It seems strange to think that the words you say can have an effect on something so tangible as your weight and body size, but affirmations have been proven to help with weight loss — IF they are used correctly.
There are mixed opinions on weight loss affirmations. Some people think they have the power to spontaneously melt fat away, while others scoff because they know there is nothing magical about weight loss, regardless of the words you say each day.
There is nothing magical about weight loss, true . . . but there are ways to make it SEEM almost magical because it”s virtually effortless. And doing that requires tapping into the power of the subconscious mind.
Your subconscious mind is constantly working behind the scenes to help make your life easier. It takes over the performance of mundane tasks that you”ve done hundreds of times before, like driving a car or washing the dishes, so you are free to focus on other thoughts and ideas.
It warns you when you encounter a dangerous situation, and keeps nagging at you if you forget something important.
But your subconscious mind also works against you sometimes — like when you”re trying to change bad habits and lose weight.
You find yourself reaching for a cookie even though you vowed yesterday to stop eating cookies. You want to lose weight more than anything else in the world, but your subconscious mind tries to “protect” you from that scary possibility by sabotaging your efforts.
When you try to introduce a positive affirmation, your subconscious mind scoffs and rejects it because it doesn”t fit with your existing view of reality.
For example, if you recited the affirmation: “I am slim and healthy”, your subconscious mind would reject it because it”s not true (yet).
So, how can you use affirmations to lose weight? Isn”t it a lost cause if your subconscious mind keeps working against you? Not exactly. Read on.
The Real Power of Weight Loss Affirmations
Affirmations don”t have any magical power to alter your physical body — but they DO have very real power in changing your beliefs and feelings.
That may not sound very impressive, but when you consider that your beliefs and feelings control most of what you do each day, it gets a little more intriguing.
Take a moment to think about your normal daily routine. Think about all of the things you do in a typical day, and then consider how those things change according to your moods and overall attitude.
Do you have an easier time sticking to a healthy eating plan when you feel happy? Do you slip into bad habits when you”re in a bad mood?
Like most people, your daily actions are dictated according to the state of mind and emotion you are in at any given time.
The real power of weight loss affirmations lies in their ability to shift you into a more empowered, inspired, motivated state of mind and emotion.
Even better, affirmations have the power to change your beliefs, which also impact your actions.
Do you have any limiting beliefs related to the state of your body?
For example, do you believe that you have a slow metabolism so you”ll have a difficult time losing weight? Do you believe that obesity runs in your family so you”ll never be thin? Do you believe that you must eliminate certain foods from your diet in order to lose weight?
All of these beliefs can be changed, and when you change them, you will be motivated to take different actions and overcome the physical limitations.
Crafting Powerful Weight Loss Affirmations
A great weight loss affirmation is one that moves you into a positive, motivated state of mind and triggers corresponding feelings. For example, “I am creating the healthy body I deserve.”
That”s probably different than most weight loss affirmations you”ve seen before, right? You”ve probably seen affirmations like, “I weigh 120 pounds,” or “I am sexy, slim, and fit” — but remember, your subconscious mind won”t accept untruths. We have to be sneaky to get past those subconscious “guards”.
Crafting a great weight loss affirmation requires using key words that help lessen the resistance from your subconscious mind. Very often, just a little tweaking makes all the difference between an effective affirmation and an ineffective one.
The affirmation, “I am sexy, slim and fit” may not work, but what if we changed it to say, “I am becoming sexy, slim and fit”? Or, “I give myself permission to be sexy, slim and fit”.
There are three main things to do when writing your own weight loss affirmations.
First, clarify how you want to feel.
Remember that the power in a weight loss affirmation is that it makes you feel good so you take positive actions. If you wanted to use an affirmation to motivate yourself to exercise, you could say something like, “Exercise makes me feel great!”
But if that”s not quite true (maybe you hate exercise), you may have to tweak it a little bit more.
“Exercise makes me feel empowered and strong.” That might work better. Or you could focus on a specific point of the exercise, like, “After a workout I feel really proud of myself,” or “After a workout I always feel confident and strong.”
With every affirmation, consider the FEELING you are trying to create within yourself. You want to feel strong, confident, empowered, slender, light, fit, enthusiastic about exercise and healthy eating, proud of yourself . . . and so on.
Then write that intention in present tense: “I enjoy eating healthy.”
Next, consider how the affirmation makes you feel.
When you say the words, “I enjoy eating healthy” how do you feel? Does that statement bring up any feelings of resistance or doubt? If so, you”ll need to tweak it a bit more.
