Positive Affirmations for Weight Loss: Build Confidence and Lasting Habits

If you’ve ever searched online for tips to lose weight, you’ve likely seen this classic formula: healthy eating plus exercise equals weight loss. But what can you do when your motivation slips away and makes it harder to stick to your goals?

This is where positive affirmations can make a real difference. Positive affirmations for weight loss are simple, intentional statements that can help improve mental clarity and motivation on your journey. Practicing these affirmations regularly can help support both the mind and body to help you stay focused and self-assured – two factors that are essential for creating long-lasting, healthy changes.

Are you wondering how you can build a more compassionate outlook toward your weight loss journey? This article will explore how positive affirmations for weight loss work, tips for getting started, and 30 weight loss affirmations you can consider using.

What Are Positive Affirmations?

Positive affirmations are supportive statements or phrases that are designed to help you navigate life stressors and challenges by reshaping negative or unhelpful thoughts into more constructive, empowering ones (1).

Often used to improve mental clarity, motivation, and self-esteem, affirmations can be highly beneficial for creating lasting, meaningful life changes (2). By practicing them regularly, you’re training your mind to move away from self-doubt and discouragement, enabling you to face daily challenges with a more balanced and positive outlook.

While some affirmations may be general (“I grow and improve every day”), they typically have a specific purpose or goal in mind. Whether managing stress, building confidence, or making other positive life changes, the key to affirmations is that they’re encouraging and non-judgmental, rather than focusing on self-criticism.

Origins of Positive Affirmations

The practice of affirmations started with Émile Coué in the early 1900s when he noticed that patients recovered more quickly when given optimistic autosuggestions (3). By repeating positive phrases daily, affirmations allow people to expect change to happen, rather than passively waiting for it to occur.

Coué’s work was later expanded by researcher Claude Steele, who presented a similar concept that is known as “Self-Affirmation Theory” (4). While similar to autosuggestions, Steele emphasized that affirmations must connect with a person’s core values. As most people tend to create affirmations that connect to their internal values and motivations, many of today’s standard affirmations are considered self-affirmations (3).

Over time, the work of Coué, Steele, and other theorists has evolved into what we now know as positive affirmations. While approaches may vary, most affirmation practices share one important feature: regular repetition of empowering phrases to help you feel aligned with your goals and motivated to achieve them.

If you wish to reach into the deep crevices of your mind, take yourself out of the mental loop, regain balance, infuse yourself with optimism, and cultivate compassion – BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app is exactly what you need!

Do Affirmations Work for Weight Loss?

Positive affirmations are commonly used to support weight loss, helping maintain motivation and build self-confidence. Using affirmations for weight loss – often called weight loss mantras – can help reinforce positive beliefs in your ability to reach your goals and maintain a clear mindset when challenges or stressors arise (12).

Research has suggested that affirmations – particularly those that affirm personal values and self-worth – can be valuable for both weight loss and preventing weight gain (5, 6). By affirming your inner values and self-confidence, you may feel more in control and less affected by external stressors, which potentially creates a better sense of empowerment and autonomy as you pursue your weight loss goals.

Weight loss affirmations should always be approached in a mindful, realistic manner, free from any harmful dieting advice or unrealistic expectations. Affirmations should be used to honor where you are on your journey, focusing on goals that feel both achievable and in alignment with your values.

Remember: The more affirmations reflect your own needs and motivations, the more likely they are to create meaningful and sustainable changes.

Read more: Body Awareness Activities to Understand and Practice Mindful Connection with Your Body

30 Positive Affirmations for Weight Loss

When starting with affirmations, it’s helpful to try different phrases and statements to see what resonates best with you. Everyone connects with affirmations in their own ways, so if some don’t feel quite right, that’s perfectly okay – it’s natural to be drawn to certain affirmations more than others.

