Stop the Obese Mindset

The body is often a direct reflection of your thoughts and mental health.

This isn’t always the case, of course—take it with a grain of salt. But more often than not, people who are overweight or obese may have developed this as a response to handling negative emotions or trauma. And it’s not their fault. Many people aren’t even aware that they cope with certain emotions by turning to food for comfort.

By the time they notice this behavior, it’s already become a habit—one that can be hard to break. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but it is challenging. I'll go over how to address this later on.

Let’s start with the mindset, which is closely tied to this issue.

I call this the obese mindset.

For the sake of this article, let’s define mindset as the set of thoughts you have throughout the day.

The standard you set for yourself shapes the thoughts you create, and those thoughts shape your daily actions.

So, with an "obese mindset," thoughts might look something like:

• "What’s one more cookie?"

• "I’ll eat healthy next week."

• "It’s only two hamburgers."

These thoughts align with someone who may become overweight.

Notice the words another, two, and next week. If the thought were, "It’s just one cookie," that suggests someone who only indulges occasionally.

The combination of unresolved trauma and this mindset often affects the body itself.

The good news is that your mindset is the one component in this equation that you can actively change.

So, how do you change—or at least improve—this mindset?

By setting a goal.

When you have a goal, your mind will subconsciously create thoughts that align with it. But the key is to make your goal specific.

If you simply say you want to lose weight, it’s easier for that "obese mindset" to slip back in. But if you set a specific target—like losing 20 pounds in 6 months—you have weekly and daily goals to aim for. Your mind will generate thoughts that support this goal.

This applies to any goal in life: set specific goals to allow your mind to create thoughts aligned with achieving them.

Don’t just dream—create goals.

Hope you had a great Monday, and good luck with the rest of your week.

You’ve got this. Much love,

Coach Loc