“There are many healthy foods that I enjoy eating.” How does that one feel? A bit better? Less resistance coming up? Good! But maybe we can tweak it even more.
“I feel really good when I eat healthy.”
“Eating healthy makes me feel good inside and out.”
“I choose to eat healthy because it makes me feel good.”
Finally, use soothing words.
Notice in the last example affirmation that I used the word “choose”. That”s one of many “soothing” words you can use to make an affirmation more effective.
“I choose to eat healthy” is an easier affirmation than “I eat healthy,” especially if healthy eating is a challenge for you. Adding “choose to” softens the statement so it doesn”t conflict with your existing beliefs.
Here are some other good soothing words:
– Willing (“I am willing to . . .”)
– Okay (“It”s okay to . . .”)
– Permission (“I give myself permission to . . .”)
– Becoming (“I am becoming . . .”)
– Learning (“I am learning to . . .”)
– Love (“I love . . .”)
– Believe (“I believe that . . .”)
– Know (“I know that . . .”)
– Trust (“I trust in my ability to . . .”)
– Gradually (“I am gradually . . .”)
With all of these soothing words, you simply add them and tweak the original affirmation so it produces the right feeling within you.
Here are some examples of “tweaks” so you can see how it”s done:
“I enjoy exercise.” — “I am learning to enjoy exercising.”
“My body is slender and healthy.” — “My body is becoming slender and healthy.”
“I eat right and exercise.” — “I choose to eat right and exercise.”
“I am fit and strong.” — “I love the idea of being fit and strong.”
“I stick to a healthy diet.” — “I am gradually committing to a healthy diet.”
“Losing weight is easy for me.” — “I trust that I can lose weight quickly and easily.”
“I eat lots of fruit and vegetables.” — “I”m willing to eat more fruit and vegetables.”
Can you feel the difference in these affirmations?
This is a major point in creating effective affirmations — how they make you FEEL.
If you experience any sense of doubt, disbelief, frustration, anger, fear, anxiety, or any other negative emotion, it means the affirmation does not trigger the feelings you want it to trigger, so it won”t be effective.
With every affirmation, you are aiming for a feeling of empowerment, happiness, strength, confidence, motivation, inspiration — something positive. As long as it triggers a positive feeling when you say it, you”re on the right track.
The example affirmations above may not be exactly right for you personally. Keep tweaking until they feel right to you — you”ll know by the way you feel.
Remember: clarify how you want to feel, state it in present tense, and then soothe and tweak until it feels right.
How to Use Weight Loss Affirmations
Once you”ve created some affirmations that trigger the right mindset and feelings, you”ll want to start saying them as often as possible.
Truthfully, you can”t say an affirmation too often — the more you say it, the better your results are going to be! Say one or more of your affirmations over and over, all day long.
However, you don”t have to disrupt your entire life to use affirmations.
One of the greatest things about affirmations is that they are so easy to use, and no one else needs to know you are using them. You can say them over and over again mentally while you”re doing virtually any other task, unless the task is something you really need to concentrate on.
Otherwise, you can say an affirmation while you are driving, walking, taking public transportation; while you are meditating, while you are on your coffee break, during bathroom breaks, while you are doing chores around the house, shopping, watching television — any time!
When you are alone, you may even want to say your affirmations out loud to infuse them with even more power. Say them strongly and with conviction in your voice.
Or, write them down. Writing an affirmation over and over while really focusing on the concept can help cement it into your subconscious mind quickly.
Whether you say your affirmations out loud, write them down, or think them mentally, HOW you do so also matters.
You don”t want to say affirmations flatly — you want to infuse them with emotional power.
For example, imagine saying blandly, “I feel good when I work out.” Doesn”t really inspire you, does it?
Try this instead: “I feel really GOOD when I work out!”
When you focus on the “really good” part with positive emotion and enthusiasm, the affirmation becomes very motivating. That”s because you are tuning into the feeling of “really good” you get from working out, even though you aren”t working out at that moment. But it sure makes you want to work out, doesn”t it?
The same thing goes for any kind of weight loss affirmation — pour your passion and power into it when you recite it, even if you are saying it mentally.
“I choose to LOVE my body.” “I really ENJOY eating healthy.” “Working out is so much FUN for me!” “I KNOW that I can lose weight easily and quickly.”
Using Affirmations to Change Limiting Beliefs
Changing limiting beliefs with affirmations is just as easy as using them to motivate yourself, but the same rules apply when sneaking past your subconscious resistance.
For example, let”s say you have a belief that because you have a slow metabolism you can”t lose weight easily. Changing this belief would require you to change your perception by consistently reinforcing another, better perception.