To support you in finding what feels best, here’s a list of 30 positive affirmations that can help encourage and motivate you along your weight loss journey:

1. I’m learning to nourish my body in ways that feel good to me.
2. I find joy in making choices that support my health and weight loss goals.
3. I’m always discovering new ways to care for my mind and body.
4. I love moving my body in ways that bring me energy and joy.
5. I choose healthy foods that make me feel energized and satisfied.
6. I’m becoming more attuned to my body’s natural hunger and fullness cues.
7. I can visualize myself at peace in my ideal, healthy weight.
8. I appreciate the flavors of healthy foods that support my well-being.
9. I’m mindful of my eating habits and listen to my body’s needs.
10. I love how moving my body makes me feel stronger and more confident.
11. I’m becoming stronger and fitter every day with every workout.
12. I’m confident in my ability to achieve an ideal, healthy, and balanced weight.
13. I’m learning to love and care for my body exactly how it is.
14. I deserve a body that makes me feel strong and healthy.
15. I’m developing healthier habits that support my weight loss goals.
16. I’m moving along my weight loss journey at a pace that feels right for me.
17. I enjoy finding new ways to keep my body active and moving.
18. I’m reconnecting with my body and respecting its needs.
19. I believe in my ability to create long-lasting, healthy eating habits.
20. I deserve to feel good and confident in both my mind and body.
21. I’m finding a natural balance between my mind and body.
22. I maintain positive thinking as I grow stronger and healthier each day.
23. I’m learning to stay active in ways that are comfortable and joyful.
24. I’m setting a healthy example for myself and those around me.
25. I’m choosing foods that make me feel my best.
26. I’m nourishing my body with what it needs regularly throughout the day.
27. I’m constantly finding new healthy foods that nourish and satisfy me.
28. I eat a variety of foods that support my overall well-being.
29. I nourish my body with balanced meals that bring me energy and fulfillment.
30. I’m practicing mindful eating and enjoying every bite.

Positive Affirmations for Weight Loss: Tips

While positive affirmations can be a transformative tool, simply knowing a few of them is not enough to create lasting change – successful affirmations must be created with careful thought and consistently practiced. Below are some actionable tips to help you utilize positive affirmations effectively on your weight loss journey.

How to Write Affirmations for Weight Loss

Sometimes, a pre-written positive affirmation may not resonate with you or fit your life circumstances. In these cases, creating your own affirmations can be a meaningful, more effective way to support your weight loss journey. Here are some tips to help you create positive affirmations that truly work (7, 8):

• • Use the present tense: Writing in the present tense helps keep affirmations grounded in your current reality, which can make them feel more achievable.
    • Example: “I’m making choices that support my health”.
  • Use motivating language: Including a motivating adjective or verb can help make affirmations more uplifting and effective for reframing thoughts.

• Example: Instead of “I am reaching my weight loss goals”, try “I’m confidently reaching my weight loss goals”.

• • Make them positive and non-judgmental: Use words that encourage and uplift rather than focus on what you need to “fix” or “change”.
    • Example: Instead of “I avoid unhealthy food”, try “I choose foods that nourish my body”.
  • Make them realistic and achievable: Affirmations should feel within reach as well as being in alignment with your current goals and core values.

• Example: “I’m building healthy habits every single day”.

Regular Practice

For affirmations to truly impact your thoughts, feelings, and overall mindset, doing them consistently is essential (9). Saying them out loud for a few minutes each day can help create lasting changes, so it’s important to build a routine that makes affirmations simple and easy for yourself.

Many people find affirmations to be most effective in the morning when the mind is clear and fresh (10). Setting aside a few minutes each morning establishes a lasting habit for your affirmation practice and helps set a positive tone for the rest of your day, helping you approach challenges with a more resilient, balanced mindset.

In addition, keeping affirmations visible helps remind you of values and motivators throughout the day (1). Consider placing written affirmations on your desk, mirror, fridge, laptop, walls, doors, exercise equipment, or other frequently used spaces.

Above all, remember to be patient and compassionate with yourself as you’re building an affirmation practice that feels right for you. Forming lasting change takes time, so if it feels challenging, remind yourself that consistency will make it easier over time.

Consider Other Life Goals

Weight loss goals are often intertwined with other aspects of life, such as building self-confidence or feeling healthier in your body. If this sounds like you, it may be helpful to create affirmations that address all important aspects of your life goals.

