Weight Loss: Think You Can. 7 Hacks to Exploit the Power of Your Mind.

That was my typical gym class — that’s PE, or physical education to you young folks — mantra.

However, this semester had been different. Middle School was doing Interdisciplinary Physical Education Curriculum — IPEC — and it was…fun! Community-building. Problem solving. Teamwork. No balls. No stop-watches. No heinous “girls can’t strike out” rule.

I wished it would last forever.

And now we were on to the ropes course! Not climbing a rope in the gymnasium — ugh — but rope ladders, balancing logs, zip lines. I loved it.

And then.

One clear, crisp autumn day — the Faith Leap. After climbing a tree ladder and walking across ropes stretched between trees, the culminating challenge was leaping to a suspended grab bar.

Although I watched classmate after classmate complete this successfully, my familiar inner mantra took hold: Impossible. No way. You’ll never make it.

I was slim, with determination and good balance. I had confidence that I could climb the tree and balance on the ropes. But the leap? No way. Over and over again, my inner voice repeated, “You’ll never make it.”

Did I listen?

Why bore you with tales of my middle school angst?

To highlight the power of decision.

Before you count your first carbs, you, my friend, must make a better choice than I did. You must decide to succeed.

The importance of decision cannot be overstated. Transitioning from a lifetime of eating the Standard American Diet, full of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), to a clean, low-carb diet is a significant change. The moment of decision sets the stage for success.

Deciding to embark on this journey means fully committing.

Commitment is crucial. Friends will offer croissants, but you will have already decided to respond with a gracious, “No, thank you.” Reinforce commitment daily by visualizing the benefits — more energy, better health, and improved mood.

Every choice, large and small — especially small — shapes your life.

Decide.

Transforming inner dialogue is essential for success. Identify negative self-talk patterns and replace them with positive affirmations.

Adopt mantras like “I am worthy of better,” “Only the best food for the best body,” and “A craving is a bully, and I will not be bullied,” to strengthen your resolve.

Be on the lookout for familiar excuses that sabotage success. Root them out and squash them.

Boosting self-confidence is a gradual process. Start with small, achievable goals related to your new lifestyle. These do not even have to be food goals.

I began by weighing myself daily. Although improved health was my main goal, weight was an easy measure of whether my choices were moving me in the right direction.

You might begin taking a morning walk. I am doing this now! I had started with a much larger goal — daily workouts at the gym. I fell off that horse — and quickly — landed in my easy chair, and never left.

Well, not until recently. The gym has never been my home turf — see opening story, above — so it was easy for me to avoid it. But a stroll around the block? Low pressure. Fresh air. Friendly dog walkers. This, I can do. I might get to the gym one day, but for now, I’m out of my easy chair for at least a bit each day. Easy win.

You might keep a food journal. Better yet, a “food, mood, and health review” journal. Before changing a single morsel, begin keeping track of what you eat and drink each day. Jot also your overall mood and, if you have chronic health conditions, the state of your symptoms that day. Over time, as you swap out sugar for protein and healthy fat, positive trends may help motivate you to persist in making better choices.

Each small success builds momentum and reinforces your belief in your ability to change.

I’ll be honest. I had a lot to learn. And to unlearn. Chances are you do, too.

I’m betting that you seek change not because of indulgent choices, like nightly ice cream, but because of ostensibly healthy choices, like “heart-healthy” cereal with low-fat milk. Why is this latter choice unhealthy? I could tell you to read the labels, but reading the labels means nothing if you don’t know what you are looking for.

You could buy stacks of books on the latest nutrition truths. Or. You could do like I did: begin following a few health influencers on your favorite social media. Want in-depth explanations? Plug into podcasts on YouTube. No time for that? You’ll find plenty of wisdom in under 60 seconds on TikTok and Instagram Reels. The health gurus are out there. Also in here, on Medium! Follow them.

Hearing others’ success stories can motivate you to stay on track and remind you that you are not alone in your journey. There are plenty of fat-to-fit stories on YouTube. One of my favorite sources is a channel dedicated to health transformations through the carnivore diet.

I may not be choosing carnivore today, but I respect the commitment and am blown away by the results.

Implement small changes to ease into a clean, low-carb lifestyle. You might be surprised by how easy some swaps can be, and how tasty “weird” low-carb food — like steak with peppers & onions — can be!

For example,

Conquer one small step, celebrate, then choose another. Your transition to better health will be manageable and sustainable.

One television talking head inspired me by not trash-talking foods she’s left behind. Instead, she smiles and shares how much she had once enjoyed hot fudge sundaes, for example. Now those sundaes are on her list of foods she used to eat. That’s all. No vilifying the treat, no condemnation of those still partaking. And she genuinely seemed to enjoy the memory of those flavors.

It is hard to pass on the bread basket, and harder still to watch others enjoy each bite. But you can do it, and do it with grace. When offered, pass politely, saying, “I want, but I won’t. Bread is now on my list. But, oh, did I love it!”

Are you still wondering about my middle school faith leap in the ropes course?

My inner voice taunted me, over and over again: You’ll never make it.

Did I listen?

Sure did.

I leapt and, to my utter shock, brushed the bar with my fingers, So close! But as my sainted father once told me, almosties don’t count.

Despite rousing support from the teacher and classmates, I was the only one to fail that day. I had no faith in my ability, and thus I fulfilled my self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

I did not even try to grasp that bar. I let it slip away.

This memory — still oddly painful so many many many years later — serves me well. I thought I couldn’t, and I proved myself right.

These days, I think that I can. And so I do.

The power of a can-do mindset cannot be underestimated when adopting significant lifestyle changes. By making a firm decision, taking personal responsibility, managing inner dialogue, and taking baby steps, we set ourselves up for success.

If you say you can’t, you won’t. But if you say you can, you open the door to a world of possibilities and positive change.

Stay strong, wise, kind, and good!

Note: This story was first published August 23, 2024 in New Writers Welcom on Medium: https://medium.com/@strongwisegood

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, not a scientist, not a nutritionist. I am just a late boomer sharing what I’ve learned on my journey to good health through good food.