People are greedy.
Especially when it comes to weight loss.
Even though very few people follow the correct rules of eating, if you are someone who cannot accept your new weight and still think that you are obese or overweight in your mind, then even if you REALLY lose weight, you will return to your old self.
The reason or that is – in your mind, you have a mental set point for various things. That set point is like a mental thermostat that stays in equilibrium with what you define as normal or average. This set point applies to many things, not to just weight.
It applies to how much money you have, how happy you are, how many things you own, how much you learn, and in this particular case, how much you weigh. We will focus on the weight mental set point in this blog post.
The mental set point or MSP for short defines the equilibrium of your weight. If your MSP is set to 145 lbs and you want to lose 25 lbs to weigh 125 lbs, then you will need to shift your MSP to 125 lbs if you wish to keep your weight there permanently.
Your mental set point is your mental point of equilibrium. It is what you consider to be the point at which you’re supposed to be naturally. The reason you need to shift it according to how much you want to weigh is because if you don’t, you’ll gain the weight back.
You gain the weight back if your set point does not shift because you will want to reach equilibrium with your MSP. If your mental set point is above your actual goal, your mind will interpret anything lower than your MSP as unbalanced and will try to retain equilibrium by shifting your weight back up.
The mind tries to keep the thermostat at a stable temperature and if you don’t shift the base temperature, you will always return to your old temperature. It is simple to change your MSP. All you need to do is see your new self as slim and more fit.
Even if you aren’t there yet, you need to envision it. You need to tell yourself that that’s the new you. The fit, muscular, strong and attractive person…that’s you! That’s your new equilibrium. Right now you are out of balance and you need to reach equilibrium back to your new MSP which is at your new envisioned self.
Once you do this, you will lose weight faster than you ever had before. Your current weight is now seen as too high and out of balance, so your body needs to slide you down the equilibrium hill, correct your metabolism and bring you back to the bottom where it’s stable.
I didn’t lose weight at first as much as I would’ve preferred because I realized that my mental set-point wasn’t where I wanted to end up.
It was actually where I was stuck on. That explained everything. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I was just trying to fight my MSP. It’s like trying to climb a hill with a tricycle at slow speeds.
You’re just going to slide down the hill if you even make it up slightly.
Once I changed my MSP to where I wanted to end up, I was able to see results more easily. I looked at myself in the mirror and no longer saw who I currently was, rather, I saw who I was supposed to be. And because I was supposed to be that person, I became that person. 99% of the weight loss battle is psychological; the other 1% is the actual physical work.
So the takeaway from this blog post is DO NOT fret if you do not reach your target weight. The thing is, you might never, and that’s O-K. The number on the scale is actually stuck in your mind, you HAVE lost a ton of weight, it’s just your mind that’s bothering you.
Be cool. Tell your noggin’ to take a chill pill.