Visualization and Fat Loss

The surprising fact is that many conditions can be improved by visualization and weight loss is one of them. It works like this: you keep a vision in your mind of how you want your body to look, and subconsciously you will begin acting in a way that will go in that direction. You become much more positive about your body, more accepting of your weight management plan and fitness regime, and you will reach your weight goals more quickly and easily.

Effecting change through visualizing desired outcomes has become more and more acceptable in recent years. Psychologists do not understand exactly how it works but clearly the mind and body are not as separate as we often believe. It seems that if you truly want something it is more likely to happen – provided of course that it is something that is possible, and within your control. Visualization helps us to truly want to lose weight by creating a clear and happy picture of our fitter bodies. Without this we can often put psychological traps in our own path.

Many people who are overweight believe they cannot lose weight. Sometimes you may say it out loud, or hear friends say it about themselves. For other people this belief stays in the subconscious. But it is sure that it influences our behavior. Someone who believes it is impossible for her to lose weight will be constantly battling her own negativity when she is trying to diet. Her mind will be constantly telling her there is no point in continuing with her weight management plan; she cannot lose fat so she should just go ahead and eat everything she wants. Visualization is the strongest technique that we can use to overcome these negative thoughts and impulses.

If you are plagued by negativity either from your own mind or from the reactions of friends and family to your weight management plan, go ahead and visualize yourself at your desired weight as often as you can. It works on the same level as all those negative voices and can annihilate their influence like nothing else can.

It is important to practice every day – morning and evening. You just need to take a few minutes in a quiet place and keep an image in your mind of your body at its ideal weight. Some people can do this easily, others need some help. If you have a photograph of yourself at your ideal weight in the past, you may find it easier to look at that. Or use a photo from a magazine but cut off the person’s face. You need to visualize your own body, but thinner.

You can also visualize from the inside. Close your eyes and let your awareness focus on a part of your body – for example, your right thigh. Imagine it slowly becoming thinner in your mind’s eye. Then move to the other thigh, and on through the body. It may help to start at the feet and move up towards the head, or vice versa.

As you go about your work or daily chores, think of yourself as already at your ideal weight. Create your own affirmations and repeat them often, always in the present tense (”I am glad to be healthy, fit and slim”, not “I will …”). Enjoy the feeling of having a positive self-image. Over time, this will help you to keep to your weight management plan. You will find that fatty foods are less attractive and exercise is more enjoyable.

While your fat loss will of course be gradual, the wonderful thing about visualization is that it gives you a new body image right away. Use visualization and weight loss to make you happier right now, today!

Bob Cochrane, M.S.
Assistant Professor
Physical Education/Sport & Exercise Studies

There are many different ways that conversion weight tables explained may or may not make sense to you. The best way to begin to understand conversion weight tables is to know what they are used for, how they are used and what their results mean to you in terms of your current size and any weight loss goals that you are planning for the near future.

Conversion weight tables explained in simple terms are tables that convert the amount you currently weight by a predetermined standard and advise on what your ideal or standard size should be based on that standard. For example, you may be looking at conversion weight tables explained in a manner that asks you to input your height and current weight and subsequently tells you what you should weight based on your height alone. This is just one way to examine the results of a particular conversion weight table you are looking at.

There are advantages that can be gained by comparing conversion weight tables explained in a sense of looking at the information side by side and seeing what the differences are as well as understanding what those differences mean. Some conversion weight tables only take one aspect of the physical body into consideration, such as what you currently weigh. Obviously conversion weight tables explained have to be considered for the respective information that they contain but no one weight table can be said to be the reigning all purpose and infallible authority.

Conversion weight tables explained can be an excellent resource for your weight loss needs. First because they give a detailed breakdown of what your current weight size and height have to do with how far or close you are to your ideal weight. This is an important goal in reaching your ideal weight and you need to know exactly where you are in your efforts, not just how much the number on the scale says represents your current body condition.

The main objective of losing weight is not to get to a particular size on the scale but to eliminate body fat. Even though conversion weight tables explained go into detail about what your number on the scale should be, this is second in line to how much body fat you have. You may be close to the ideal number and still have too much body fat which would mean that your body is not in the best shape that it can be and you may need to add some form of exercise such as walking, aerobics, swimming, jogging or something different that will attack the body fat you are storing and cause it to come off your muscles. The end result will be a body you will be proud to show off wherever you go.

Understanding conversion weight tables can be somewhat complicated so don’t hesitate to seek the advice of a health professional for conversion weight tables explained in a manner that you do not understand.

