Weight Loss Is Everything You THINK It Is.

“Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you are right.” -Henry Ford

Ever wonder why we are undeservedly harsh on ourselves for the challenges we face, and why we lean more towards the belief that they’re insurmountable instead of believing that we’ll rise triumphant?

Science says that our brains are biased towards a negative perspective. Now, from an evolutionary perspective, this tendency to think about the worst serves as a “self protective” measure, but for our modern day-to-day experiences, challenges, and life-goals….this bias really muddies the water. Take weight loss, for instance. Though the challenges of shedding pounds are slightly different for everyone, the greatest roadblock is the belief, “I can’t”. This thought alone causes more heartache and lack of results than anything else.

Evolution

The ‘nervous system’ has been evolving for about 600 million years. It began quite simply in some of the first multicellular animals, like jelly fish, and has progressed into a vast network of nerves controlled by both a Central and Peripheral system.

Our central nervous system (CNS) consists of our brain and spinal cord. Its job is to integrate information from the sensory organs and respond accordingly. It is the ‘home’ for our thoughts… and how we interpret the exterior environment. And, it is command central for the control of body movements.

It is believed that the DNA for negative thought bias has been passed along for generations. Negative thinking could help us avoid dangers like predators and famine. In fact, the CNS will signal the body to store extra fat in times of stress or poor nutritional intake because it’s protecting us.

Science on Thinking

The brain’s negative bias is a phenomenon that has been heavily studied and well documented. Surprisingly, negative stimuli are recognized more quickly and easily than positive stimuli, and there is more neural activity present. Essentially, this means that your brain looks for and remembers negative events and experiences more than positive ones.

The recurring cycle of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and emotions is one with no beginning and no end. And, since we’re hard-wired towards the negative, this cycle keeps us in a more cautious state. For many, weight gain and the difficulty in shedding weight is a negative thought-anchor that we just can’t seem to sail away from. Whether we look at thoughts as subjective (they come from nowhere) or as objective (they come from neural processes that come from historical input), we tend to let them run the show of our lives.

Enter Neuroplasticity

To look at this in simple terms, let us think of our brains like super computers. The ‘code’ of the brain is written through experiences, thoughts, and DNA. The code follows a complex neural ‘pathway’ through the brain all day long...keeping the way we think, respond, react, and learn pretty consistent and unconscious.

In order to write a new code and think in a new way, we need to have new experiences and memorize new information. When we do this, we create new neural pathways and we begin to direct our thoughts more consciously. Science calls this neuroplasticity.

Some people have a ‘growth mindset’ and others are prone to a ‘fixed mindset’. Both sets of people can affect their neuroplasticity, but growth mindset people tend to have an easier time with it. They believe in problem solving and self-improvement so powerfully that the negative bias of their mind gets constantly rewired. For people with a fixed mindset, creating new neural pathways often takes a team of others to help shift the mental bias.

Mentors

Have you ever stopped to think about why the world’s greatest athletes and high achievers have coaches? These days, even small business owners and lifelong learners have coaches. Why? Because they all understand that:

• They get in their own way due to negative bias.

• To reach beyond their limited thinking, they must be empowered to initiate change from the inside out.

• Feedback from mentors supports personal empowerment.

• It takes a team to reach a goal.

Throughout each day, we follow a think-feel-do pattern.

When we think, “I’ll never look that good”, we are more likely to make choices aligned with that thought. Since we’ll never look that good, we might as well eat another cookie.

Mentors, coaches, and accountability partners put a wrench in the wheel of our habitual thinking and actions. They provide valuable feedback and recognition that helps us create momentum towards new thoughts and thus new neuropathways. Additionally, mentors and coaches see our blind spots. They don’t believe the lies we tell ourselves, so they can be the voice of hope and optimism when we need it most.

What We Think, Indeed Is.

Meditation and intentionally-directed thoughts have been practiced by many ancient cultures for thousands of years. Only recently has modern science found ‘evidence’ that these practices actually change the body on a molecular level. Our bodies are literally shaping themselves from the quality of our thinking. Meditation helps to quiet the mind and is a proven aid for physical, mental, and emotional healing.

When it comes to the struggle with weight gain, many people feel so utterly defeated after years of failed diets, failed exercise programs, continued lifestyle stress, and repeated toxic overload, that it’s easy to see why our thoughts are fixed around the belief, “I can’t lose weight.” Therefore the weight stays, or returns after some loss.

Meditation breaks the cycle of thinking on autopilot and puts us in control of the direction our thoughts are heading. Through practiced focus with mediation, we begin to bend and change old habitual thinking into solution-focused positivity. Working with guided meditations (like working with a mentor/coach) can really help to set the stage for a rewarding experience.

Think Again

Our first thoughts are often lazy ones. The brain does not want to burn calories on building new neuropathways…we must make it perform that act. So, the next time you catch yourself thinking, “it’s so hard to lose weight”, think again. Breathe deeply and slowly and choose another thought, one that will begin to force that little neuro synapse to bend in another direction.

Then, pick up the phone and find a mentor, coach, or friend who will participate and support you in your goals. Set up weekly meetings or phone calls to identify where you are currently, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there. One step at a time will get you to wherever you want to be. Commit to progress, not perfection.