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Old 04-12-2013, 12:19 AM   #1  
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Default Affirmations, Meditations and Guided Relaxations

Just curious if anyone else is trying any of these methods for motivation. I do find them helpful and there are SO many of them on youtube, websites, apps, etc. If you have any links or want to share an affirmation or mantra below I'd love to hear about what is working for you. Try to frame your affirmations as a positive...they shouldn't use no, never, don't, can't, etc. because as the philosophy goes your brain doesn't hear the no part and brings more attention to whatever you are trying to avoid. ( So No pain, no gain may work as a motivating philosophy for you but it isn't a positive affirmation.)

I have a notebook full of affirmations I've been collecting, so I'll start with a few that I like.
  • I love to eat colorful, fresh, whole foods.
  • I exercise daily because it makes me feel fantastic.
  • I am in control of the foods I choose to eat.
  • I choose to be healthy and happy.
  • I am grateful for the abundance in my life.

Here's one of the youtube's I like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm4oMgtsCrI

Got any to share?
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Old 04-12-2013, 01:21 AM   #2  
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I've never heard of such things in relation to weight loss but I'm liking the concept. Tell me more about this notebook. It's just a place where your right out a bunch of positive ways of telling yourself you're doing well?

As far as mantras go, I just keep telling myself "This is about having a happy healthy life." Rather than getting caught up in the word "diet." Because, well, it's not.
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Old 04-12-2013, 01:41 AM   #3  
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The notebook was an idea that came from the girl who made this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXswxSSEyHs

I downloaded that one and watch it every morning when I wake up. At the end she mentions her website and it has her weight loss success story on it. She mentioned writing affirmations over and over again in a notebook. I decided it couldn't hurt. So, I just grabbed a 20 cent notebook from my kids school supply box and started writing. It isn't so much telling myself I'm doing well; it is more like training my brain to think thin and be positive. So, the repetition of writing the affirmations helps me to remember my goals when I start to go off plan.

I google affirmations, get them from youtube, apps and books. They aren't even 100% weight loss related, but mostly just positive thinking. I have about 20 pages full at this point. I've been doing it a few weeks. I'll add some more since I type pretty quickly.
  • All things are now working together for good in my life.
  • I am strong and healthy.
  • My life is blossoming in total perfection.
  • I rest when I am tired.
  • I am healing old wounds.
  • I exercise daily.
  • I love and care for my body.
  • I am getting better every day.
  • I feel thinner today.
  • I learn from my mistakes.
  • I am a friend to myself.
  • I put my worries in perspective.
  • I am worthwhile.
  • I am open-minded.
  • I keep a positive attitude.
  • I live in the present moment.
  • I look for solutions.
  • I am centered and balanced.
  • I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
  • I seek out people who are loving and nurturing.
  • I radiate love and happiness.
  • I am full of energy.
  • I am gentle with myself.

Last edited by mariposssa; 04-12-2013 at 02:00 AM.
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Old 04-12-2013, 02:13 AM   #4  
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In the above post I put I feel thinner today! in bold and italics because it is one I have found especially inspiring and helpful. How many times do we tell ourselves we feel fat? Or that something we are wearing makes us look fat? Or some other negative variation of that theme. Way. too. many. times. A big part of weight loss success has to come from getting your head in the right place. I got this quote from a think yourself thin movie called The Inner Weigh. I am a big fan of Renee Stephens (Inside Out Weight Loss) and her podcasts, websites, books, etc. I have watched that movie SO many times.

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Old 04-12-2013, 09:15 AM   #5  
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I think affirmations are a wonderful tool in achieving a positive life. I also have a dream board in my bathroom that I made earlier this year:

I suppose dream boards are a visual representation of an affirmation.

Also- I like this idea:

So keep on reading your affirmations.

Last edited by lunarsongbird; 04-12-2013 at 09:25 AM.
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Old 04-12-2013, 01:33 PM   #6  
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I don't have affirmations, as such. Affirmations are short, pithy phrases to help you keep up morale. I have what I call "health scripts". It's a similar idea, but they are a bit longer, and they address particular issues or concerns I run up against day to day. They are very specific, to help counter the negative script I sometimes hear running in my head. So in that matter, they are similar to affirmations. Here are some samples (I have more in each category, but here are my current faves):

Hunger

It’s not time to eat yet. I ate just a little while ago. The next meal is coming soon. I can wait.

I’m not that hungry; but I’m REALLY tired of being fat!

Snacks are for growing children, or for athletes who need more fuel. I have no need for a snack; I had a full meal a while ago and will be eating another meal soon.

If I run out of calories today I get a whole new set tomorrow. I’m not going to starve between now and breakfast!

Discouragement/Want it NOW

A true plateau means you're eating maintenance calories and therefore if nothing changes, your weight will remain the same. Most people say Plateau but they really mean stall. Their weight loss has stalled because they're retaining water for one reason or another. Either you're in a caloric deficit or you're not. If you are, you're losing fat, regardless of what the scale says.

When I feel like quitting, think about why I started: knees, ankles, blood sugar, hiking, woods, biking, zip lines, tying shoes, pain, canes, grandchildren, wheelchairs, freedom, strength, flexibility.

When my weight loss stalls or begins creeping up, the first thing I have to do it check how on-plan I’ve been. The plan WORKS if, and only if, I work the plan. It doesn’t need tweaks or fixes. It works. I’ve lost 50 pounds. It will work for one more. And one more. And one more.

