Weight Loss Affirmations For Sustainable Weight Loss

weight loss affirmation

If you’re like me, upon first learning about self love affirmations you may have laughed at the thought of speaking or writing a statement over and over. Especially the idea they could have a powerful effect on the desired outcome. This article details what weight loss affirmations are. Plus, the research-backed benefits and how to create a powerful affirmation specifically in alignment with your sustainable weight-loss goal.

Yet, as this under-the-radar tool gains more traction in the circles of the most successful people, you likely remain curious as to what positive affirmations really are, the research-backed benefits, and how to effectively create one that helps you achieve better results. 

You’re in the right place. 

As you read this article, you’ll quickly learn that weight loss affirmations are a simple, yet, powerful tool that can be utilized to appropriately align your thoughts, actions, and results with your goal of sustainable weight loss.

When all of those ducks are in a row, there’s only one possible outcome: success.

What Are Positive Affirmations?

An affirmation is a positive and powerful statement intentionally designed to help overcome a negative way of thinking or belief, or, to challenge unhelpful, counterproductive thoughts. 

The intended use behind positive affirmations is to help create a change from an undesirable state or collection of feelings to a more desirable one.

Examples of positive affirmations include:

  • I can do hard things
  • I am unfuckwithable
  • I enjoy completing my projects and work in advance of my deadlines
  • I spread positive energy to all those I encounter
  • I’m gifted with and surrounded by amazing friends and family

If you’re anything like me or the thousands I’ve worked with over the years, you encounter a barrage of negative thoughts or engage with a harsh inner critic on a regular basis. 

  • “I’ll always be fat.”
  • “I’ll never be able to stick to a diet.”
  • “My body isn’t meant be skinny.”

Any of those sound familiar?

This is normal.

However, you are not your thoughts and your belief systems are malleable. 

The purpose of using affirmations is to utilize a tool that helps you begin to rewire your thoughts. This is so that you experience the positive transformation in your actions, habits, results, and identity. 

Allow me to further explain how this process works…

How Positive Affirmations Work: From Thought to Reality

An affirmation is a repeated statement in your mind – it’s a direct component of your daily self-talk. The power of an affirmation lies in the downstream effect it has:

process

Our word choice and self-talk both make up the collection of hundreds of thousands of thoughts that we have on a daily basis. 

Our thoughts directly influence the actions we take. When we take an action consistently, it becomes a habit

Our habits shape our results and outcomes, which ultimately influence both our identity and reality

Your present reality and identity can be traced back to the self-talk and word choice taking place in your head on a daily basis. By augmenting each through the use of powerful positive affirmations, you create an opportunity to directly and transform your habits, results, identity, and reality!

But to really reap the benefits of an affirmation, patience and consistency are key. Success in every area of life – from weight loss and health to financial growth and management – is founded upon consistency.

Think about it like this: to improve your health, weight, and physical shape, you must accumulate consistency in both eating well and exercise. Failure to do so leads to short-term results followed by reverting to previous habits and health. 

Affirmations work no differently. Regular use of an affirmation capitalizes on the benefits of the consistency principle because of the strong foothold they have in your mind. This is the creator of everything you desire to feel and achieve, starting with your actions and ending with your identity and reality.

What Does the Research Say About the Power of Self Love Affirmations?

You’ve likely heard about positive affirmations before and are acutely aware of the potential benefit. It turns out that these powerful statements have a heck-of-a-lot of research to back their transformational power. More research behind them than most or all of the nutrition supplements you take!

This article is not intended to be a research paper. Allow me to quickly list some of the most research-backed benefits of affirmations below and ultimately share a handful of additional resources for you to further explore if you so choose.

A handful of the research-backed benefits of positive morning affirmation use include:

  • Improved self-esteem and confidence
  • Improved positive thinking
  • Improved belief in one’s self
  • Improved negative emotional management
  • Improved productivity
  • Improved stress management

For more information on the power and benefits of regular positive affirmation use, check out this article by Catherine Moore from PositivePsychology.com: “Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It?” or this published research paper from the Psychology Lab out of the University of Michigan titled, “Self-Affirmations Provide a Broader Perspective on Self-Threat.” 

Harnessing the Power of Weight Loss Affirmations

At this point, you are well-versed on what positive affirmations are, how they work, and the research that exists to support the many benefits they provide. Let’s shift our focus to addressing the root question that led you to this article in the first place:

Weight loss affirmations – do they work?

In short, yes, but with a few noteworthy points to mention.

According to Mind Tools, “affirmations are positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts.

In my experience working one-on-one with nearly 1,500 men and women and collectively helping them to lose tens of thousands of pounds of body fat and keep it off, I’ve found that the number one obstacle voiced by my clients when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off is themselves.

Can you relate?

Self-sabotage happens for many reasons and manifests and numerous different ways, which we detail and help you better understand in this article. But for the sake of our focus here, it makes sense that if we can employ a simple strategy to minimize the frequency and intensity of self-sabotaging behaviors, then that will go a long way in helping us to achieve significant, sustainable weight loss.

