Our mindset towards a goal or an activity can have a substantial impact on our success. Just think of a time that you wanted to accomplish something only to stop before you started, because you believed you couldn't do it. Or maybe you were doing great and someone else told you that you were doing it wrong. 

The wrong mindset can be your worst enemy

A negative mindset can be your worst enemy, but what about the wrong mindset? Having the right mindset towards diet and lifestyle changes is key to increasing your success. Even if you already started towards a goal, changing your mindset can make a big impact.

Imagine that you decide you would like to lose 50 pounds. You set yourself up mentally towards eating less and getting rid of junk food. You start to lose some weight and are feeling great. After losing about 15-20 pounds you hit a plateau. 

Okay, no problem. You cut back a little more and get stricter with yourself about those evening treats you have occasionally. Your weight starts to move again but stops after just 3-5 pounds. You start to lose motivation and then your friend sends you a photo of a delicious ice cream they’re enjoying at the local ice cream shop. 

Frustration takes over and you can’t take it anymore. Afterall, you haven’t been losing any weight for the last month or more and you’re dying for something sweet. You end up meeting your friend for ice cream and decide you’re unable to lose weight regardless of what you do so what’s the point. 

A month later, you regain the 25 pounds you lost and an extra 5 pounds on top of that. It’s just a matter of time before you restart this cycle again, vowing that this time you will be better and stricter about your diet.

Having the right mindset can lead to long-term lifestyle changes

Let’s take the same scenario with deciding to lose 50 pounds, although this time we will take a different mindset. Instead of focusing on losing weight you decide to focus on eating healthier to improve your overall health and how you nourish your body.

Instead of restricting calories and avoiding junk food you decide to focus on choosing healthier food options. Fresh vegetables instead of chips, fruit instead of candy, brown rice instead of white rice and so on. 

By choosing healthier and naturally more filling foods, you reduce your overall daily calories without even thinking about it. You notice that you feel less bloated and no longer feel so groggy in the midafternoon. This makes you realize that the foods you were eating before were making you feel miserable. 

That same day comes when your friend sends you that photo of them eating the delicious ice cream. You look at it and decide that you can meet up with them and have a small one scoop serving. Your friend reminds you that you're trying to lose weight and asks if ice cream is allowed on your diet.  

You happily let them know that you’ve focused on eating better to nourish your body and, because of choosing healthier foods, you also have lost 25 pounds. At the same time, you realize that you’re actually satisfied with only one small scoop and much more enjoyed time with your friend. Something you would’ve avoided before because you couldn’t bear being near ice cream while restricting yourself from even the tiniest portion. 

After one year you have lost 50 pounds, feel great, have more energy and making healthy food choices has become a lifestyle. 

Taking on the right mindset can be the difference between achieving long-term success and improvement in your health or getting stuck in the perpetual cycle of diets and returning to old habits. 

The key takeaway

Set yourself up for success by focusing on choosing the right mindset first. Regardless of your goal, take a minute to think about how your mindset will impact that bigger picture of what you're trying to achieve. 

Written by Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD