12 Positive and Powerful Affirmations for Weight Loss

Learn what affirmations really are, how they work and how to use them, and get ideas to create your own affirmations for weight loss to help you reach your goals and maintain them.

Going From an Affirmation Doubter to a Believer

For most of my life (and weight loss journey, which was in fact, most of my life) I would hear the words “affirmations” “thought work” “manifestations” or anything mindset related and turn the other way. I thought it was too “out there” and didn’t understand how it had anything to do with losing weight or getting healthy sustainably. All we needed to do was exercise and eat healthy right? And if it wasn’t working – we needed to work longer and harder. 

The problem was – I struggled to do the above things consistently. Something was missing but I wasn’t sure what it was.

Then in 2014, when I was about 7 months pregnant with my daughter I started feeling very depressed and began seeing a therapist. I was introduced to the power of our thinking – and how it truly drives all things.

It was the missing link to not only my health and weight loss success – but everything.

I was able to be more consistent with my workouts, my routines, and could more easily catch myself when I wasn’t taking the action I wanted to be – and always trace it back to a thought.

I learned:

• How to use positive thoughts to create the results I wanted. With my weight and health, and everywhere else
• What affirmations truly are and how they actually work

I became a believer – and now use them on a daily basis! 

What Are Positive Affirmations?

Positive affirmations are positive statements (thoughts) that you consciously and regularly repeat to influence your subconscious mind. These thoughts challenge and replace negative or unhelpful thoughts with empowering thoughts, leading to a shift in your mindset.

The Key to Making Affirmations Work

The key – you have to believe them, or commit to practicing them enough so you eventually do.

In the beginning it may feel a bit foreign, like putting on clothes that are the wrong size. But if you practice it enough and believe in the possibility it will eventually start to get easier and easier.

If you feel extreme resistance to the affirmations or believing you can/have achieved your goal – that’s an opportunity to explore why and start looking for evidence to prove it true!

In coaching we also have a practice where we create “bridge thoughts” which simply means if you don’t yet believe the end goal, identify a thought somewhere in the middle between where you are now and where you want to be.

Bridge Thought Example:

• Old thought: ” I want to be someone who goes to the gym more”
• Goal thought/affirmation: “I’m someone who goes to the gym everyday”
• Bridge thought: “I go to the gym”

For example, on my healthy lifestyle plan, I go to the gym around 5-6am several days a week. When I wake up, I’m naturally flooded with alll the negativity from my brain and 10001 reasons why I shouldn’t go. I have two options – I can listen to those, lay back down and go back to bed.

Or…

I can choose to think something different in that moment driving a different action and result. I choose the latter.

“I’m someone who gets up and goes to the gym when I say I’m going to”

“I’m committed to this”

“I’ll feel so much better after I go”

Those are “thought” habits, very similar to affirmations, that help me go from feeling unmotivated to committed and driven – resulting in more successful workouts and continued progress towards my goals.

Why do Affirmations for Weight Loss work? 

This was what I didn’t fully understand for the majority of my life – which led me to believe this was all a whole bunch of pointless fluff. But as a trained coach and someone who spent years in therapy and coaching – now I GET IT. And it’s pretty simple.

Our thoughts create our feelings which drive our actions and produce our results.

Negative (or unhelpful) thinking = negative feelings = undesired actions or lack of actions = no results or undesired results.

Positive (or productive thinking) = positive (or productive feelings) = desired productive action = results 

So if we don’t like what we’re doing, we have to trace it back to our thinking!

Affirmations are simply a way for us to do this, adding in an additional layer by speaking in present tense with an attempt to trick our brain to think and feel like the version of you who has already achieved the goal. This allows us to enjoy the process of achieving it more, while taking more consistent action in the day to day towards it, meaning we’ll likely get further, faster! It’s a win-win 🙂

Related Article from fellow blogger: How to Focus on the Good: 21 Ideas to Help You Develop a Positive Mindset

The Power of Positive Weight Loss Affirmations

The impact of positive affirmations on your weight loss goals can be really powerful – because they address your subconscious mind (our default thinking which most of us aren’t aware of), which plays a significant role in shaping your habits and choices. Here’s how affirmations can influence your weight loss journey:

1. Help us Overcoming Negative Self-Talk and Limiting beliefs

Negative self-talk and limiting beliefs can be a major obstacle to weight loss. Affirmations help you minimize or eliminate this, by replacing those unhelpful thoughts with positive beliefs about your ability to make healthy choices and reach your fitness goals. The key here is to become aware (by paying attention) to what we’re thinking and saying about ourselves and our goals, question it, and then incorporate an affirmation or thought that is more beneficial than your current one. 

2. Help us build a Positive Mindset

Weight loss success begins with our brain – because our thinking drives what we do. Affirmations encourage you to focus on the positive aspects of your journey, reinforcing the idea that you are capable of achieving your ideal weight. You can start to build a “library” of thoughts that are helpful for you to think at different times of the day and implement them as thought habits – which will lead to an overall positive mindset shift.

3. Help us create motivation to maintain healthy habits

As I mentioned above, our thoughts create our feelings, so deciding to think motivating thoughts on purpose (using affirmations or simply working in time to evaluate, question and shift your current thinking) is a great way to help us intentionally create motivation for ourself.