Enter weight loss affirmations.

How to Create A Weight Loss Affirmation: The Right and Wrong Way

There’s a right and wrong way to create a powerful, transformational weight loss affirmations.

Remember, this is a powerful, emotionally-charged statement crafted to intentionally target a specific change, area, behavior, or belief that you’re struggling with. However, it must lead to an outcome you do have control over.

A poor example of a weight loss affirmation that exhibits an outcome in which you don’t have as much control over as you may think is as follows: 

I will weigh _____ (your weight in pounds or kilograms) by _____ (your desired or end-of-diet weight.

Yes, you technically have control over the number you see on the scale. And yes you can quickly influence it via drastic, irrational behavior. However, the truth is that when you take a sustainable approach to weight loss, that scale number will often behave like it has a mind of its own. Therefore, you don’t have quite as much control as you may have once thought. 

Don’t Chase A Number On The Scale

A quick, yet, important note and reminder: you’re not really chasing a number on the scale. Instead, what you’re actually seeking is the collection of feelings and characteristics you develop by working toward that goal. 

For instance, you may aspire to see a number on the scale you previously saw because at that time you felt confident, in control, joyous, and certain. The number had little to do with these feelings – your consistent effort to feel, look, and be better did!

Instead of scale-based weight loss affirmations, you’ll want to follow the steps I share below to create a powerful weight loss affirmation that is designed to help align your thinking with the person you wish to become. 

How to Write an Weight Loss Affirmation Statement

Affirmation statements usually target a specific area, behavior, or belief that you’re struggling with. The following points can help you to write the positive affirmation that best fits your needs.

  1. Make it unique to you. Identify the specific area, behavior, or belief you need to focus on MOST to experience successful and sustainable weight loss.
  2. Gain clarity on the outcome it’ll help you achieve. Identify what a positive and productive change to this behavior or belief looks like.
  3. Gain clarity on the emotional change that you desire to take place.
  4. Write it in the present tense. “I feel energized and in control when I make meal prep a priority” versus “I want to meal prep so I feel energized and in control” has a major difference in the impact such a statement will have.

Example weight loss affirmations to consider (and put your own spin on):

  • I always make time to prepare my meals ahead of time because it sets me up for success.
  • Meal preparation is easy, effective, and keeps me in line with my goals.
  • Every decision I make and action I take is aimed at feeling, looking, and being my best. 

Say it with feeling. 

Affirmations can be more effective when they carry emotional weight. Which, is why I stressed gaining clarity on the emotions you’re really seeking. Attach these emotions to your outcome and infuse them into every time you speak or write your affirmation. 

Putting Your Weight Loss Affirmation into Practice

I am a huge fan of both writing and speaking my positive affirmations aloud. For me, this looks like writing them in my journal as a part of my morning and evening routine and speaking them while looking into the mirror at least once per day. 

But, I also admit that this has taken me a long time to grow into. Allow me to share some targets to strive for.

  • State your positive affirmation to yourself each morning when you wake up. Use your alarm or the moment your feet touch the ground as you get out of bed as your cue. Do the same thing in the evening: when you get into bed or set your alarm, repeat your affirmation.
  • Write down your weight loss affirmation while enjoying your morning routine: whether that’s while sipping your coffee, journaling, or preparing for the day, write it down. 
  • Record yourself voicing your positive affirmation ten times in a row – speak with strong emotion. Listen to this recording at least once per day while driving, walking, or getting things done around the house. Heck, even turn it on to help you get motivated for a workout!

One last reminder: rewiring your thoughts takes time – even if you have the most well-written, powerful affirmation ever! 

Stay patient. 

Weight loss affirmations are a simple, yet, powerful tool that can be utilized to appropriately align your thoughts, actions, and results with your goal of sustainable weight loss.

The 5% Community

If this information resonated with you and you’re interested in digging deeper into the emotional and psychological aspects of achieving sustainable weight loss, then I invite you to learn more about and apply to, The 5% Community.

The 5% Community is our 12-month signature sustainable weight loss transformational program and Coaching + Community experience. In The 5% Community, we focus on transformation from the inside out and provide a proven path to sustainable weight loss alongside unmatchable one-on-one coaching, Community support, accountability, and continuous education designed to help you feel, look, and be your best.

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Paul Salter

Paul Salter is a Registered Dietitian and Founder of The 5% Way. Since 2013, Paul has worked one-on-one with nearly 1,500 men and women, helping them to collectively lose tens of thousands of pounds of body fat and keep it off for good. He’s also published nearly 1,000 articles, two books, and 175 podcast episodes (and counting) on all things related to our five core elements of sustainable weight loss.
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  1. […] if you recall from our previous article, “Weight Loss Affirmations For Sustainable Weight Loss,” you’ll remember the significant downstream effect an affirmation has on your actions, […]

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