Almost everyone focuses on the “outer game” of weight loss: dieting, eating right, exercising and so on.  This is why they never lose weight or if they do, they always gain the weight right back.  Many people have never even heard of the “inner game” of weight loss.

The “inner game” of weight loss is simply your thoughts, emotions, and attitudes that you need to work on to lose weight.  Say what? But I thought it was all about dieting…WRONG.  Here is a quick example.  Ever find yourself craving junk foods and reaching for them when you are depressed even though you’ve promised yourself to eat healthy?  I hope now you are starting to see how emotions can play a big role in permanent weight loss.

To deal with tough emotions you must do two things.  First you must try to eliminate the original source of those emotions if possible.  If it’s a stressful job, try looking for a new job, or talking to your boss about it.  Secondly you must find other relaxation activities instead of eating (taking a walk, calling up a friend, going to the movies etc.)

Another “inner game” factor of weight loss is your thinking.  Your thoughts are very important.  If you’ve tried to lose weight in the past and always failed, you’ve probably got lots of negative thoughts in your head.  You probably think the following “I’ll never be able to lose weight”, “What’s the point of trying when I failed too many times”, or “Maybe I should just give up and accept being fat”.

These thoughts are holding you back, they are causing you to doubt yourself and sabotage your weight loss efforts.  Each time you find a negative through going through your head, you need to stop, and rephrase the thought positively.  So if you hear your mind saying “I’ll never lose weight”, say to yourself “I will lose weight” etc.

Once you take care of the “inner game” of weight loss, the “outer game” (like exercise, eating healthy etc.) will take care of itself.  Not only will you lose the weight but you’ll also be able to keep it off.