28 Dec How to Achieve A New Year Resolution in Weight Loss

Ever had a physical reminder of how out of shape you’re getting?

I had a good look at myself in the mirror,  after returning from a vacation and I thought,

“How the hell did this happen?”

So I got my workout videos downloaded, my shoes and clothes all prepped for a much needed exercise session and suddenly, something unpredictable hit me!

After deciding that it was time to make a change , I unfortunately, HAD to get a last minute dental surgery done and my plans had to be pushed by another week or so.

So I went under the blade, and 24 hours later, it hurt to even smile or laugh. My face looked like a balloon and I so badly wanted to hit fast forward and get back to normal.

The next day, I realized that to mitigate my feelings of disconcert , I just had to breathe, be patient, and things would get better.

Upon meditating I had some thoughts of enlightenment about life. I knew that if I let the unpredictable quiddity of life get to me,I would be getting mentally and physically- unhealthy.

Forget about eating 100%  right or sweating HARD at the gym, if one’s spirit is low, that is equally as unhealthy.

Just because someone has an impressive body, he or she might not be holistically fit. Many people don’t count happiness or being relaxed, as success. Even if you look good from the outside, it’s the inside that makes the biggest difference in the long run.

So I decided to count on something that has always stayed consistent with me: and that’s introspection through meditation.

I chose to move away from fretting about change and towards visual meditation.
What is visualization meditation?
In meditation the mind concentrates while the body relaxes; an effective position in which to begin visualization. You may find it helpful to consult visualization scripts or relaxation scripts before you try it on your own. When the mind is clear and the body is relaxed, you can engage the imagination to visualize images and ideas. Meditation and visualization have the power to teach and heal. Visualization is one method of using the mind to influence the body.

Through this, I was able to view myself, looking emotionally, mentally and physically healthy!

The meditation started with taking some deep breaths and going to my happy place. In my mind, I thought of the beach, with the sun kissing my face as I dug my feet into the soft sand.

I was then asked to get up and walk to a cabin and then find a comfortable place to sit down. Upon being seated, I was asked to pretend that there was a TV in front of me, and the screen was supposed to show my greatest moment of success.

I watched myself growing into the person that I am today, leaving behind an unhealthy lifestyle and truly growing into an independent and strong person. That has by far been my greatest success. I felt accomplished the day I decided to think, eat, drink, sleep and meditate mindfully. This meant that I had to let go of everything that harmed my body and I was actually able to do it (except for binging sometimes on junk food,haha! )

So, keeping that sense of accomplishment in mind, I was asked to exit the cabin and go back once again, into nature and carry that feeling of achieving something from the past, with me.

Backed by this confidence, I was then asked to visualise my next goal. The reality of accomplishing something steeped in and I was able to think positively about my next goal.

My next goal is something everybody thinks about, around December: A WEIGHT LOSS RESOLUTION!

Now all I had to do was open my eyes, and just believe that I could do it!

I ended the meditative process thinking: I’ve been successful and I will be successful.  

Also, here are some of the benefits of visualization meditation!

This brings me to the next step: Guided meditation for Weight Loss

The second thing that really helped me was -meditating on topics about weight loss.

I think this next step is crucial in guiding you, towards the journey of self acceptance and self improvement.

What you could do, is listen to this track, relax and enjoy the insight and self discovery that the guided meditation offers, and maybe you could also, go into a trance of sorts, as you lie or sit peacefully meditating, like I did.

I love the fact that all you have to do is hear something and that can take you soaring high into your imaginative hot spots , just by listening.

10 minutes into the mediation, I could feel like I was floating in the ocean, I felt no weight as my heart and mind was light and there was nothing pulling me down.

The deeper I went into the meditation, I felt as though I was moving with the soft waves, and I could literally feel my heart beating and felt it pumping blood all the way down to my toes.

My body experiences very pleasing sensations as the voice asked me to focus on one key area of the body, starting from the head to the feet. And just by focusing on one part of the body at a time,  I felt more oxygen being supplied there and when you zoom out, the whole body is lit with relaxation.

As you can tell, I was incredibly relaxed and realized that even though my body was sleeping, my mind was completely awake, aware and concentrating.  

There!

Right there in that moment, was the right time to mould the mind and bring conscious positive suggestions to the soul.

Deep in my subconscious, I was accepting suggestions that said that I control my body. Suggestions that said if I can control my mind, I could easily reach my ideal weight.

As I experienced my body becoming even more relaxed, I was asked to picture myself on a beautiful path.

