“If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.” — William James
One of the great secrets of success is to act as if you have already achieved your goal.
How would you act if you were already thin, rich, happy, in a great relationship, at peace, relaxed and successful in your career?
When it comes to losing weight, many people focus so much energy on the process of dieting with all its strictness, ridiculous eating plans and lack of fun that they lose sight of the actual goal, which is to feel good about the way they look and be healthy.
However, if you take time observing people who consistently maintain their ideal weight, you will observe that none of them actually diet.
Instead, they have a specific way of behaving that has nothing to do with deprivation and everything to do with appreciating their body, valuing their personal energy and planning ahead for long-term, life-long wellness.
If you follow these behavior patterns and act like a naturally slim person you too could find yourself looking good and feeling healthy.
Here are 6 important ways you can drop the diet mentality and act as if you are already thin:
- They know which foods make them feel good. If you observe naturally thin people, they generally do not avoid major food groups (e.g., fat, carbs, white foods). Instead, they have an intuitive understanding of which kinds of foods give them consistent energy throughout the day. You won’t find them eating fast food because you don’t have to explain to them how they would feel if they ate so-called “food” sold from a drive-through window. They seek out whole, unprocessed actual foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and high quality meats.
- They have found ways to move their bodies consistently on a daily and weekly basis. They have discovered ways to exercise that they enjoy, pure and simple. That may be gardening, hiking, participating in a yoga class where they love all the other people, weight lifting or getting up first thing in the morning and performing body weight movements before they go to work. They exercise regularly because they know if they don’t all other aspects of their life will suffer. Working out in some form or fashion is part of their daily routine. You don’t have to explain to them why.
- They never overeat. They eat for enjoyment but not as a form of self medication. If they’ve got a problem, they talk it out, visit a healer, make an appointment with their medical doctor or address the issue head on. They do not stuff their feelings. On special occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas they still eat the same amount of food they would on other days.
- They wear beautiful clothes that accent their best features. Thin people do not have so-called “fat clothes” in their closets. They do not keep a reserve of sack-like outfits to fall back on should they gain a few extra pounds because they never even imagine that would happen in the first place. They enjoy looking their best and their wardrobe reflects that.
- They don’t count calories because they don’t need to. No, it’s not because thin people can eat whatever they want, as if their lives were full of bananas foster, ice cream sundaes and endless cans of soda. It’s because they have a good mind-body connection. They stop eating before they are full. If they put something in their mouth that doesn’t agree with their body they stop immediately.
- They don’t diet. I know this sounds outrageous, sacrilegious, pollyannaish and even impossible to people who are significantly overweight. Many fat people think that they have to adopt a strict regime or their dream of looking good or feeling healthy might never come true. If you are reading this, you may be so turned off by this suggestion that you dismiss the idea completely. Don’t get angry, get smart. Instead of setting yourself up for failure by starving yourself, discover how to eat as if you were already at your ideal size. That means learning the amount of calories and the kinds of foods required to maintain the ideal weight for your body.
As you prepare for 2017 and set your goals for the coming year, instead of planning yet another crazy uncomfortable diet, spend significant time hanging around people who are consistently thin and and make detailed observations of how they act.
Only by acting like a naturally thin person on a consistent basis will you actually become one too.
What to know more? Set up an appointment with me, Catherine Carrigan. I’m 57 years old and wear the same size dress that I did when I was 30. I don’t diet, I teach people how to be thin naturally without deprivation, dieting or insanity. Email catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com or call 678-612-8816.
Catherine,
I love the stuff you say and do and have been a big fan for years. One of my goals for next year is to come and practice with you it would be very exciting for me. I have talked to you a few times on Linked In but its been awhile so you might not remember but that OK. Hope to meet you some day.
Thank you for all the stuff you do, Mark Phillips 🙂
Hi Mark, Thank you so much for reading my blog! It would be an honor for me to meet YOU in person! I love hanging out with like-minded, growth-oriented people. Feel free to give a shout at catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com or call 678-612-8816 and let’s make plans to connect. Love and light, Catherine Carrigan
Great, common sense information, as usual! Thanks for the good advice. Hope you are well. Merry Christmas! Jo Vaughan
Hi Jo, Thank you so much for reading my blog! Hope you and your family have a lovely holiday. Love and light, Catherine Carrigan
Smart thinnikg – a clever way of looking at it.
Hi Carly, Thank you so much for reading my blog! After years of coaching people around weight loss I feel this is the most effective way to think about the subject! Catherine Carrigan
I want to lose about 30 lbs. I have been successful at losing weight before, only to gain it back. I want this to be the last time I ever have to lose weight. It occurred to me that if I simply behave as if I am already at my ideal weight, eat just enough to maintain my goal weight, then my body will eventually catch up and the excess pounds will melt away. I am experimenting with the idea to see if it works.
Hi Lori, Thank you so much for reading my blog! Achieving your ideal size is a huge head game. As you are discovering, it’s not just a matter of dieting and exercise. You have to adjust your attitude. I myself am the same size that I was when I was 28 and 30. The reason I know that for a fact is that I have kept beautiful dresses in my closet that I bought when I was 28 and 30. I struggled with my weight for decades until I did the inner work. My body followed my mind – not the other way around! If I can help you with your mindset, let me know. You can email me at catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com. When you finally stop the cycle of endless diets, weight gain and self punishment, you will not only look the way you want to look you will also feel FREE! Love and light, Catherine Carrigan