Thinking Your Way to Healthy Weight Loss

Healthy weight loss comes along with confidence and self-esteem. Try these expert tips to think your way thin.

By Chris Iliades, MD

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

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Healthy weight loss starts with healthy thinking. No matter what your current weight, you can begin to think and live like a thinner person.

For example, you don't need to wait until you reach your weight-loss goals before you start to update your image. "I tell my clients to start thinking and dressing thinner as soon as they start losing weight. Why wait to reap the rewards? As soon as you start to look better, go ahead and show it off," says nutrition expert Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN, clinical associate professor at Boston University.

Many weight-loss tips are about how to exercise and count calories, but nutrition experts know that healthy weight loss is also about attitude. "Body image and self-esteem shouldn’t be linked to a number on a scale. Thin does not equal happiness,” says Debra J. Johnston, RD, director of nutrition services at Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, Ariz. “However, weight loss can lead to improved health, and that can make us feel better and live longer."

The Right Attitude for Losing Weight

By creating the right attitude and approaching healthy weight loss strategically, you can start to think your way thin. Here are weight-loss tips that can help get your mind in shape so your body will follow:

• Make a commitment not only to lose weight, but also to change your lifestyle. To solidify what you’re doing, write up a contract. Include the weight you want to lose and the changes you want to make to get there. Sign it and post it where you can see it.
• Get professional advice. "Consider finding a coach or motivator to help you," suggests Blake. For some people, working with an exercise or a diet counselor can be one of the best ways to lose weight. This extra motivation and encouragement can make a positive difference in your success.
• Break down weight loss into achievable goals. Healthy weight loss comes slowly and regularly, not quickly. Setting unrealistic goals just leads to frustration and failure.
• Seek measurable goals that are more than just pounds. "By focusing on improved health and not a number on the scale, we can learn to appreciate small goals along the way,” says Johnston. “One way that we can see weight loss without focusing too much on weight is by being in tune with how our clothing fits.” Select a pair of pants or a particular dress and try it on at the same time of the day one day each week, taking note of how it fits.
• Keep a food diary. By writing down what you eat, when you eat, and how you feel when you eat, you can begin to be aware of your personal eating behaviors and start to avoid mindless eating that comes from stress or boredom.
• Monitor your health. "Another idea is to focus on improved health,” suggests Johnston. “Have your blood pressure read on a weekly basis. Is it improving? Or monitor other health factors. When you walk up the stairs on your way to bed each night, do you breathe more easily? Do you feel less tired at the end of a long day?"
• Accept the ups and downs. Expect some setbacks along the way and, instead of giving up, think through weight-loss obstacles to overcome them. There are no perfect plans to lose weight. You can fall off the wagon occasionally without giving up the journey.
• Plate size makes a difference. "Your grandmother's china plates were 36 percent smaller than today's plates," says Blake. That means bigger food portions fill today's bigger plates. "One tip to think your way to better portion control is to use smaller plates," says Blake.
• Resize your portions. Another trick for portion control is knowing that a healthy portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, and a healthy portion of starch is about the size of a tennis ball. You can fill in all the empty areas of your plate with plenty of fruits or vegetables and still expect healthy weight loss.
• Reward yourself when you reach your goals. "Every time you make it through the week on your healthy diet, put a few dollars in a piggy bank. At the end of the month, reward yourself with a gift or activity — other than eating — that you enjoy," says Blake.

Finally, don't forget that healthy weight loss is hard work and that you don't have to pursue it alone. Seek support from your friends and family. Let them know how important your weight-loss goals are. The lifestyle changes you make now can serve as a powerful example for your loved ones.

There are many ways to lose weight and many weight-loss tips, but the secret to ultimate weight-loss success is a good mental game plan.