When we think those motivational thoughts – we’ll feel the action inspiring emotion that will drive the healthy habits we want to build (eating a healthy diet, getting to the gym, not overeating, etc.)

An example – “I can do this” or “I’ll feel so much better after I do this” are two thoughts that I use ALL the time to motivate myself to get up for the gym in the morning when I don’t feel like it.

4. Help us build a positive relationship with ourselves and improve body image

Many times when we start the weight loss process – we don’t think and feel so great about ourselves. We have negative thoughts about our body – which likely lead to our not so helpful actions and results.

If you’re following – you now know we need the opposite to create and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle! (positive and productive thinking = positive and productive results). We can use intentional thinking and affirmations to work on appreciating and loving our body, regardless of our current weight. It all starts with a decision! This is how we creating a healthier relationship ourself – and then our relationship with food naturally improves.

12 Favorite Empowering Thoughts and Affirmations

Some of the empowering affirmations that I practice daily are below. Consider working one or several into your daily routine!

1. “I get to decide what I do with my time and my life”
2. “I can figure anything out”
3. “I feel so much better when I move/exercise and eat healthy vs. when I don’t”
4. “I’m committed to this”
5. “I can handle hard things”
6. “I feel better with each healthy choice I make”
7. “I make choices each day that leave me looking and feeling my best”
8. “I can do anything I commit to”
9. “Of course I’ll reach my health goals”
10. “If they can do it, I can do it”
11. “I can have my favorite foods anytime, but I get to choose if and when I want them, and how much”
12. “I control what I put in my mouth”

Other Popular Affirmations and Powerful Thoughts

If you’re looking for more inspiration, here are some popular affirmations commonly used by those on a weight loss journey:

1. “I’m creating my dream body and health.”
2. “I am the best version of myself.”
3. “I no longer binge eat/emotionally eat/overeat.”
4. “I choose healthy food over unhealthy foods.”
5. “I am successful in my weight loss efforts.”

Developing Your Own Affirmations for Weight Loss (or any goal)

While using existing affirmations can be effective, creating your own personalized affirmations can have even more impact. Here’s how you can create your own weight loss affirmations:

1. Identify Specific Goals: Pinpoint the areas of your weight loss journey that need the most positive reinforcement, such as self-control, exercise, or healthy eating.
2. Speak in the Present Tense: Frame your affirmations as if you’ve already achieved your goals. For example, instead of saying “I will lose weight,” say “I am at my ideal weight” or “I’m losing weight” “I’m on a weight loss journey”
3. Keep It Positive/Productive: Focus on what you want to achieve, not what you want to avoid. For instance, instead of “I don’t want to eat junk foods,” say “I choose healthy foods.” Instead of “I can’t have…” say “I can have anything I want, but I’m choosing___because___”
4. Make It Personal: Tailor your affirmations to your unique needs and experiences. This will make them more meaningful and powerful and make it a whole lot easier to believe them – the most important thing!
5. Be Concise: Keep your affirmations short and easy to remember. This will help you repeat them regularly.

Working Affirmations into Your Daily Routine

To make the most of your affirmations, here are some ways to integrate them into your daily life:

1. Morning Routine: Begin your day with positive affirmations. I love to practice them as I’m getting ready, driving (usually after I drop my daughter off on the way to work or a meeting), and with goal setting in the beginning of the day
2. Mirror Affirmations: Look into the mirror and say your affirmations with conviction. TBH – I personally haven’t done this, but hear it can boost your self-esteem and confidence!
3. Visualization: As you recite your affirmations, visualize yourself living the life you’re affirming. This mental imagery reinforces the positive message. Even if you spend 5 minutes a day doing this – it can be very powerful. It helps your brain focus on the life/health/weight you want and helps you to embody that mindset in your day to day. And remember, our mindset creates our reality!
4. Post-It Notes: Write your affirmations on sticky notes and place them where you’ll see them regularly, like on your bathroom mirror, fridge, or computer. I also encourage doing this with your goals and motivation (WHY you want to accomplish something).
5. Affirmation Apps: There are numerous apps that can send you daily affirmations to your phone. I haven’t tried any – so let me know if you do!
6. Affirmation Journal: Keep a journal where you write down your affirmations daily. This helps you track your progress and reinforces your commitment.

Overall, positive affirmations and intentional thinking is a really powerful tool to help you achieve your weight loss goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Affirmations and “thought habits” can help you to rewire your mind from the habitual thinking producing your current results to the thoughts that will drive productive feelings, actions and results you truly want.

Remember – the power of affirmations and intentional thinking lies in actually committing to believing them and being consistent with them! 

You can be, do, and accomplish all things! If you feel like you can’t or like you really want to but need customized support on your journey – book a free strategy session HERE.

Looking for a holistic weight loss program to help you reach your health and weight loss goals in a way you can maintain them for life? Grab my 7-day health reset at the link below to kickstart weight loss, feel more in control around food, reintroduce health habits, and feel better in one week!

Related: 14 Life Lessons (Things I want my daughter to know)