From a Law of Attraction perspective, there is one primary reason why people fail in their weight loss efforts: most of their thoughts and actions are based on resistance! When you resist something you are giving a great deal of attention to that which you oppose. Consequently, the very thing you don’t want gains more and more power. This is because, as they say in metaphysical circles, “the energy flows where your attention goes." The ONLY way to permanently lose weight is to change your thinking and redirect your emotional energy regarding food and body.

How We Resist

The resistance responsible for failed weight loss efforts tends to fall into three categories. We resist food. We resist our bodies. And we resist ourselves.

Food – When it comes to eating, we need a navigational system – something that tells us what to eat and how much to eat. In a healthy situation that navigational system comes from within. Our bodies tell us what to eat. Our stomachs tell us when we’re hungry and when we are full. However, people with food issues don’t eat for physical hunger or satisfaction. Instead they generally eat for emotional reasons. But because food cannot solve emotional issues, the natural instinct for satisfaction is transformed into the need to control: control food, control body, control emotions. Consequently, we stop trusting our bodies. We stop trusting food. And our navigational system is replaced with rules that tell us what food is good, what food is bad, when we should eat, and when we should not. Once you start believing that certain foods are bad, you start resisting those foods. And in your resistance you are giving food the power to affect you the way you think it should affect you. The thoughts and emotions you have about food will manifest in perfect alignment with your beliefs.

Our Bodies – We resist our bodies with judgment, criticism and rejection. Our thoughts and our feelings tell the Universe what experience we will allow ourselves to have. The Law of Attraction teaches us that like attracts like. So if you think and feel, “I’m fat," you’ll attract that experience. If you tell yourself you’re unlovable at your current size and shape, you’ll only allow yourself to experience love upon the condition that you look differently. If you obsess about your belly or thighs, all of that resistance will only serve to manifest more of the exact experience you fixate upon.

Our Selves - The reason most of us want to lose weight is that we think we will feel better if we do. So, the truth is not that you want to lose weight, but that you want to feel better about yourself. By telling yourself, that you can only feel better when you are thinner, you are essentially telling the Universe that you are unlovable and unworthy exactly as you are. The excess weight isn’t what makes you feel bad. The conditions you place on your value and worth is what makes you feel bad. And, because the Law of Attraction dictates that you can only receive into your life what you expect and believe, you will only feel good about yourself when you are willing to - thin or not.

The Power of Acceptance

The solution to all food and body issues begins and ends with acceptance and allowing. When you can begin to say yes to food, yes to your body, and yes to yourself, then things can begin to change for the better. One of the biggest misconceptions about transformation is that acceptance equal's failure. Many people can’t imagine accepting themselves exactly as they are because they think that would mean admitting defeat. To them, acceptance means giving up. But the contrary is true.

When you accept what is, when you allow it to be, you release the resistance which was energizing the very thing you opposed. When you accept and allow, you are telling the Universe, “I’m willing to love myself right here, right now." In so doing, courtesy of the Law of Attraction, you begin to attract to yourself the thoughts, experiences and conditions that are expressions and manifestations of self-love.

How to Change Your Mind-Set

The thoughts and feelings we maintain about ourselves and our bodies have built up over time. Our mind-sets come from our mental habits, our life experiences, and the messages we received from our caregivers during childhood. And so, no matter how you slice it, in order to have the body you love, and love the body you have, discipline and consistency are vital. However, the necessary discipline is not about food and exercise. The essential discipline has to do with changing the way you think.

However, changing your consciousness requires effort. If willpower were enough, weight loss would be a non-issue. If diets really worked, everyone would have the body they want. And if changing our consciousness was as simple as saying a few affirmations everyday, everyone would think happy thoughts all the time. The mind is a powerful thing. Taming, harnessing and redirecting mental energy requires commitment and skill. And fortunately, there are wonderful and effective techniques available - be it meditation, energy healing, hypnosis, or therapy. The key is to understand that the mind, not the body nor the food, determines your success or failure. If you are willing to address the real problem instead of the symptoms, you’ll discover that by changing your thinking you truly can change your body!