Most people know that eating less and exercising more are the keys to an effective weight loss journey. However, are these the only solutions to keeping the pounds at bay? When making your vision board for weight loss, there are plenty of other things you can use for motivation and inspiration. One of which is using psychology to help you create a more detailed and effective plan to carry out your weight loss goals.
While watching what you eat and being more physically active are indeed efficient, an often overlooked aspect is understanding your thoughts and behaviors.
Getting your weight under control requires you to acknowledge the root cause of your unhealthy habits, such as overeating, living a sedentary lifestyle, and even stress.
We’ve studied a number of psychological tips that are backed by scientific data, so you can create a weight loss vision board that really works.
6 PSYCHOLOGY TIPS YOU CAN APPLY FOR YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 6 children in the US is obese, and 33% of adults are overweight. These are staggering numbers that depict the alarming statistics of people in the US who are not taking care of their weight.
Despite this large number, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported 20% of people who are considered to be overweight are successful at losing weight and keeping the weight off. This means that weight loss is indeed a reality for many individuals and that with the right methods, you, too, can belong to this 20%.
The best time to start shedding the pounds to achieve a healthy weight is now, and we’ve collected 6 science-backed psychology tips you can use for your weight loss vision board. But before we get started, there’s one important exercise you need to do, and that’s visualization.
VISUALIZE YOURSELF LOSING THE POUNDS
Before you begin to set out to do something new, you need to take some time and meditate. Dedicate at least 20 minutes to imagine and visualize how your body will look like when you lose weight. How will you feel once you’ve shed the pounds? What clothes will you wear, and what activities will you try once you’re no longer overweight?
Feel the positive emotions of seeing yourself fit, healthy, and happy, and once you do, you are then ready to being your weight loss journey.
Let’s begin our 6 tips to losing weight:
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SET SPECIFIC GOALS
Goal setting is creating an intention. And research shows that creating intentions motivates people to change their behaviors. If you want to lose weight, you need to create a specific goal. The Law of Attraction states that we need to be clear about what we want, so be specific about how many goals we want to lose.
Instead of posting on your vision board that you need to lose weight, write down how much weight you want to lose and when you need to lose them. For example, you can write down: “Lose 5 pounds in 1 month.”
Researchalso shows that the more specific you are with your goals, the better your likelihood of you achieving these goals.
Another research also shows that people who create larger goals tend to better achieve their weight loss targets than people who have smaller weight loss goals. For example, people who have a goal of losing 20 pounds in 3 months are more likely to lose weight than people whose target is 5 pounds in 3 months.
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SHARE YOUR GOALS
Most people keep their goals to themselves. When making a vision board for weight loss, the natural thing to do is keep it in your home. But research, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, reveals that when you show people your goals, you’ll have a better likelihood of staying committed to accomplishing them.
Using this research, try sharing your weight loss vision board. One idea is to make a vision board on Pinterest and share it on your social media. Or, you can also make a vision board and place it on your desk at work. During breaks, try talking about it with your colleagues. If you live with other people, place your weight loss vision board in the living room or kitchen.
The study does suggest that sharing your goals with a person you perceive as high status will increase the likelihood of achieving your goals. An idea could be sharing your vision board with your trainer at the gym, or sharing it with an older family member, or a mentor.
The explanation behind this is that it creates accountability on your part. Most of your family and friends will give you support in your weight loss journey, and when they eventually ask you how your progress is going, you will more than likely want to show them positive results.
There is an innate desire in humans to want to make others feel proud of what you’ve accomplished, and sharing your goals and eventually, your wins is one way to boost your self-esteem and confidence.
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FOOD LOGGING
Food logging is the process of making a record of what you’ve eaten. It’s a form of self-monitoring that has been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for weight loss programs. It is also used in behavioral psychology programs in helping people lose weight and keeping the pounds at bay.
Also known as a food diary, a food log makes you aware of what you’re eating and what they do to your weight. The diary can also be used to write down how you feel when you crave certain foods, what events precede a binge, how you feel after, and any thoughts and emotions you have about your eating habits.
Creating this food log will help you discover what triggers overeating, what instances encourage you to eat unhealthy foods, and what behaviors you have that contribute to weight gain and interfere with your weight loss efforts.
Print a picture of a food diary, or create a food log vision board where you can write on the board itself. Having this food diary on a board that’s mounted on a wall will make it more visible, and improve its ability to remind you of your goals.
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USE AFFIRMATIONS
Affirmations are short phrases that help empower yourself and boost your confidence. When you suddenly have doubts about what you’re doing and whether or not you can achieve your weight loss goals, affirmations can help you get back on track.
Self-talk is an important aspect of achieving goals. In fact, a study published in the Frontiers of Psychology discovered that four magic words can help people motivate themselves to run faster on a treadmill or achieve a certain challenging yoga pose. These four words are: “I can do better.” Use this phrase whenever you are about to give in to a craving or when you want to skip a day at the gym.
You can also use other affirmations on your vision board. Print out weight loss affirmations and mount them on your board. There are also vision board kits that have ready-made affirmations on health, weight loss, and fitness that you can use without having to cut out words from a magazine.
Vision board kits like The Vision Cloud’s Original Vision Board kit include 100 beautiful image cards, 60 affirmations and phrases, and 40 stickers that are ready to create your very own weight loss vision board.
This vision board not only has pictures and affirmation cards, but it has activity logs that can guide you to create your goals, as well as a monthly vision goal pad where you can write down your weight loss goals. You can also use this monthly guidebook for your food diary. There’s even a portion where it prompts you to write down how you feel about achieving your goals.
More than just a vision board kit, The Original Vision Board Kit encourages you to practice self-awareness to help you create your goals, inspire you to achieve them, and keep going when the going gets tough.
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LEARN RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
Studies have shown that stress is one of the biggest causes of weight gain. Many people use food to feel good when they are stressed, anxious, and depressed. These studies even show that when you are stressed, you tend to choose unhealthy food options that add to weight gain.
Data also shows that overeating can become an unhealthy coping mechanism to deal with stress. Many people use food to calm intense emotions. Additionally, the body releases the cortisol hormone when stressed, and cortisol is a hormone associated with weight gain.
Learning relaxation techniques to lower stress levels can help you lose weight. Post a picture of yoga poses, meditation, and other relaxation techniques on your weight loss vision board to inspire you to relax.
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GUIDED IMAGERY
Scientists believe Guided Imagery is an effective tool for weight loss. It is a holistic, mind-body technique consisting of healing images and words, accompanied by soothing music to boost motivation and encourage you to eat healthier, exercise better, and choose healthier lifestyle habits. Affirmations in an audio recording can also be included.
Though Guided Imagery requires a professional guide or therapist, you can use this technique as a form of visualization. Choose the images you want on your vision board, and the affirmations you want to record, and set a time 2 to 3 times a week to do your own guided imagery session.
Take time to look at the images and affirmations on your vision board, then play soothing music or an audio recording of weight loss affirmations, close your eyes, and visualize achieving your goals.
Guided imagery promotes physiological suggestions as well as heightens serotonin levels in your body. Higher levels of serotonin have been known to reduce appetite and cravings, helping you in your weight loss journey.
Losing weight can be a hard thing to accomplish, but with inspiration and motivation, it is always possible to achieve better health. Use your weight loss vision board to give you the push you need to get started and get going.
Use these science-backed methods to help you achieve your weight loss goals and finally achieve the body you’ve always wanted and deserve.