I dreamt of a cliff hanger, kind of like the majestic mountainside in Enshi, central China,

The roads have been cut out of the rock face and are surrounded by the luscious greenery growing on the mountain and it was on this road that I imagined myself being.

I was asked to  see a figure up ahead.

I saw myself running, and that figure running ahead of me  was my future self, with truly great metabolism, no fear, just going out and sprinting down the path as if there were no injuries, no pain, no limitations. (I don’t support dangerous running, just enjoyed the freedom of being able to run that fast)

That’s what I noticed was the most different from my current self.

So I stepped into this future self. And noticed the difference between the future body and current body.

My current body analysed and studied how to create this future self, as we merged and I was able to experience a totally new life!

The guided meditation asked me to remember this future body and call upon it every time I get distracted.

I need to allow my future self to help me.  

And it told me that I have to make healthy choices about food, make time for exercise,make sure I eat mindfully whenever I am hungry,drink a lot of water and make sure that I get 8 hours of sleep!

I was also asked to understand why I gained the weight, and the truth behind this excess weight and why I let go.

I gained some insight as the answer immediately came to me..it’s tougher to control the mind.

It’s tough to fight back against cat calling, it’s tough to be mentally strong and not worry if i’m going to get groped or raped if i’m looking my best and being groomed everyday. ( this used to happen to me often when I used to be thinner and I had to fight my way out of harm and discomfort, so it’s tough to write about this, but I wanted to share it, because if you’re like me, trust me, I get why you’ve let go too and just want to be left alone.)

So I cut off my hair ,let my lady mustache grow and gained weight. I now look like A FAT BROWN JUSTIN BIEBER.

It’s just so easy to walk out of the house literally looking effortless.

Not in the fancy way that some people put their outfit together, but in the literal sense, as in, no effort at ALL.  

But inside, I felt lazy and hurt. My lack of mental toughness has crippled the fight in me to lose weight. And sometimes I just don’t want to.  

And other times I think there is bravery in me, that needs to be tapped into everyday. I have been gifted with one life, one body and I better make it count.

My subconscious showed me some intuitive thoughts on how I could get to my ideal weight as  all I had to do is control the mind and the rest will follow.

I now want to reach and maintain an ideal weight, because I love my self.

Meditation is a great way to experience positive affirmations as you find yourself unwrapping and discovering deeper thoughts and traits about yourself.  So I’m going to make it a point to find guided sessions online, and meditate EVERYDAY so that I have a reminder, every time i’m feeling lazy about eating well or the truth to why was afraid to workout, and how to change.  

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”

― Jim Morrison

Best Meditation App

Daily Meditation 

Meditating everyday also has other amazing benefits as mentioned here. With benefits like  making you a social expert, an intelligent human being and generally more peppy and energetic…why are you still reading this? Go on, check out HOW on that blue thing above!

So now I’m even more sure that I have to meditate on a daily basis. Once it hits the core, there is no shaking that peacefulness away. That peace is going to stay with me even if i fail to exercise once or twice in a month(or eat something bad). It’s nice to know that I gift myself some cheats and as I hear calmness through each meditation session, I know i’m going to go out the next day and slay!

Another thing I love about meditating everyday is that it’s going to help me search within even more,each day. It’s like peeling the onions of who I am made of -my emotions and feelings or thoughts and understanding why I have them.

As I continue on my journey to weight loss- I wanted to share another point: Sometimes it might feel like you can do everything right. We meditate, We push hard at the gym, We eat mindfully and yet, we maybe not seeing any difference.

Here are some reasons for why you may not be losing the weight, and I as well, am going to be completely aware of these mistakes . I found this to be very helpful. Sometimes you need to do things wrong to get them right, you know?

The best part about it are those mindfulness tips (those are like the solutions) towards correcting those mistakes.

With all of this being said, I am confident that I am doing this for the greater good of my body, despite the things that hold me back. I see myself in the mirror again and see that I am both the problem and the solution.

I remember why I am starting this. I start this to just challenge my views about myself. I start this to have a positive outlook to building strength both mentally and physically. I want to be proud of myself again.  I visualize myself being happy in my future self.

And I’m doing to consciously remind myself about this weight loss goal until it’s time to start a new resolution,this time, next year.

Nehita Abraham

Nehita is a mindfulness expert who writes extensively on lifestyle management, wellness and ways to lead a healthier and a happier life. She is a part of Aware’s expert team on meditation. She is also an avid artist who spends most her time dribbling amazing stories through art.