The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [42]
When creating your affirmation, make sure it's in the present tense. There are two reasons for this:
Your natural thoughts, positive or negative, occur in the present tense. For example, "I struggle with exercise," "I love eating salads," "I enjoy cooking new foods."
By taking the first steps, you're presently making changes, not making them way off in the future. You're actively changing your life right now.
Focusing on the present helps make your affirmation more powerful. Take a look at this example to see what I mean:
I'm able to change my old habits. I'm willing and able to focus my diet on low-glycemic foods and create change that helps me lose weight, lower my blood pressure, and build my endurance and energy. I'm motivated to join my family's annual backpacking trip feeling comfortable, fit, and energetic.
Write down your vision using affirmative statements and keep that inner picture of what you're working toward around you at all times. Make several copies and keep one near your computer, your calendar, your refrigerator, and/or in your wallet. You may also benefit by reading your affirmation each night before bed or first thing in the morning.
Using positive language
No matter how positive your mindset about following the glycemic index diet, it's still possible for negative thoughts to creep in because you're going to experience some challenges along the way. Having some doubt and hesitation is natural, but don't let that sway you from your internal reasons for wanting to lose weight. Pay attention to your language and try to keep it as positive as possible.
Changing a negative statement into a positive one helps you come up with solutions instead of staying stuck. For instance, perhaps you're having difficulties giving up rice at meals, but you also enjoy some of the new recipes you've tried. Your language may become negative along the lines of "I don't have time to cook these recipes" or "I don't like thinking of things to cook with my chicken entrees." Instead of taking a Negative Nelly approach, use positive language, such as "I really enjoy some of the new recipes I've tried." Then focus your energy on how to make those new changes work with your busy schedule and find some grains that will f in with chicken as easily as rice does.
Positive statements also help you move forward. Instead of stating, "I don't love vegetables," you can say, "I know there are five low-glycemic vegetables I really enjoy." When you put it that way, your mind automatically begins thinking of ways to incorporate those vegetables you like.
Setting Goals You Can Actually Achieve
You may be fed up with circumstances in your life and want to approach weight loss with gusto, changing everything about your day-to-day at once. Don't. Instead, focus on setting small weekly goals. These goals — which should be realistic, practical, and attainable — become the building blocks of your weight-loss program. You achieve greater success by creating goals you can keep, which is why I show you how to develop achievable goals in the following sections.
Being realistic
Set yourself up for success by making sure your goals are realistic. Start small so you can achieve your goals and then build on them. You don't want to set a goal of making a new low-glycemic recipe five nights a week if you currently don't cook at all. This goal may be unattainable and may make you feel like a failure if you don't reach it. Instead, set a goal to try one new recipe a week and find low-glycemic convenience foods to create some other meals.
Yes, fast results are far more appealing, but research shows that making changes too quickly almost always ends up with the dieter regaining the weight later. It's better to make small changes that you can truly live with long term, master them, and then set new goals. Setting small, realistic goals is the difference between losing 24 pounds in three months only to regain it all and losing 24 pounds in six months