Each practice of a good habit ingrains that habit deeper. Each time I eat and move on-plan, it becomes my new “normal”. Little by little, these small changes will snowball. When I look back I see how much I’ve already changed. It’s like standing in a long line at Disney World. It seems like forever, but once in awhile, as I look back at the people who are just joining the line I realize how far I’ve come. At first, I’m breaking new ground, blazing new trail, hacking through the undergrowth of bad habits and it’s hard going. But each time I walk that trail, the trail becomes more smooth, and wider, until I don’t even have to pay attention to where I’m walking.

Temptation

Anytime I hear “I don’t care” in my internal monologue, it’s a heads-up that I’m trying to talk myself into an off-plan indulgence. I DO care. And I CAN succeed. I HAVE succeeded for 50 pounds already. What’s one more?

I know that there are special days and special treats. But I am obese every day. I am insulin resistant every day. I have PCOS every day. I have pre-Diabetes every day. So every day I need to be on-plan.

When I am thinking about drinking because I’m tired or achey or just not in a good mood, it’s a heads-up that I’m hungry. Once I have dinner I will no longer have that temptation. So I must eat first. If I am still thinking about a glass of wine 30 minutes after dinner, then it’s not just a hunger thing.

I love myself enough that I don’t HAVE to eat what is offered. I don’t have to buy unhealthy food just because my family wants it. I don’t have to eat their unhealthy choices. I can choose to eat something else - something on-plan for me.
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Old 04-12-2013, 04:33 PM   #7  
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Cool dream board, lunarsong. I have a virtual one on Pinterest and some similar themes in my smash book.

Synger, it's kinda funny you describe affirmations as pithy. I actually seek out and prefer the shorter, more concise affirmations. When they are longer I get tripped up on something I don't agree with, or that doesn't feel right, or it's just plain too long for me to remember. So, I like short. I use things like you describe as health scripts, too; but it doesn't always work out well for me. I think of affirmations as planting seeds of positivity to help me later in the day. Whenever I get to those conversations like you are describing I'm already way to close to the edge. It turns into more bargaining, pleading, arguing with myself. I don't know how it is really possible to lose an argument with yourself. But, trust me I have lost them lots of times and usually it is Frito Lays who wins.
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Old 04-12-2013, 05:39 PM   #8  
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What a great thread! I love the affirmations and I'm going to start using them
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Old 04-12-2013, 09:19 PM   #9  
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take 2? maybe? nope. no image.

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Old 04-13-2013, 01:59 PM   #10  
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I think this is a great idea, too! I used to try to follow Dr. Beck's Diet Solution which is a cognitive behavioral therapy program. The first step of the book is to make a list of all the reasons that you want/need to lose. A lot of them, of course, are fairly negative, like "I want to be able to buckle the airplane seat belt around me," which feels to me a lot like "I'm too freaking big to even get the airplane seatbelt around me." You can phrase them in a positive way, but they contain negative images, if you're being honest with yourself. Like, for me, a big fear is that I'll need a kidney transplant someday (since I have type I diabetes) and that I'll be considered less deserving or a bigger risk than someone who is thinner. So, I had that on my list, but it's all bound up in negative all over the place, yk?

But anyhow... you're supposed to read over this list and really think about each item several times a day and whenever you're feeling your resolve to stay on plan loosening. And I think it really did do me some good. I don't think it could solve all my problems, but was a helpful tool. It's funny bc I thought all of those reasons were right up front and center in my thinking, but I think actually, they're not, what's front and center is just an amorphous "crap, I'm fat and I suck and I'm ugly" feeling (or something along those lines, lol). But really thinking about getting on an airplane and seeing your husband's reaction when he realizes you can't fit the belt around you... well... it's kinda motivating.

I am gonna try the more positive thing, though. It somehow seems healthier to me than beating yourself up with "you're so fat you might not be able to use the d*mned seatbelt!"
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Old 04-13-2013, 08:42 PM   #11  
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I haven't read the Beck book, but I have looked at that thread a couple of times. It seems like something I would like. I did check and it isn't on the list for Amazon prime, or at my library or even our statewide virtual library thing.

I believe negative thinking is a problem for pretty much everyone who diets. Positive affirmations could be just the thing to help and what's there to lose except for those pounds we don't want anyway?!
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Old 04-13-2013, 10:38 PM   #12  
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I'm a rainbow today....all the colors of the world.
I love this colorful "affirmation" song by Kira Willey.

Be a rainbow, today. Be colorful. Be beautiful. Be peaceful. Be different. Be the quiet after the storm. Be the pot of gold.


http://m.youtube.com/index?&desktop_...?v=Ur5AYncDDE0

Lyrics:
I am green today I chirp with joy like a cricket song.
I am gray today Gloomy and down like a morning fog.
I am orange today Loud and messy like finger paint on the wall.
I am red today Hopping mad like a playground ball.
I am black today Strong and tall a great big bear.
I am purple today Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air.

I'm a rainbow today All the colors of the world.
I'm a rainbow today All the colors of the world.
I'm a rainbow today All the colors of the world are in me.

I am yellow today I shine my light out like the sun.
I am white today Soft and quite like new snow.
I am blue today Calm as glass and cool like the sea.

I'm a rainbow today All the colors of the world.
I'm a rainbow today All the colors of the world.
I'm a rainbow today All the colors of the world are in me.
All the colors of the world are in me.

Last edited by mariposssa; 04-13-2013 at 11:23 PM.
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Old 05-25-2013, 11:50 AM   #13  
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Oh WOW.. This is a wonderful thread.... I am so sorry I have not seen this sooner... Thank you! I am saving this as a favorite!
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