There are so many theories surrounding weight loss and exercise that often times it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Before you fall victim to some of the misconceptions read on …

Area specific weight loss- Can it be?

If you have a few pesky pounds that you would like to lose on your stomach or if you have love handles, when you decide to make an effort to lose weight, you will not automatically lose weight off those areas of the body. The body decides where it will drop the weight from. Unfortunately the individual does not. This is something no one has any control over. Aim for losing weight- period.

If a little is good then a lot must be better. Right?

Wrong. If you have been inactive for a considerable period of time and you suddenly start engaging in a number of forms of exercise, such as running, swimming, doing aerobics, cycling, etc. you could cause harm to your body. You must start slow and work up to more vigorous activity. Prepare your body for what is to come by being kind to it. In particular, doing too much can be detrimental to the joints. The extra weight you are carrying can add to the problem.

Resistance training and toning are not for people seeking to lose weight.

Toning and resistance training are for everyone, not just those who are already in excellent shape. Resistance training, such as working with weights, gym machines and resistance bands increases your muscles mass. This in turn strengthens your bones. This will help you to drop the weight sooner and look more toned at a faster rate than if you simply did a form of aerobic exercise. Muscle burns more calories than fat which means that in effect you burn calories more rapidly when you do resistance training.

I can lose lots of weight right away!

Do not let anyone tell you that you can lose a lot of weight, such as 20 or 30 pounds in a short period of time. Even if it were possible, which it is not in most instances, it would be an extremely unhealthy thing to do. A diet that is so restrictive that it causes the body to drop pounds very quickly is not good for you in any way. Avoid these kinds of destructive diets! Instead aim for a slow to gradual weight loss of one to two pounds per week. This is safe and healthy. Patience plays a role in weight loss after all.

Once I reach my goal weight, I can go back to eating like I did before.

Unfortunately this is not the case. The goal here is not to lose weight but to make healthy dietary changes that will allow you to lose the weight and keep it off. The smaller your body, the fewer calories you need to take in to satisfy it. Once you institute healthy changes to your diet, you need to put them into play- for good!

Some people may think that goals have a definite timeline to accomplish. In part, this is true, but there are certainly ways on how you can hasten the process. You can achieve more great things by focusing on the current job and getting it done, without any compromise. Here are some guidelines from the experts that you can use yourself.

Step One: Forming a Team

Things can be accomplished more quickly if you rely on other people and assign tasks accordingly. When forming a team, it is important that you choose individuals whom you can trust and are truly competent in the fields you assign them to. Teams need to be supervised to ensure that you get the results you want. You can also create a hierarchy or create pairs so that one can look out for the other, thereby saving you time when reviewing work.

Forming a team gives you the benefit of practicing your leadership skills. You will find that later on, you also get to finish tasks more quickly alone, since you’ve already created an effective system that will provide a smoother flow of various jobs. Make sure you also get the appropriate number of people for the job, or else you risk having too many to watch over, wasting precious time in the process.

Step Two: Finding Shortcuts

Some goals actually have shortcuts that you can use to reach more quickly. These are not quick fixes, but can help the entire system respond in a more conducive manner, thereby boosting the process. For example, there are no short cuts to permanent weight loss, but you can do some techniques that will hasten the fat loss. Some of the approaches include using HIIT or high intensity interval training, instead of the traditional cardiovascular exercise. HIIT is done only in 20 minutes tops, and burns more fat and raises your metabolism higher and for longer periods of time. Your body will respond to the exercise faster.

To know about the shortcuts, always stay updated with changes and developments in technology and professional programs. Stay connected in a network of people related to your goals. Joining forums and online seminars are ideal. You can also talk to experts, so you can compare processes and determine if a certain approach is truly effective.

Step Three: Extra Hours

Consistency, discipline and dedication always give you faster and better results. If you want to finish things faster, you may have to put in extra hours and work longer than the usual. The more important thing is that you keep stress levels down afterwards by relaxing and giving yourself enough time to rest. This way, you can move on to the next goals to be achieved. Overtime should also be well-planned. You cannot expect to work effectively beyond your usual time if you’re still tired the night before or do not have enough equipment to work with.

Prepare and strategize by coming up with small objectives and actions steps to be done in sequence. Having information prior to your overtime can help greatly and save you lots of idle time. You may also ask someone to work with you during overtime to accomplish more. Try to incorporate all the three steps above and see for yourself how much more you can boost the process.