Loving yourself at every step of your weight loss progress is an important part of getting to your goal. We all move through this process slowly… no matter what our budget, fitness level or how much motivation we have. It is a universal truth that weight loss is a journey for absolutely everyone.
In order to stay positive and on your way to your weight loss goal, it’s super-duper important to love your progress so far. But even for MasterFasters, this can be harder than it sounds. (Especially for hyper-motivated-goal-oriented-super-achievers like we know you are!) Therefore, we thought it was a good time to revisit one of the best lessons from the SuperLife program in the context of MasterFaster.
Realistic Expectations
“…one of the most common and most damaging mistakes people make with lifestyle change and weight management programs is to have unrealistic expectations of the rate of change.” – Dr Tim Sharp
Usually, that is a fabulous trait to have, but it can turn you into your own worst enemy if you decide to focus on what you haven’t achieved instead of what you have. And according to Dr Tim Sharp (aka Dr Happy), “it’s completely normal to have a range of thoughts, positive and negative, realistic and unrealistic. But “normal” is not always the same as helpful.”
The power of positivity on your weight loss journey
If you find yourself teetering dangerously close toward negative reflection when in the midst of your weight loss journey, take the time to flip the switch.
It’s not about being blindly positive and ignoring your weight loss goal, but more about being optimistic about the changes you’ve already made.
Dr Tim Sharp explains the difference: “optimism isn’t the same as “positive thinking”. It is “positive” in the sense that it focuses on what’s going well and on where things are right; but very importantly, real optimism is also grounded in reality.”
This is incredibly important as a positive, yet constructive attitude towards your weight loss will not only help you progress but maintain this progress.
This self-care Sunday, we’re encouraging you to celebrate every single small win to help you love your body right now. Even though you’re not 100% of the way there, you HAVE moved forward, and this new version of you is worth fussing over!
What to think when you’re progressing but not yet there
Start by listing every single accomplishment that you’ve made so far. And yes, we mean everything! Losing 2 kilos, improving your mood, learning how to meal-prep, having your skinny jeans fit… write all of these positive achievements down.
Be as descriptive and specific as you can. For example, if one of your achievements is fitting into your skinny jeans, write down:
* exactly where on your body they fit better
* how you felt when you put them on
* what you intend on wearing them with… and so on!
Tip: Think about the language you would use if you were doing this for your bestie. Speak about yourself in the same way!
Have a clear visualisation of your win in your head. It will make it easier to draw motivation from your win in the future.
Once you’ve completed your list of triumphs, print them out, rip them out or save them to a place where you’ll see them over and over again. Better yet, put it on your bathroom mirror so you see it every day! It will be incredibly encouraging to continually be reminded of how far you’ve come from the beginning, and how far you’ll get from where you are now.