I had an interesting thought while I was in my Soul Cycle class this morning.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve seen the scale creep upward. To be honest, I have lost some of my optimism related to veganism being the solution to my weight problem…

Now, I’m not saying that I don’t still believe that veganism is the solution to my weight problem. I absolutely believe that veganism is the next, right step in the achievement of my weight loss goals, and more important than that, the achievement of my overall optimal health.

What I noticed, though, is that when the scale started creeping up, negative thoughts started creeping in. What’s interesting to me about this is that this same pattern sometimes happens with regard to food and exercise behaviors: the scale creeps up, we get discouraged, and we say things to ourselves like, “Well, what’s the point? I might as well have a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”

We get discouraged. And rather than go to the gym and hit it harder, our energy is low and so we skip the workout altogether. And gradually we slip back into our bad behaviors, back into our old ways of eating and exercising (or not exercising, as the case may be) and we don’t achieve our goals.

The Impact of Negative Thinking

The interesting thing is that my decline is not necessarily in my behaviors around food and exercise (although sometimes it is). More often I see the decline in my thought patterns. The scale goes up and I start to question what I’m doing. I start to wonder whether I need to be more severe or restrictive (which is not sustainable), I start to question whether it even matters if I have a little bit of this or a little bit of that.

I start to think negatively.

“I’m never going to get to my goal, it’s going to take too long. What’s wrong with me, anyway? Why can’t I stick to a plan? Why can’t I just lose this weight?”

But this morning, I realized that the diet I need to be on has less to do with what I am or am not eating and everything to do with what I am or am not thinking.

That’s why I am now on a diet of healthy thoughts. Of course, I’m still eating healthfully and exercising regularly. But more importantly, I’m focused on catching myself when I indulge in negative thoughts. When I catch myself, I can choose healthier thoughts in the same way that other diets encourage you to choose healthier food options.

Catch yourself in the act and make a different, healthier choice.

A Diet of Healthy Thoughts

What I love about this is that it’s something you can do all day long, and it’s not only related to food. When I was in my Soul Cycle class, I found myself thinking negative thoughts about my ability to “stay out of the saddle” as they say (rather than sitting in the saddle while spinning, which is slightly less intense). When I caught myself, I made the conscious decision to choose a healthier thought.

I shifted my thoughts toward, “You’ve been out of the saddle a lot more than you were the last time. In general, you’re spending more time out of the saddle – good for you being able to spend so much time out of the saddle given the fact that you still have quite a ways to go on your weight loss journey.”

I thought about how great it’s going to feel and how easy it’s going to feel once I am fifty pounds lighter! I’ll be able to stay out of the saddle and do all of the exercises the instructor asks me to do.

I chose the healthier thought, and you can, too.

Would you like further support in choosing the healthier thoughts regularly? Click HERE to speak with me directly about how healthy thoughts will manifest your healthy body!