For fitness affirmations, try statements that inspire joy in physical activity, such as:

• I feel energized and joyful when I move my body.
• Every workout is a step toward bettering my mind and body.
• I’m grateful for the strength and endurance I’m building during exercise.

Women can face unique challenges, so including positive affirmations for women can help improve feelings of self-worth and empowerment, including:

• I’m proud of my resilience and inner strength.
• I honor my body and its journey toward well-being.
• I embrace my individuality and celebrate my progress.

Running a never-ending rat race, shoving trauma further and further away, falling into self-harming thought patterns, living life that’s eclipsed by constant anxiety and fear – this is what an average person goes through every day. Not addressing it will only pull you deeper into a downward spiral. BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app will help you gain a new perspective on life and help you regain that long-lost internal balance!

If you’re struggling with self-confidence or self-worth, try adding these affirmations to your weight loss journey:

• I’m worthy of feeling strong and confident.
• I radiate positivity and self-assurance.
• Every day, I’m becoming the best version of myself.

Read more: Daily Somatic Exercises To Reduce Stress And Strengthen The Mind-Body Connection

How Can I Train My Subconscious Mind to Lose Weight?

Training your subconscious mind to support weight loss involves reprogramming thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors to align with your health goals. For many people, this is a lengthy process that requires a great deal of patience and self-compassion as it involves unlearning ingrained habits and adopting healthier styles of thinking (11).

Several tools and techniques, such as positive affirmations, can be beneficial for creating a mindset that supports every aspect of your life – not just weight loss. Affirmations can help reinforce self-confidence and resilience, helping shift your subconscious mind to adapt to healthier choices and reduce self-sabotaging behaviors (11).

If you’ve struggled with weight management or your relationship with food, working with a licensed professional can provide the support and strategies you need to overcome these challenges. Your primary care physician is a great first point of contact to discuss a plan of action that is aligned with your overarching needs and goals.

Are you looking for more ways to improve your mental and physical well-being? The BetterMe app has plenty of tips, tutorials, and other resources to help support and motivate you.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I mentally motivate myself to lose weight?

To mentally motivate yourself to lose weight, it’s important to start by setting clear and achievable goals and then breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This makes your goals feel more attainable and within reach, which helps motivate you to take action.

A beneficial framework to create goals for yourself is known as SMART goals, which is an acronym for ensuring your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based (13). By making sure your goals hit all of these components, you’ll be most likely to stick to your plan and reach your desired result.

In addition, remember to focus on progress rather than perfection, and keep revisiting your goals to remind yourself why you want to make these life changes. Incorporating affirmations can help reinforce this mindset and turn healthy habits into lasting, positive life changes.

• How can I change my mindset to lose weight?

Changing your mindset around food, exercise, and weight loss is challenging, and there isn’t always a quick fix or easy solution. However, setting realistic, sustainable goals and practicing self-compassion are two ways you can start to reframe your thinking around what healthy weight loss looks like. 

Remember that weight loss is often a long journey that is full of twists and turns, so adopting a more resilient, patient mindset can make all the difference. The BetterMe app is a great resource for finding tips and tutorials to increase your emotional resilience.

• How do I stop overthinking weight loss?

The weight loss journey is often complex, which means it’s easy for many of us to overthink the process or become unmotivated. During challenging times, try to remind yourself that everyone’s journey is unique and looks different. Try not to compare yourself to others and focus on small, manageable goals, one step at a time.

Tracking your weight loss and healthy habits over time can also boost your motivation and help you stay on track. This can be supplemented with mindfulness tactics to stay present in the current moment, such as deep breathing or simple meditation.

The BetterMe app contains a plethora of mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing resources to help you maintain a sense of calm and groundedness on your journey – rather than worrying or overthinking the weight loss process.

The Bottom Line

Using positive affirmations for weight loss, confidence, or other healthy habits can be a great way to make lasting, positive changes in your life. When you’re losing weight, these affirmations can help you maintain a sense of motivation and autonomy on your journey, enabling you to make balanced and healthy decisions that support your goals.

If you’re looking for more resources to improve your physical and emotional well-being, check out the BetterMe app to help supplement your journey.