What to Put on Your Fridge—Instead of a Sexy Model Pic—to Help You Lose Weight

It’s 8 p.m. You feel hungry, but you might just be bored. You’re not really sure, so you reach for the fridge door just to check out your options—and then she stares you down. You know who she is. The hot, perfectly fit supermodel you taped up there to motivate you to skip the after-dinner snacks in the name of slimming down. You step away from the refrigerator, only to open the door a few minutes later and grab whatever you can get your hands on fast. On the way out of the kitchen, you give her a nasty look and proceed to devour your loot. Been there? Don’t feel bad. Most of us have.

Putting up photos of your “goal” or “ideal” body is supposed to be motivating. I hate to break it to you, but it's not—and I should know. As a nutritionist, I see dozens of clients who want to lose weight each week—and tons of them have tried this trick. Unfortunately, though, pictures of the perfect body are just that: Someone’s else’s perfect body, not yours. They may not only be unrealistic; they may be deterring you from getting the results you're looking for.

Here’s why: Have you ever found yourself eating healthy, feeling fit, and noticing that your jeans are fitting better than ever—only to be disappointed because you still look nothing like her? For most people, that causes stress, which makes your body release a cascade of hormones that make you hungrier, disrupt your sleep, and make you gain weight in your mid-section. You might also be tempted to say, “Screw it—where’s that muffin I’ve been depriving myself of?”

That doesn't mean that you should nix all of your body-related goals. In this era of “love yourself no matter your shape and size,” it has almost become taboo to vocalize the fact that you have a body-improvement plan. There's no shame in wanting defined abs and a tight tush and working hard to make that a reality. The trick is learning how to do this while feeling good about yourself and who you are.

So instead of putting a woman who gets paid to work out for hours a day on your refrigerator, what can you put on your refrigerator to feel good about yourself and motivate yourself to work for the body you want?  Here are a few ideas:

Motivational quotes: It may sound silly, but if you're on Instagram, then you know that just reading, “You're awesome!” can change your entire outlook. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Ideas for things to do beyond eating: If you're just reaching in the fridge because you're bored, stressed, or anything apart from actually hungry, make a list of things to do besides stuffing your face, and use a magnet to post it to your refrigerator. It could be 10 push-ups, calling your mom, going for a walk, knitting—you get the idea.

Pictures of healthy foods you love: This can serve as a powerful reminder to adjust your attitude about food. Instead of telling yourself, “I can’t have ice cream,” think: “I can have blueberries.” Choosing foods that are good for your mind, heart, and abs—and that taste amazing to boot—is empowering.

A photo of yourself: A photo of you when you feel you looked—and more importantly felt—your best can help keep you on track toward a weight-loss goal that's actually realistic for you.

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