5 Mind Games You Need to Stop Playing

By Megan Coatley, for SparkPeople

Motivation is like cold hard cash: You can never have too much! And when you're trying to lose weight (for the umpteenth time for many of us) you know that you need a wealth of motivational strategies you can count on. But, with so many motivational tips and tricks to sift through, why are we so often losing our motivation rather than reaping the rewards?

One reason is that some of the most popular motivation strategies people use are mind games-games that don't really work for the long term. At first glance, they all seem helpful, but most are actually bound to fail. Instead of playing Russian roulette when you're choosing a weight-loss strategy, read on to find out how you can beat the odds and pick a winner.

Mind Game #1: Going for the Gold
You have your perfect weight and pants size in mind. With a big, bold goal to aspire to, you start biking to work, cooking lighter, packing your lunch, skipping that morning latte, and taking the stairs. Then, three busy, butt-busting weeks later…the scale hasn't really budged and you're trying on the same size in the dressing room. Deflated, you start snacking a bit here and slacking a bit there, and your dream of a whittled waistline slowly fades from view.

Mind Game #2: Starting Out Super Strong
It's Sunday evening and you realize that you spent the weekend indulging on brews, barbeques, and binges. A twinge of guilt has you psyched to start speeding down the road to wellness first thing Monday. So you restock your pantry with healthy eats, download a hardcore training app to your phone, and plan out the next month's food and workouts. You figure that going full throttle is the way to reach your weight-loss goals as quickly as possible. And why not? You're excited for it! But two weeks into your overhaul, your muscles are so sore you have trouble rolling out of bed, you're sick of salads and you're already thinking about throwing in the towel.

Mind Game #3: Taking the Road Less Traveled
There will always be a new diet or exercise program that promise fast progress and fantastic results. Reading about the latest food fad or watching a perky personal trainer push sweat-drenched clients through an infomercial workout can definitely spark your motivation. Who wouldn't want to try an effective 4-minute workout or slim down fast with a celebrity-backed diet supplement? Deep down, we all know the truth: People are getting paid for those advertisements and whatever motivation you've mustered up during the commercial break will fade fast if you don't get those "as seen on TV" results that were so motivating to you. Trying every new fad that comes on the market may leave you broke and brokenhearted.

Mind Game #4: Flying Under the Radar
You're already feeling self-conscious about losing weight, so you certainly don't want your friends and family making more of a fuss. Besides, you're confident that you can do this all on your own! So what if your plan to be stealth has you skipping out on lunch with friends and sneaking veggies to parties in your purse? Going it alone may seem like a good idea, but it is actually counterproductive. Soon enough, you'll be feeling lonely and left out, and that's no way to maintain success in the long run.

Mind Game #5: Staring Down the Scale
There's a scale in your bathroom and one next to your treadmill. You check in twice a day and diligently track your weight on a chart on the fridge. Still, even though you're eating well and exercising, some days the numbers just don't show it! Seeing real, objective results can be super motivating but being tethered to the scale often becomes a burden. Even though you know that body weight fluctuates throughout each day and hydration (or lack thereof) is usually responsible, unpredictable digits can be deceiving and downright disheartening. If you find yourself frowning at your feet during morning weigh-ins, then your scale is likely sapping your mojo.


Click here to find out how to stopthe mind games for good!


Related links:
Goals that Help, Goals that Hurt

Are Your Fitness Goals Realistic?

Use Smart Goal-Setting Techniques

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