Fat Loss Self Talk/Affirmations vs. Voodoo B.S.

So I spend a lot of time writing about what you should put in your mouth (food), but it's almost as important to spend some time taking a look at what comes out of your mouth (words).

So I'm super not into any kind of touchy feely magical self talk kind of stuff.  Just my personal experience, but it seems like magic happens when we take new actions.

But I'll give you a tip on what comes out of your mouth: What you say should *match* the *actions* you are taking.

What Lean People Say vs. What Fat People Say

But I've noticed that there are people who's conversations keep them stuck.  Actually, keep them fatter than they'd like to be.

People who are lean tend to talk about nutrition and exercise in a very different way from people who are fat.  In fact, people who are "natually lean" tend to say that they "love exercise" or "just feel better eating healthy".  They may even say "they love having a free day when they feel like they've earned it."

Now, like I said", talking about "liking" to exercise doesn't mean that you are going to magically lose fat.  But I bet it's a heck of a lot easier to go to the gym.  

What Fat People Say

I hate going to the gym

Working out sucks

Eating right isn't worth it

I'd rather be happy than go crazy to be skinny

People who are lean spend their whole life in the gym

Healthy food is boring

Skinny people starve themselves

She must be lucky/I'm sure she has great genetics

Keeping a food journal is tedious, people don't really do that 

My body just won't get under ________ weight

What Lean People Say

I just feel good after I go to the gym

I like feeling strong

I feel so much healthier when I eat healthy

I'm glad I figured out how to make healthy food that tates good

Going to the gym is my *me* time

Keeping a food journal is like keeping up with my finances, it's just smart

Maintaining a healthy attitude about my nutrition is as important as healthy nutrition

I have a goal of _______, but I already really like _______ about my body

Mouth Goes One Way, Ass Goes The Other

It's not even about being positive vs. being negative (though positive people are usually cooler to hang out with).  It's actually just about being consistant.

To think that you could talk or joke about being fat, meanwhile putting all of your effort into fat loss actions, you're making life way too hard on yourself.  It's called *cognitive dissonance* – that's a fancy way of saying that your words and actions don't match.

If you are into self-depricating humor, then find something else to joke about other than your body.

If you are trying to send your body in the fit, lean, and hot direction, then have both your actions and your words match that.

How To Make Stuff Up And Think It's Real

I went to a weight loss support group once, where everyone was making excuses for why weight loss was hard.  

In fact, the most common thing I heard said was that "I lost _____ amount of weight, then _____ happened, and I gained it back."  Not surprisingly, no one there was getting any results.  They just kept losing a few pounds, then they would have some life event, and gain it back.  Everyone.  In.  The.  Group.

That was the most obvious case of a group conversation keeping people fat I had ever seen.

On the flip-side, I've seen groups of fitness competitiors talk about fat loss like it's extremely simple (and hard).  They all talk about how when they are on point, they lose 1% body fat per week.  And they all did.  Which is extremely, extremely fast.  Of course, they all talked about how losing that much, that fast, was really hard and that it wasn't super cool to be around them right before contest time.  And that showed up just like they said also!

This is an extreme case of a group conversation that even super extremely accelerated fat loss is possible.

Either way, they basically made up a story about how fat loss works.  Then they got some agreement from their friends.  And then that was "real".  

The way you know it's not "real", is because both groups have totally opposite "realities".  And for each one it totally seems real because they have agreement from their friends.

Use Your Words!

Just check a look at what you say.  Don't over complicate this, just notice the WORDS that are COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH.

There are things you can say that will make fat loss harder, and things you can say that will make fat loss easier.  Say the things that make it easier.

Remember, most of the stuff that comes out of your mouth is totally made up.  So make up stuff that's fun and empowering and sends you on the path to losing fat.

14 Day Fat Loss Blast

I got the idea for this blog post reading one of the bonuses in my friend Dr. K's 14 Day Fat Loss Plan.  He talked about self-talk in a basic brain training for fat loss kind of way, vs. a voodoo kind of magical "The Secret" kind of way, which I really dug.

But his program is just a really cool fat loss blast – a 14 day modular diet/nutritional makeover + a morning bodyweight circuit and actually a really amazing super quick corrective exercise circuit.  It's a pretty badass program, and it's only $14, so I thought I'd give you a heads up: 14 Day Fat Loss Plan

I really think that the future is in mixing short-intense-fat-loss-blast-programs with smart-reasonable-long-term-programs.  So it fits right in with my philosophy.  Dr. K calls it "fat loss program interval training" which I think is totally genius.