your health and quality of life. 

Notice your Thoughts:

The first step is to notice and recognize your negative thoughts. You have to look at these thoughts from afar in order to stop them. Ask yourself whether what you are thinking is useful or not. Some of your self-talk may be true, and some may be merely exaggerated.

Just like all-or-nothing thinking. For example, giving up on your whole eating plan just after a minor slip-up. But in reality, you know, deep inside, everyone makes mistakes, and it does not mean that you can not get back to your plan the next day. You let your past dictate your future and that's a mistake.

Write them down:

Keeping a thought journal can be helpful in stopping negative thoughts and choosing the right ones. Write down all the negative and un-useful thoughts you had the whole day. You can keep a notepad with you to write as they occur.

It will make you know why you are having such thoughts and realize how silly it is to have them to begin with. What does just a cookie have to do with your gym session, or how can a cheat meal with a friend destroy your entire diet plan?

Replace Those Thoughts:

Now that you have recognized your negative thoughts, it's time to fight them or replace them with useful ones. There are always two sides to the same situation: A negative one and a positive one. All you have to do is to look at the positive side. Ask yourself, What is true and what is more useful?

Instead of thinking: " I should not have eaten that donut last night; I can never reach my weight loss goal; I should just stop trying." You can think: "I enjoyed that small donut last night, but it can't get in the way of my progress as I can compensate for that in many ways."

And that's how you can even use your failed goal to learn and improve from your mistakes.

Be Mindful & Appreciate Positivity:

Remember to reflect on all the amazing little things happening to you. Appreciate and celebrate little successes. It can be as small as appreciating a good cup of coffee you had this morning, or you are avoiding the second slice of pizza at an office reunion. YES, you need to give yourself the credit you deserve.

Reflecting and fortifying on your wins will not only motivate you to do this in the future but will also develop self-efficacy. In other words, it will increase your confidence, and you will have more belief in yourself. 

This will help you develop self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is believing in yourself. It's about feeling confident that you can do things and achieve your goals. When you have high self-efficacy, you trust that you have the skills and abilities to handle different situations and succeed in what you want to do.

Final Words

Learning how to stop negative thoughts can help you make all the positive decisions you need to reach your goal. So the next time, whenever you have a negative thought, don't let it overcome you. Accept your mistake, understand why you did it, and get to your goal. Just remember that there is another positive way aside, and all you have to do is flip the coin and look at the opposite side.