by Jason O’Neil

www.MakeYourFatMelt.com

Have you ever had this thought…. “I’m working out, not eating a lot, and I’m still not losing any weight… what gives?” The truth is that it’s really mostly psychological and some limiting beliefs you may be having that’s keeping the weight on. So what exactly is a limiting belief you may ask…

Limiting belief!

A self-limiting belief is among the biggest problem that most people must deal with in order for them to reach their ideal weight loss or fat loss goals. Think about it, if you’ve ever had a New Years resolution to lose weight, how long did you stick to your program? If you’re one of the many that only made it a few weeks or stopped as early as February, then these self limiting beliefs are strong with you.

Don’t get me wrong on this article. This isn’t a rah rah pump you up type of motivation article, but rather may help you start viewing your weight loss journey in a different light. You beliefs are so strong that it really can change your life, if you can take control of them. A doctor will give a patient a miracle pill to help the patient get better. When this person gets better immediately they will credit the pill, but in so many cases the real problem just came from the way that person was thinking. The pill just gave them a reason to think differently.

Our beliefs are unconscious programs that control our behavior. The more we believe in something, the more true it may be. For example, if you feel that there is no way that you can lose weight, then that’s most likely going to be true. Same holds true for almost every single other area of our life. It’s not about what diet or exercise program you’re following, but rather the inner thoughts that are going on that will make you want to follow the healthy lifestyle that you’re so ready for.

How Do You Start Working on Limiting Beliefs?

If you’ve ever read the book called “The Secret” it goes to show you that we become or achieve what we think about the most. If you’re wanting to get in great shape, start living it. Start thinking about it, and eventually you’ll be in the moment living that lifestyle. You can begin controlling what you think about the most in a few very simple steps:

Step 1: Begin by Identifying Your Limiting Beliefs

The first step is to really do some soul searching and figure out what exactly your self limiting beliefs may be. In many of your beliefs you are most likely fully aware of them, such as your beliefs about your political views or your favorite sports teams. These wouldn’t be known as limiting beliefs. These types of beliefs are in the front of your conscious state of mind. We’ve gotta dig deeper though.

I consider us all to have a fat and skinny person inside of us. The truth is that both of them cannot live in our thoughts at the same time. One of them is going to be the winner, and one of them is going to be the loser. The one that wins is going to be the one that is dominating our unconscious thoughts, running silently in the background.

It’s impossible to fix a problem if you’re unaware of what exactly it is, so here is a few quick ways that you can draw out what your unconscious beliefs may be.

I’d suggest taking out a pen and a piece of paper and writing these down. These beliefs may go back as far as your childhood so they may be very deep rooted into your thought patterns. We must find out what exactly they are. Ask yourself these questions and write them down:

Question #1: What causes me to be unhealthy and overweight? Or why do I not have the body that I want?

Question #2: Why have I not made the proper changes to my lifestyle to change this?

If you take a little bit of time and write this down, how big can your list get? Ask yourself if the way your thinking is helping you or is it hurting you? Does it make you feel good or bad about yourself? The ones that are making you feel bad, will obviously hold you back. If you can replace those with thoughts that make you happy, then the sky is the limit. No matter what you’re aiming to achieve.

Some of the most common reasons I hear people say they are overweight are:

1. I have no time

2. I’m too old and my metabolism has shut down

3. I don’t know how to cook healthy foods

4. I can’t wake up early in the morning to go exercise

5. It’s just the way I’m built

6. I can’t lift weights because it hurts

7. I had kids and can’t take the baby weight off

Sit down and come up with your self limiting thoughts. Ask yourself this one question: Are these actually true?

These beliefs are indeed not written in stone, so if you find yourself holding these as if they are reality, then your job is to start deconstructing these thoughts and replacing them with thoughts that will empower you to take control.

These self limiting beliefs are false interpretations that hold you back. Your challenge is to change the way that you think about yourself and your life. You truly are the captain of your own vessel so if you find yourself feeling change will require too much work, then change the way you think about that. Get out of your comfort zone and start accomplishing the things that you want to accomplish with your weight loss.

Step 2: Internalize These Beliefs and Challenge Them

How do you challenge a belief? 4 ways:

1. Challenge it directly: Is what you believe even real or valid? Think about someone that might be able to disprove what you believe. For example; if you feel that there isn’t enough time in the day for you to become healthier, what would you say if I was able to show you examples of very busy executives that work 50+ hours a week and still are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle.Think about that, if they are able to do it than so can you. They just don’t have the same self limiting beliefs that you may be fighting right now.
2. Challenge where this belief comes from: Ask yourself why exactly you’re having this belief and where it all came from. Is it actually a belief you have or was it something you developed from your parents or friends along the way? If someone else has crept into your head and made you start believing something that isn’t true, then this exercise alone can shatter it.
3. Challenge whether or not this belief has any use in your life: Do these beliefs have any real use in making your life better in any way? Have these beliefs been with you since you were a kid? Does believing in this move you closer to where you want to be? If not, then right now is a good time to start getting rid of them.
4. Challenge the consequences of keeping this belief: If you hold on to these thoughts, how much more is it going to cost you? What will you feel like in a year from now if you don’t replace these with good beliefs? What is the harm in not changing these beliefs now?

Step 3: Develop a New Belief

This is most likely going to be the most challenging process of eliminating the self limiting beliefs you’ve been having. Again you may be in a battle between the fat guy (or gal) and skinny guy (or gal) within. Only one of them can win and that’s going to be the one that has the most deep rooted beliefs inside. If you’re reading this article then that means that you’re ready for a change in your life. The more that you think about something being true, the more that it will become reality for you. If you believe you can lose weight, then you can. If you believe you can be happier, then you can. It all starts with what you believe and taking action on those beliefs that you’ll be forming.

If you would like an exercise that may help, then write down a daily affirmation that you can read to yourself first thing when you wake up, and last thing before you go to bed. You’re affirmation can be something like this:..

“I’m in control of my thoughts and what I want out of life. While I may be busy, my health and body are at the very top of my priority list. I will make sure that I always schedule time for myself and my other important priorities such as a healthy family and home.”

Think about this… if the President of the United States, being one of the busiest people around, can make time to workout and accomplish other goals then so can you. It really is about what you think about AND taking action. If you can start controlling what you think about and doing these things than nothing at all will stop you from accomplishing your weight loss and other life goals.

Trust me, spending quality time working on your beliefs is a lot more productive and will make you feel a lot better about yourself than spending time time in forums arguing about which weight loss program or gadget is the best. Your weight loss battle will be won and lost in your own head, the only difference now is that you know where to look to accomplish this goal.

For more tips on successfully losing weight, we recommend Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. Click on the image below to visit: