Tuesday's Tips - Losing the Weight, Finding Yourself Pt. 1 of 3

source:  fotosearch.com

This morning, I figured I'd write a 3 part series on losing weight, especially with the New Year's right around the corner.  Ideally, I'd like to see everyone get off to a fighting start with their New Year's resolution whether it's losing weight, finding that ideal job or moving overseas.
This series will be divided along the following topics:
Mental
Eating
Fitness

So let's plunge into the tips for today.  I'd suggest that if you find a tip that appeals to you, write it down, schedule when you'll implement it and schedule when you'll assess your progress. Otherwise, you can just read this and then move onto your next Internet concern.  (Yes, this is another speaking from personal experience moment.)

OK, here goes:
1.  Background:  Figure out how you got to your current weight.  In this case, consider the mental, dietary and physical reasons.  Have you been eating more brownies or pizza than usual?  Has your work schedule made it difficult for you to workout?  Is this a temporary or long-term weight issue? 

2. Beliefs:  See if you have limiting beliefs that are keeping you at your current weight.  Do you think you can lose weight and actually keep it off?  Do you think that it's painful to lose weight?  Do you believe that you look unhealthy at a smaller size or do you feel less attractive?  Do you think that the only way that you can lose weight is by undergoing an extreme diet of egg whites and skinless chicken?  Is your definition of exercise limited to visits to the gym?

3.  Environment:  Check your physical and social environment.  Is your environment set up to keep you at a higher weight?  Is there a lot of clutter which weighs you down?  Do you have a lot of pastries, chips, or other unhealthy foods around you?  Do you make it habit to grocery shop in the aisles which sell junk food?  If they're accessible, do you visit healthy eating spots during your lunch breaks or blithely pass them by?

4.  Environment - The Scale:  Determine your "relation" to the scale.  Do you obsessively weigh yourself?  Does your mood go up/down according to your weight?

5.  Describe:  Write a brief paragraph describing yourself at your ideal weight.  How will you feel?  Which habits have you eliminated/reduced and which ones have you now added to your life?

5. Visualize:  Daily visualize a healthier, more vibrant you.  Can you imagine yourself at a healthier weight?  How does the thought make you feel?  Do you feel scared, skeptical, enthusiastic?

6.  Relaxing:  Figure out a non-food related relaxation technique that you can adopt.  What do you now do to relax?  Do you know how to relax?  What are some non-eating related actions that you can take to relax?

Hopefully, these tips and questions are helpful.  Just to mention, I'm not a medical professional and as always use your best wisdom with my tips and be sure to consult a medical professional before embarking on a health/fitness program.