Here are some examples:
“I can boost my metabolism with healthy habits.”
“My body responds favorably to a healthy lifestyle.”
“I choose to lose weight despite any obstacles I may face.”
“I trust in my ability to lose weight steadily and easily.”
“I know that my body wants to be healthy and strong.”
When you keep repeating a new belief over and over again, it eventually overrides the old beliefs. And once those old beliefs are no longer running the show, you”ll find it much easier to take the actions that help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Sample Weight Loss Affirmations
I”ve put together some weight loss affirmations that you can use as a foundation for writing your own. Feel free to tweak them to suit your personal needs.
I am ready to accept perfect health and fitness.
My body knows how to become balanced and healthy.
I am becoming stronger and healthier every day.
I love feeling empowered and confident.
I allow my body to become slim and strong.
Eating right and exercising gives me energy.
I am getting slimmer and stronger every day.
I find it easy to eat healthy.
My metabolism is getting faster each day.
I love feeling strong and slender.
I am ready to let go of these extra pounds.
I feel calm and confident about my body.
I am letting go of fear and anxiety about my body.
I give myself permission to be healthy and happy.
I can achieve my weight loss goal with ease.
I love and accept my body exactly as it is.
I embrace the positive aspects of my body.
I easily improve all aspects of my body.
Loving my body makes sticking to healthy habits easier.
My body loves being treated right.
Cravings are just feelings; they will pass.
I am strong enough to be slim and sexy.
I can handle looking and feeling good.
I am eager to embrace a slimmer me.
I give myself permission to look and feel good.
I choose to be balanced and healthy.
I choose to take healthy actions for my body.
I trust myself to make wise food choices.
I am open to an abundance of well-being.
I choose to think loving thoughts about my body.
My body thrives when I treat it right.
My health is improving every day.
I am always aware of how certain actions affect my body.
It”s okay to treat myself with love and kindness.
My body processes food quickly and efficiently.
Exercise energizes and strengthens me.
I don”t have to be perfect, just try my best.
I forgive myself for my poor eating and exercise habits.
I am creating new, healthy habits one moment at a time.
I am transforming myself from the inside, out.
I deserve to be healthy, strong, and happy.
I deserve to feel good about my body.
I am proud of my commitment to treat my body kindly.
I am willing to stick with this healthy lifestyle.
I am committed to eating right and exercising every day.
I crave foods that are good for me.
My body thrives when I drink plenty of water.
I trust my body to know what”s best for it.
I believe I can be slim, healthy, and beautiful.
A healthy lifestyle is my number one priority.
Achieving Your Weight Loss Goal with Affirmations
Remember that although weight loss affirmations are powerful tools, they won”t do all the work for you. You still have “free will”.
You can eat what you want, and exercise or not. You can chow down on junk food and procrastinate on exercise, and not a thing will change for you.
However, if you put forth the effort to really USE weight loss affirmations as they are intended to be used, you should notice that you no longer feel inspired to sabotage your weight loss goals.
Eating mass quantities of junk food will no longer appeal to you. Procrastinating about exercise will make you feel guilty — so guilty that you”ll probably decide to do something about it.
Affirmations help motivate you from within, deep down inside. That doesn”t make them magic; it just makes them an effective tool for changing your mindset, which cannot help but change your habits too.
Affirmations are incredibly flexible; you can alter them to better fit your needs and personalize them so they speak directly to your own challenges and obstacles. The same affirmations I”ve provided are a great starting place, but don”t be afraid to tweak and adjust them until they really resonate with you.
Remember the formula for writing great affirmations: clarify your goal, write it in present tense (as if it were already true), add soothing words, and then tweak and tweak some more until it triggers the right feeling within you.
Finally, keep in mind that you”ll probably need to keep expanding your affirmations as you progress toward your goals.
This will happen for two reasons:
First, you”ll “outgrow” your affirmations as time goes on. You may start out with an affirmation about eating healthy, but eventually eating healthy becomes the “norm” for you so you don”t need to keep saying an affirmation about it. Maybe then you”ll move on to another challenge like drinking enough water, or exercising every day.
Secondly, you”ll cement new beliefs into your subconscious mind so they become your “truth” and you won”t need to focus on them daily anymore. For example, you may start out with a belief that your metabolism is really slow so weight loss will be hard for you. But as you work on changing that belief and taking actions like eating right and exercising, you”ll boost your metabolism and lose weight more easily.
Once you reach either of these points, your next step is clear: write more affirmations to achieve even bigger goals! :-)
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