Using Visualization to Lose Weight After 55 – You’ll Be Surprised That It Actually Works!
In my last post, I shared how I began the process of losing 50 pounds, and how learning to love myself as I was kick-started a healing process I didn’t know I needed. I began with implementing changes that set the groundwork for living a healthier and more satisfying life.
There was more, however, than standing in front of the mirror and saying “I love you” to myself. I needed to continue the process.
On the inside, I kept beating myself up, and my health wasn’t great either. My diet was not doing my mind and health many favors.
At this point, I had not jumped into dieting. I had simply created a dinner hour for our family and eliminated low-hanging fruit – the huge snack I would indulge in before dinner.
I also stopped drinking cola. Each morning after dropping my daughter off at school, I’d hightail it over to McDonald’s for a large cola. As I began to change my habits, I chose to drink iced tea that I made at home.
Visualizing Myself Slim and Feeling Amazing
One afternoon, I went to try on an outfit I would have loved wearing when I was slimmer. Unfortunately, with my extra weight, the look didn’t flatter me. Although my weight loss journey had begun, I still felt uncomfortable with my weight and the fact that I always felt sluggish.
I decided to take my inner game up a notch: I would try visualization – only with a slight twist.
I not only imagined myself slim, but also how I would feel once I achieved my goal. I imagined the lightness of my body, increased energy and fitness, and the confidence that was beginning to grow as I continued honoring myself by making healthy choices.
I imagined the excitement of looking good in clothing, and maybe even trying something a little sexy every now and then.
I imagined my slim self walking confidently in a beautiful outfit. I imagined looking at my slim self in the mirror and appreciating the sight. I imagined how it would feel to be found attractive by my husband again. I imagined myself feeling energetic and strong.
I cut out pictures and placed them on a vision board I kept in my bathroom. I imagined my “slim self” throughout the day as I ran errands and before going to bed.
Taking Action
The slim energetic person within me was bursting to be more active, but I was severely out of shape. I needed to find an activity that would be sustainable with my busy schedule and something I could easily stick with.
My solution? Walking.
I committed to walking 20 minutes a day, every single day, rain or shine. If I was joined by a walking partner, that was great, but if I not, I walked anyway. If it were raining, I’d find an indoor location. If I felt bored, I’d add music.
I walked 20 minutes every day.
Between the walking and eliminating soda and the snack, I began to see progress. My clothes fit better, I felt more energetic, I looked better, and I was starting to gain a little self-confidence.
I knew I would need to ramp things up a bit more, but I was thrilled that I was moving in the right direction. I was getting ready for the next step figuring out a diet plan. You’ll have to stay tuned for that next month.
The Takeaway
To make a substantive change, whether you want to lose weight, start a business, manage our money better, or have more meaningful relationships, you can start by implementing these simple ideas:
- Accept where you are with compassion and begin practicing self-love and healing.
- Be willing to change.
- Keep your eye on the prize using affirmations and a vision board. Make sure you try to feel what it will be like when you succeed.
- Take action on “low hanging fruit” to get the ball rolling.
Where are you on your weight loss journey? Have you started? Are you serious about it? What’s your motivation? Have you tried visualization? What action are you willing to take to get to your goal? Please share in the comments below.
My visualization is in 3 pieces. I weigh myself every morning and write down what the scale says, I have a small photo on my dresser of me when I was at my ideal weight and I did a voice memo on my phone which I recorded with my self talk of being at my ideal weight, what my diet looks like, how my body looks and how I feel about it all said with the emotion I would have telling someone of achieving my goals. I’m lucky that I’ve never been too out of whack on weight maybe because I’ve never drank soda, eaten junk food or had a sweet tooth but getting older means eating less even healthy foods and that’s been a struggle. After a year of not budging below a number on the scale even while running and trying to eat less, I drastically altered my diet. No nightly glass of red wine, almost no meat, and I started “eating breakfast”- a smoothie with full fat Greek yogurt, a couple slices of orange, part of an avocado, fresh spinach and pumpkin seeds flaxseed and chia seeds. Then for other meals I learned to cook heirloom beans (Rancho Gordo) with no starchy carbs!! After a month I’ve lost 5 pounds, which is the first time my weight has broken the barrier in over a year. I just keep listening to my voicememo daily and believing along with running.