Copyright © Joel Kaye, MA

Losing weight is most definitely about burning more calories than you consume. Just as important as intake and output, however, is the state of mind you are in when approaching weight loss. You can have a library full of reference books and even have a chef and personal trainer at your disposal just like the celebrities, but if you are not mentally prepared to lose weight and have a diet plan that supports your mind, your chances for success are next to nothing.

It takes more than just wanting to lose weight to have your mind ready to work its power over the body. Most people who are overweight or unhealthy because of their diet want to be in better shape, yet still can’t succeed. In order to make real changes in your weight, you have to get the mind to the point that it controls the body – not the body telling the mind what it wants. That’s not to say that your body doesn’t signal your brain about what it needs. Cravings for certain healthy foods can be a trigger to tell your mind to get some fresh veggies into your body. What the mind over body theory means for losing weight is that you have to be mentally strong.

Here are some ways to put your mind to work in your weight loss efforts and stay mentally strong for the long haul:

1. Don’t let your physical appearance define who you are. If you are not comfortable with the fact you have worth as an individual no matter what you weigh, you will not feel any differently about yourself when you lose the weight.

2. Make sure you want to lose weight for the right reasons. If you are trying to lose weight so that you can be a stronger, healthier person – and even a better looking person—then you will be successful. If your only reason to lose weight is because you think it will magically make bad situations in your life better, then you are not as likely to have lasting success.

3. Don’t try to lose weight to please someone else. Weight loss has to be for your self to be lasting. Trying to please a parent or spouse might motivate you to get started, but won’t work for lifetime maintenance.

4. Give the brain a healthy dose of positive thoughts. Just as you would feed your body healthy food, the brain needs healthy thoughts to be nourished and to thrive.

5. Let your diet feed your mind. If you have started a diet and failed because you couldn’t stick with it then it didn’t do enough to nourish your brain. Once you’ve decided you want to make changes, it should be the responsibility of the right diet to make you mentally able to stick with it. If you can’t, then the diet failed you. You didn’t fail at dieting.

Many diets claim to offer quick results. That often gets people mentally psyched up to start. When they see the results start to slow as the body fights to keep from starving, it can make the dieter extremely discouraged. Remember, that is the kind of diet that didn’t support the mind. Weight loss that is healthy and permanent involves a diet plan that feeds the mind as it nourishes the body.

Joel Kaye holds a Masters Degree in Physical Health Education and he is currently teaching classes at the prestigious New York University's Coles Sports Center On Weight Management, Nutrition And Exercise And Cancer Wellness. Find out how to achieve optimal health at: www.rightbraindiet.com