The majority of us are trapped in a hopeless weight-loss cycle.
You wake up inspired and determined that TODAY is going to be the day you make healthy choices and stick to your weight-loss plan indefinitely. But a few hours later, the sight of a single, tantalizing doughnut is all it takes to break your commitment. Again.
Why is it that this keeps happening?
After all, no one needs to convince you that you need to lose weight because you already know why it would be beneficial. You understand that decreasing weight is good for your body, improves your physical health, and reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Healthy weight loss, healthier eating habits, and increased physical activity may also benefit your mental health. So, why aren’t you driven enough to stick to your goals?
The good news is that weight reduction motivation can be found in just a few simple actions.
We want you to achieve your weight-loss goals, so we’ve put together a list of suggestions to help you get started. Find out what they are by continuing to read!
a man in grey sweatpants measures his stomach with a measuring tape
“Aim for advancement rather than perfection.”
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1. Make a List Of Your Weight-Loss Objectives.
People who create objectives are more likely to achieve them, according to research.
The more detailed your weight loss goals are, the more practical and achievable they become. We are programmed as humans to attain goals that are:
Specific \sMeasurable
Achievable \sRelevant \sTime-based
These are known as SMART objectives, and you may use this idea to achieve any goal you choose for yourself. In terms of losing weight, a SMART aim might be:
“Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m.,
I will run for 30 minutes at the middle school track.”
This goal is so explicit that you can almost imagine yourself running right now, can’t you? That is what makes it possible, and why if we think about our goals in this way, we will be more successful.
Take it a step further and make a list of your SMART goals. It has been established that writing down goals leads to success.
According to a Harvard Business School study, the 3% of MBA grads who had written down their goals earned ten times as much as the other 97 percent combined just ten years after graduation. Consider how much better your weight loss attempts will be if you write down your goals!
Create a visual representation of your goals by writing them down in a creative and artistic manner. It may seem absurd to believe that digging out your old color markers or paint could help you lose weight, but don’t dismiss it until you’ve tried it. Creative projects engage a distinct portion of your brain, which helps you remember your objectives.
This method will also help you see things in terms of what is actually achievable, rather than rational thinking. It doesn’t matter if what you make isn’t a masterpiece; it’s still a visual tool to keep yourself motivated to keep working toward your weight-loss objectives.
a dark background with tomatoes and a platter of eggs and avocado
“It’s not just about losing weight; it’s also about changing your lifestyle and mindset.” – Maraboli, Steve
Related: 8 Reasons to Give Yoga a Try Right Now
2. Recognize Your Desire to Lose Weight As a Goal.
Consider this: why are you trying to reduce weight?
Do you have a big occasion approaching that you want to look and feel your best for? Has a health problem flared up, prompting you to make healthier choices? Or do you simply wish to improve your general fitness and health?
It should never be about a quick fix when it comes to losing weight.
If you have a 5-pound weight loss goal for an upcoming occasion, consider whether you are willing to lose and regain the weight. Fad diets and fast cures (juice cleanses, soup diets, dramatically cutting out food groups) can help you lose weight quickly, but you’re more likely to gain it back.
Evidence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that persons who lose weight gradually and steadily (at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more likely to keep it off in the long run.
Losing weight should be part of a long-term lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily food and activity habits, rather than a quick fix.
Take the effort to make beneficial lifestyle adjustments ahead of time if looking nice at that big event is vital to you. Allow at least a month to drop 5 pounds – there is no possibility to lose that much weight in a week in a healthy way.
Furthermore, rather than choosing a temporary cure, you’ll feel more confident and in control knowing that the pounds you’ve dropped are gone for good.
Whatever your motivation for losing weight, returning to your original objective on a regular basis will keep you on track. Before you begin, make a list of goals that are both attainable and practical.
Setting a goal of losing 30 pounds in 5 months (or 6 pounds per month) if you weigh 200 pounds is a reasonable goal that is both good for your body and feasible with hard work. Keeping your goals in mind will help you stay inspired, as well as remind you of how far you’ve already gone!
on a table, a bowl of oats, a cup of coffee, and a book
“Why go at all if you aren’t going all the way?” Joe Namath is a former quarterback for the New York Jets.
