So how to get motivated to lose weight? That’s the big question that many ask at the beginning of every year when everyone is trying to come up with their list of New Year resolutions.
As we all know, losing weight is not that easy, especially if you can’t seem to get motivated. You know you want to or need to lose weight but getting the motivation to get started on it is a different matter. Right?
Or perhaps if you’ve been in this position before you were excited to lose weight at the start but you eventually lost the motivation to keep on going because you did not see any results quickly enough.
It’s important to remember that achieving your weight loss goals requires changes which can be difficult at first. You cannot expect to lose weight in an instant.
Related reading: How to Set an Attainable Weight Loss Goal
Of course, this will depend on the type of diet that you follow and several other factors as well. Some people get pretty rapid results with the keto diet which is why it has become so popular.
Related reading: How Ketosis Works for Burning Fat Faster?
Not that this diet is easy to do at first and it comes with a few initial side effects like the keto flu and low carb constipation although there are ways to avoid them.
To help you reach your weight goals this year, here are some top tips on how to get motivated to lose weight.
Related reading: 5 Top Weight Loss Lifestyle Tips
How to Get Motivated
1. Identify Your Reasons for Losing Weight
First of all, determine the reasons why you need to lose weight. According to Edwina Clark, head of nutrition and wellness at Yummly,
“Sometimes people can feel unmotivated because they lose sight of why they’re making changes in the first place.”
So before you begin, list down the reasons why you want to lose weight. It could be due to health reasons such as improving blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering LDL cholesterol, reducing joint pain or to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Or, perhaps, you think you would look better if you lost a few pounds or inches.
This can help you to stay motivated and remain committed throughout. Read the list daily and use them as a reminder of why you need to exercise or go on a diet.
Whenever you can’t work up any enthusiasm to exercise, just refer to the list. That should help you to keep going.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
One of the main reasons why some people are unable to achieve their weight loss goals is because their goals are just not realistic at all. If you set goals that are extremely difficult for you to achieve, you’ll only end up feeling frustrated in the end.
It’s generally accepted that you can lose 1 – 2 pounds a week so aiming to lose 4 – 8 lbs in the first 4 weeks is a good achievable goal. Of course anything more than that is a bonus.
It’s better to make short term goals than long ones. Having a goal for 4 weeks is better than having a goal for the end of year.
It does not all have to be about the pounds you are aiming to lose. You could also have a fitness goal. Of course it helps with weight loss if you exercise as well. So, you could say you are going to do brisk walking for 20 minutes 5 times a week.
Therefore, before you start with your weight loss journey, come up with goals that you know you can attain. You will feel a sense of accomplishment when you’ll see progress along the way. That should help you to stay motivated in pursuing your weight loss goals.
3. Choose a Diet Plan that Suits your Lifestyle
One of the first things that you need to think about when deciding to lose weight is the diet plan that you need to follow.
Aside from the low carb diets like keto or the Carnivore diet which is gaining popularity , there are several other diet plans out there like a Plant Based Diet, Detox Diet or Clean Eating Diet that you can choose to follow.
Related reading: Does Low Carb Dieting Result In Successful Weight Loss?
In order to be successful with your goals, you must choose the plan that’s suitable to your lifestyle. Make sure you choose something that appeals to you so you are more likely to sustain it for the long run. Otherwise, you’ll end up in the yo-yo dieting trap.
Remember, frequent yo-yo dieting is one of the most common culprits behind excessive weight gain.
4. Record your Progress in a Journal
If you ask some health experts on how to get motivated to lose weight, they will advice you to get a journal to monitor your progress. Self-monitoring is one of the keys to achieving success in your goal of losing weight.
In fact, research shows that people who keep track of their food consumption are more likely to lose weight successfully than those who don’t. Your journal will serve as a proof that you are indeed making progress on your journey and this can motivate you to carry on.
If you hate writing, you can use apps to journal your food intake and record your progress. There are also websites that are designed to help you keep track of your weight loss journey so take advantage of these.
5. Create A Vision Board
Creating a vision board is a great aid in motivating yourself. A vision board is any sort of board, on which you place images that represent whatever you want to do, be, or have in your life.
You can make a physical one from a piece of board or cardboard or create one on an online site. Some people create boards on Pinterest and then save images on them that they find online or on Pinterest.
You simply find pictures of how you would like to look or a dress you would like to be able to wear and stick them on the board.
How does it work? According to nutritionist, Elizabeth Rider:
When you create a vision board and place it in a space where you see it often, you essentially end up doing short visualization exercises throughout the day. Visualization is one of the most powerful mind exercises you can do.
6. Reward Yourself for your Success
We can all agree that losing weight is definitely not an easy journey. So if you are seeing good results along the way, celebrate your success by rewarding yourself. This can help you to get motivated and work hard even more.
If you have reached a certain number on the scales or achieved a certain inch loss why not treat yourself to a reward?. You will probably think about rewarding yourself with your favorite food or foods but this is not a good idea.
Your favorite food is likely to be unhealthy and it’s easy to pull you off track with the diet or fitness plan.
Related reading: 3 Top Tips for Getting Back On The Low Carb Track After Cheating
There are many other ways to reward yourself. You can perhaps treat yourself to a relaxing massage, a nice facial, a good manicure, watch that movie you’ve always wanted to watch, go shopping, an day or evening out with some good friends, and more.
7. Identify your Challenges
If you are feeling unmotivated, there must be some issues in your body that you must first address before you start with your weight loss journey. According to Edwina Clark,
“Lack of motivation can be a symptom of other factors, such as fatigue, high stress levels, and feeling overwhelmed.”
So find out what’s the root cause behind your lack of motivation. Come up with strategies that can help you go back to your normal self so you can focus on your goal.
Related reading: 3 Ways Stress Affects Your Weight Loss Efforts
If you are someone who is scared of failure, you can start by making small changes every day. You don’t need to put pressure on yourself. Start your morning doing a short meditation so you will feel relaxed. Then think about the reasons why you need to lose weight.
8. Be Kind To Yourself
You don’t need to aim for perfection on your weight loss journey. Forgive yourself if you end up committing mistakes along the way. Don’t punish yourself if you ended up cheating.
Remember that if you’re being too restrictive, it’s even more difficult to achieve your goals. That one mistake will not ruin your entire progress. So forgive yourself and get right back to your journey.
9. Look for Social Support
If you will ask some people on how to get motivated to lose weight, they will give credit to their friends or loved ones who helped motivate them along their journey.
So look for friends who can serve as your support. Inform your friends and family about your weight loss journey and encourage them to support you. Receiving positive feedback from them is also one way to stay motivated.
You can also look for a weight loss partner. Someone who, like you, is also keen on losing weight. Both of you can work together into achieving your weight loss goals.
You can also join a support group if you want. Look for social groups in your community that have the same goals as you. There are also online support groups and forums that you can rely on if you needed help and advice when it comes to losing weight.
Image by Senior Airman Ariel D. Partlow
