Weighty Issues: The Power of Belief

You've got to believe if you want to achieve. Find out why you need the power of positive thinking to make your dreams come true.

By Nutricise columnist Michele Lifland, L.C.S.W.

(Nutricise) — Do you believe you deserve to have the things you want most in life? Close family ties, companionship, intimacy, good health, meaningful work, success, pleasure, joy and fun—are these things part of the big picture for you? If so, your efforts at weight control will probably be fruitful. If not, you're likely to have some trouble losing weight and/or maintaining weight loss.


What you believe about yourself and your life is what you create. When you believe in yourself and feel a sense of entitlement in the world, you generally acquire the things you desire. Conversely, when you're consumed with self-doubt and believe that the things you desire are unavailable to you, then you live your life such that realizing your dreams becomes close to impossible.


The principle is simple: For the most part, you live out your self-fulfilling prophecies, and real life follows real thought. When you believe something is possible, you tend to see opportunities to make it so. If you really think you deserve to be successful at weight loss, then you will create success at weight loss. Your belief in your success will open your eyes to all that makes your goal possible. Conversely, when you believe something is impossible, you're likely to be blind to opportunities. If you have serious doubts about your ability to achieve successful weight loss, then your belief in your failure will close your eyes to opportunities and open your eyes to all that undermines your goal.


Don't be tricked by the power of belief, however. Instead, recognize your thinking on weight loss (or any other subject that's important to you), and observe how your thinking influences your behavior and the outcome of the situation. Beliefs, like personality traits, have been a long time in the making and, therefore, will take a while to change. Be patient with yourself. For the time being, it's enough to simply recognize how your thoughts determine what you believe.


Michele Lifland, L.C.S.W., works in both private and group practice. She founded a private eating disorders clinic in 1983 and developed the Creative Mind Management counseling concept in 1998. She specializes in eating disorders and problem management.

FitTip: Surround Yourself With Support

For a great body find others of like mind.



(Nutricise) — If you’ve ever tried to lose weight and experienced the maddening interference of a nay-saying friend, parent, sibling or significant other, you already understand how potentially damaging this kind of influence can be on your dieting efforts.

Sometimes, even well-meaning family members or friends can sabotage your will to succeed by saying things like, “You’ve lost weight before but you always gain it back,” or “You don’t need to lose weight; you’re just big-boned.”

To ensure you’ve got a support system to help you stick to your plan and reach your weight-loss goals unscathed, join a gym, sign up with a diet group, buddy up with a friend–-or even an Internet pen pal–who’s got goals similar to yours. The key is that like-minded people will encourage your success rather than stand in your way.

The Power of Positive Thinking

The strength of your mind (and not just your biceps) is the key to greater fitness.



(Nutricise) — No matter how ripped your body is, the strength of your mind is your most powerful tool when it comes to athletic success. If your head's not in the game, the chances that you'll achieve your fitness goals are slim to none. Jim Bauman, Ph.D., a sports psychologist at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego, California, says that positive thinking can lead to improved performance, and several things can help you get your thoughts moving in the right direction.

Thoughts are translated into actions, Bauman explains. 'If people think positively and imagine that their performance will be successful, they will be more likely to replicate those actions,' he says. The opposite is true as well. 'If their thoughts are negative, it's likely that their performance will be negative, too.'

Be aware of your inner dialogue. 'Be conscious of the language you use when you talk to yourself, because what you think affects what you do,' says Bauman. 'Work at eliminating negative self statements.' Bauman suggests working on having a one-track mind, focusing on only what you want to achieve. Also, he says that the conversation should be in the here and now. 'Don't think about the last time you failed, and try not to think too far ahead into the future,' he says.

This kind of positive self-talk might not happen instantly, but don't be discouraged. 'It takes time to train your mind to do things, just like it takes time to train your body in the weight room. It's a progressive process,' says Bauman. You're teaching yourself a new skill, so be patient, stay with it, and give it an opportunity to be successful.

One way to train your thoughts toward the positive is to take some time out of your day to specifically focus on them. Bauman suggests doing relaxing imagery work to get you in the right state of mind. Take 30 minutes, lie down and concentrate on relaxing your body from top to bottom. Think about relaxing every single muscle, one at a time. Once you're completely relaxed, you can try one of three positive imagery methods:

· External picture: Imagine you're watching a film of yourself. Focus on what you want to achieve and watch yourself do it.

· Internal picture: Go though the scenario with your own eyes as if you're doing it. You can control your actions and achieve your goals.

· Kinesthetic imagery: Focus on experiencing your thoughts physiologically. If you're lifting weights, feel your muscles burn and actually feel the resistance of the weight.

All three of these techniques will enable you to see yourself clearly and vividly within your mind. Imagine what you want to accomplish and envision successful performances. After you see what your positive thoughts can do, turn those thoughts into actions. Success is in the mind of the beholder.

Being Social is Good for Your Health

People are more likely to quit smoking if they have social support or social relations that help boost their incentives for living a long and healthy life.



(Nutricise) — Sitting at home at the computer all day may be unhealthy because it promotes sedentary living. But Web surfers also risk missing out on social contact with friends, which can present 'physical' drawbacks. In fact, a British Medical Journal study between 1981 and 1992 of 633 subjects found the 'socially fragmented' were more likely to commit suicide.

'There's a lot of data that show social relations are good for health. A major paper by James House at the University of Michigan showed that social isolation (being without family or friends) is as lethal as smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day [based on the high mortality rates of the reclusive],' says Edwin Fisher Ph.D., professor of psychology, medicine and pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.

'The controversy is just what causes social isolation. A lack of interaction could signify mental disease, but it could also indicate the onset of a physical ailment, such as diabetes, wherein people begin to feel tired and withdrawn, and begin to decline invitations to go do things,' says Fisher.

When people have frequent contact with others, they feel more a part of something and they have more to live for. Socializing also affects health in other ways. For example, according to Fischer, people are more likely to quit smoking if they have social support or social relations that help boost their incentives for living a long and healthy life.

Similarly, Fisher says, those who have enjoyable relationships with friends and family are likely to find more meaning in putting out the effort it takes to, say, manage a disease like diabetes, which involves controlling weight, managing diet and taking medication or insulin on a daily basis.

Developing social ties can be difficult, especially as we get older and many people our own age are also less likely to extend themselves in social relations. Interest groups, voluntary activities, churches and coworkers are often sources of important relationships. It isn't so important how many friends and close relationships you have, it's more about having at least one or two good ones. 'If people have just one person they can call on for a favor and talk to about personal problems, they'll be a whole lot better off, even if they're not a social butterfly,' says Fisher.