Seriously. If all it took was eating the right foods, nobody would be overweight. But we all know that eating the right foods is one of the main ways to lose weight, right? Well, something people don’t talk about often, or underestimate, is the mindset needed to get healthy and lose weight.

For me, it literally meant the different between success and failure.

Without dedication, I wouldn’t have lasted. There were times I felt a little hungry, but not really hungry enough to warrant a meal. In the pre-Paleo Diet days, I’d have eaten a chocolate bar or a few Dove treats. Now? I know it’s probably just boredom or thirst, and I take care of it accordingly.

Without motivation, I would have given up long ago. When I had to eat a Thanksgiving meal just two months after I started, I remember seeing my weight go up a few pounds. It was a little demotivating, but I got right back on the wagon and stuck with it. I knew that it was a small setback, but nothing major.

Without perseverance, I’d have lost my way. I knew that the journey I was embarking on in regards to my health, weight loss, and fitness were a long-term process, and that this was a change I was making for the rest of my life. I knew that the big changes I was looking for were not going to happen overnight, and they certainly wouldn’t happen if I wasn’t dedicated or had motivation to stay the course.

Most of all, there’s no way I could have succeeded without a positive mindset. I can’t state enough just how important it is to be positive and trust the process. You will have self-doubts and temptations to get through. There will be others, envious of your motivation and dedication and dissatisfied with their own ability to stick to a healthy diet, that will try to tear you down or get you to quit your healthy diet. I had to stay positive and stay above it all. I had to learn to filter out the negativity, and in some of my most trying and darkest times, it was my positive mindset that kept me going.

Losing weight and getting healthy isn’t all just what you eat. It’s what’s in your mind, and in your heart that can make all the difference in the world.