How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight
The fundamentals of losing weight is simple mathematics but actually having that motivation to do it, can be a lot more difficult. Keeping that inspiration alive makes all the difference in reaching your goal or failing. With that being said, let’s take a look at 8 simple and effective ways to keep motivated to lose weight.
How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight- 8 Simple Effective Ways
1. Track your progress
Keeping track of how much weight you are dropping and how many inches you are losing while on your weight loss journey is going to help keep you motivated. Don’t weigh yourself too often however because it can take a little longer to get off the starting mark. Weigh yourself every week or so in order to see accurate results, is recommended. Tracking your results in an app or something similar is going to help because you are actually going to see the physical progress that you are making.
2. Don’t cut out everything
Balance is really important and by cutting out every food that you enjoy from your diet, you are simply doomed for failure. Of course, eating fruits and vegetables is important but so is indulging yourself from time to time. Why not set yourself one or two days a week where you can be a little naughtier. The most motivating diets are ones that are maintainable in the long term and this means the occasional “cheat meal” and eating a little bit of chocolate when you feel like.
3. Find a supportive community
You do not need to join something like weight watchers or a similar kind of plan but there are other ways you can find a supportive place, full of people who will help to spur you on. There are many websites where you can talk to people who are in a similar position to you. I recommend MyFitnessPal, it’s a great resource where you can track calories eaten, track your workouts and talk to fellow dieters on the forum. You can share recipes and tips on how you are all getting to your goals. You can even make your weight loss into a friendly competition, which will spur you to stay on the right track.
4. Reward yourself
Set up mini goal weights and give yourself little reward when you reach this number. Showing yourself a little gentle appreciation for your hard work is really important to do. For every 5 pounds or so that you lose, you can reward yourself with various things. This could be a new outfit, a new hairstyle or even just giving yourself a little pamper evening at home. Setting up several small goals rather than a large end goal, makes each milestone a little more achievable. You are going to see that you really can lose weight and this will help you want to keep going when you feel like giving up.
5. Find an exercise that you enjoy doing
Eating right in combination with a fitness plan, is the best way to see good weight loss results. Not everyone is motivated by exercise however and that’s because they imagine 3 hours of struggling at the gym in order to burn some fat. There are many different types of exercise out there and you should try to find something that you enjoy doing. From running, swimming, dancing, sport and exercise dvds from the comfort of your own home. Look what is available in your area and you might just surprise yourself.
6. Ask yourself why and set a goal
The reason you want to lose weight is really important and there should be more to it than just looking good in a bikini. Being healthy is a much more motivating goal to have in the long term, although looking better in your clothes is also a bonus. Once you know why you want to lose weight, you should set yourself a goal that is maintainable for your body type. Looking like a Victoria’s Secret Model might not be achievable but dropping a couple of dress sizes might be. Have a realistic image of yourself in your mind of what you are going to look like when you reach your goal is recommended.
7. Get a new wardrobe
Throw out clothes that do not fit you any more and get yourself some new outfits in your goal size. Having a new pair of jeans that you want to fit into is really motivating and will make you stick to your goals more. Clothes that make you feel big and frumpy should be thrown away because they are going to make you think of yourself as the older version of yourself. If you have your “fat clothes” available, you are much more likely to reach for them and gorge yourself on food that you should not be eating.
8. Think positively and do things that make you feel good about yourself
Telling yourself positive affirmations on a daily basis is going to work in your favor when it comes to weight loss. Thinking you are fat and that you are not going to make progress is putting negative thoughts into your head and will result in you stopping even before you have began. Every day you should tell yourself 5 things that you like about yourself, it’s amazing what you can discover when you dig deep. When you are feeling down, don’t seek comfort in food but do things that make you feel good about yourself. This could be something like taking a warm bath, talking to friends or watching your favorite tv show.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to keep motivated when losing weight, you are much more likely to reach your goals. It’s so important that you make this journey a lifestyle change and do things that you can maintain in the long term. It is so important to feel inspired when you are trying to lose weight and these tips can help you do that. Keep that motivation high by putting these steps into action and you will notice a positive difference before very long at all.