Two Phrases to Add to Your Self Talk in Your Weight Loss Journey

I want to share two crucial phrases that can transform your journey to sustainable weight loss and a healthier life. These simple yet profound statements can shift your entire approach from frustration to empowerment.

Why Your Self-Talk Matters

The words we speak or think to ourselves hold immense power. They are the programming language for our brain.

Think about the computer on your desk. That computer operates because it's programmed with a language that teaches it what to do. Our words, whether spoken in thoughts or out loud, similarly program our minds. In a wellness journey, the phrases we repeat to ourselves can either propel us forward or create roadblocks.

There are two ground rules for self-talk that propels you forward:

One, it has to be believable to you. Many times when women try to use positive affirmations or overly positive phrases, they come off as fake or phony. Those types of phrases are never going to help your journey because you don't believe them.

And two, It has to be empowering. Notice I didn't say positive. While I completely agree with being positive, many of us at the beginning of our journey or in a tough spot have a hard time with overly positive talk. It can feel like a slap to the face. Empowering doesn't always have to be positive. Sometimes it can feel more realistic, but if it's empowering, it always points us toward actions that help us stay on our path.

The right kind of self-talk encourages us to embrace challenges and persist through difficulties. It motivates us to make healthier choices, stick to our routines, resist temptations, increase our confidence, and reduce stress.

Phrase One: Let It Take Time

One of the top reasons we fail in weight loss journeys is because we're impatient.

When we're impatient, we're so focused on the outcome that we're not focused on the changes that need to take place to get us there. We aren't letting the process work in us to change us. Instead, we're constantly looking to this future state where we think life will be better.

We're so focused on reaching the summit that we ignore that 99% of the journey is in the climb.

When we're impatient and need results to happen as quickly as possible, we ignore the now and we're always stuck in the future.

Eckhart Tolle talks about this extensively in his book The Power of Now. He says when we are focused on the outcome, we lose sight of the doing. But if we give much more attention to the doing than the result, life begins to flow with joy and ease. When we do this, we no longer pursue goals with grim determination driven by fear, anger, discontent, or the need to become someone.

When we let it take time, we find freedom from those feelings of fear, anger, or discontent, and we discover joy in the process, in the journey.

I always tell my clients that if you're gritting and bearing it, holding on with white knuckles until you reach the goal, you'll most likely not stick with the habits and actions that got you there. And when you don't stick with those habits and actions, what happens? That's when regaining weight takes place.

Why Rushing Doesn't Work

Common pitfalls of trying to lose weight quickly include yo-yo dieting, unsustainable habits, metabolic damage, and a damaged relationship with food. Quick fixes might show initial results, but they don't create lasting change because they don't address the deeper work needed for transformation.

Slow and steady progress leads to lasting change because it allows you to build the 'you' that make the habits actually stick. You're not just changing what you do, you're changing who you are.

The Power of Patience

Repeating the phrase "Let It Take Time" reminds us that sustainable weight loss is a climb, not a summit. It encourages patience and helps us avoid the trap of seeking quick fixes, which are often unsustainable and unhealthy.

By accepting that the journey will take time, we allow ourselves to build lasting habits and make gradual, meaningful progress. We get good at not being dependent upon some future state to make us happy. We maintain an empowered and healthy inner state that always drives our behaviors and our outcomes.

Setting realistic timelines, celebrating small milestones, and maintaining motivation over the long term become natural when we embrace this phrase.

Phrase Two: Let It Be Hard

"Let It Be Hard" helps us acknowledge that the journey will have its challenges.

This phrase prepares us mentally for times when things don't go as planned, when we make decisions outside of our carefully planned week. It helps us remember to stay in balance, to keep striving while being realistic in our ability to overcome every obstacle.

A sustainable weight loss journey will be filled with difficulties. When we look at those difficulties in the right way, it helps us build resilience. It reminds us that growth happens outside our comfort zone and that the struggle is a natural and necessary part of the process.

Why We Avoid Hard Things

Too many of us want easy. But it's not your fault if you fall into this category. Society and the way things are in this day and age teach us we should go for easy.

We've gotten used to things like two-day delivery from Amazon, people who grocery shop for us, robot vacuums and even mops, and 24/7 on-demand access to just about any show on TV.

The fact is that we've been programmed by everything external to us to seek the easy. But repeating to ourselves to let it be hard can reprogram us to remember that the journey will be hard, and that's okay.

Because hard creates change. Hard creates growth. Hard creates true lasting transformation.

Embracing Difficulty as Growth

Challenges are not evidence that you're failing. They're evidence that you're growing. Every difficult moment is an opportunity to build resilience and strength. When you face hard things and push through them, you're quite literally rewiring your brain and building new neural pathways.

The role of hard work in achieving meaningful and lasting results cannot be overstated. The things that come easy in life rarely mean as much as the things we had to work for, struggle through, and overcome obstacles to achieve.

The Synergy of Both Phrases

Combining these two phrases creates powerful synergy. "Let it take time" and "let it be hard" complement each other perfectly.

Together, they create a mindset that embraces both patience and perseverance. You're not just willing to let the process unfold slowly, you're also willing to face the challenges that come with real change.

This combination helps you reflect on your journey and ask yourself where you can apply these phrases. When you feel impatient, remember to let it take time. When you feel like giving up because things are difficult, remember to let it be hard.

Integrating These Phrases Into Daily Life

Start by incorporating these phrases into your daily self-talk. When you catch yourself feeling frustrated with slow progress, pause and say "Let it take time." When you're facing a challenge and want to quit, remind yourself "Let it be hard."

Set realistic expectations for your journey. Prepare mentally for challenges rather than being blindsided by them. Remember that it's okay to struggle. The important thing is to keep moving forward.

Write these phrases down and place them where you'll see them regularly. Put them on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your phone's lock screen. Make them your mantras when things get tough.

Your Empowered Path Forward

These phrases may sound simple, but they hold profound wisdom that can help you achieve long-term success.

By shaping our mindset, influencing our behaviors, impacting our emotions, and forming our identity, the words we choose to speak to ourselves can either be our greatest ally or our biggest obstacle. Choose wisely, and let these empowering phrases guide you toward lasting health and wellness.

Remember: Let it take time and let it be hard. Embrace patience and perseverance, and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve. The journey is long, the path is challenging, but the transformation is worth every moment.

Ready to transform your self-talk and approach your wellness journey with patience and resilience? Listen to the full episode of Wellness Mastery with Jen Hoyer for more insights on empowering language that creates lasting change.

Listen to Episode 4: Two Phrases to Add to Your Self Talk in Your Weight Loss Journey