Related: 10 Self-Care Ideas to Make You Joyful
3. Decide On a Weight-Loss Strategy That Is Right For You.
There is a myriad of diet programs to choose from in today’s world. It’s best to choose something that works for you rather than what’s popular right now because fad diets might cause more harm than benefit.
Although the KETO, Whole30, and Atkins diets are popular on social media, they may not be good for you. Cutting eliminating entire food groups from your diet can be risky, and it can leave you with little or no energy to make other healthy changes. Follow your instincts and don’t do anything that doesn’t seem right.
By making tiny changes to our meals, the vast majority of us will be able to lose weight. Avoiding late-night binges, out-of-control portion sizes, and processed foods may be more successful for you than completely eliminating carbohydrates; eating more fruits and vegetables, lowering your calorie consumption, and eliminating snacking may be just what you need to feel – and look – your best.
The important thing to remember is that each of these phases takes some level of planning and thoughtfulness. Being more organized and intentional are the keys to finding the drive to lose weight, whether the changes are great or minor. You’ll be on your way to a better, happier life in no time.
4. Make Daily Goals That Are Small And Achievable.
Based on the SMART objectives we discussed earlier, you might find it simpler to set small, achievable daily goals rather than a lofty weight loss goal. After all, losing weight is about becoming healthier and fitter, not just lowering your weight.
Daily short-term goals (such as 10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each morning) are easier to follow and measure than large, arbitrary aims (lose 50 pounds within the next month, an impossible goal). They will also provide you with the motivation you require to keep going.
Non-scale wins, such as fitting into a pair of narrow jeans that haven’t fit in a long time, running up the stairs without out of breath, jogging for an extra 5 minutes, or attempting a new gym class, will keep you motivated throughout your weight loss journey.
Though you may not attain your objectives every day, you will definitely find that you are closer to achieving them on some days than on others. It makes no difference. Continue to attempt and establish new goals for yourself.
At the gym, a topless male wearing headphones and a hat
“The luggage you must carry through life is your body. The shorter the trip, the more excess baggage there is.” Arnold H. Glasgow is a writer who lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
5. Look For a Support Network.
Trying to lose weight, no matter how excellent you are at setting goals, maybe a lonely endeavor. Many of us go it alone, hoping that our resolve will keep us going – or because we believe we are the only ones who need to make healthy lifestyle adjustments. Unfortunately, failing on your alone is considerably easier than failing as part of a strong, supportive community.
If you want to get rid of those excess pounds for good, you’ll need the help of a village. Do everything it takes to create a support system:
Join a workout club or a gym, engage a personal trainer, locate an accountability buddy with similar aims, or join an online fitness community.
These individuals will hold you accountable for showing up and progressing.
If you enjoy competition, turn it around and use it to your advantage by competing in spin class with a friend or swimming laps with a friend. Whatever you do, don’t let their progress – particularly if it’s on the scale – make you feel guilty or discourage you from achieving your own objective.
If your spouse or family is resisting the change, explain why you want to be fitter and healthier and why it is so essential to you. This dialogue will demonstrate to them how important it is to you and allow them to inquire about how they might assist you.
If you’re open and honest about your intentions with others, you’ll be less likely to end up in the perilous situation of having too much junk food and not enough willpower to go around.
two men jogging against the sun’s silhouettes
“Discipline is the ability to choose between what you desire right now and what you really want.” — President Abraham Lincoln
6. Give Yourself an Incentive
Consider how happy you were as a child when you received a sticker or stamp in your homework notebook as a reward for a job well done. People are motivated to go the extra mile by even small rewards, so there’s no better reason to reward yourself whenever you reach a goal.
Avoid giving yourself food as a reward. Regular sweets should be included in a balanced diet, since ignoring them entirely leads to intense cravings and a tendency to slip off the wagon.
Whether you reward yourself with a day at the spa, new yoga pants, or time with friends, it’s a fantastic way to stay motivated and recognize all of the hard work you’ve already put in to achieve your objectives.
A yoga-clad girl sits in lotus on a hardwood floor.
“Everything your mind says is heard by your body. “Keep an optimistic attitude.”
7. Maintain a Food Diary
“Whatever can be measured, can be managed.” Peter Drucker’s timeless comments ring true for both weight loss and management.
It used to be that keeping a journal was only for teenagers, but now it’s for everyone. There are many online journaling services as well as a plethora of lovely notebooks available to help you with this.
It’s a good idea to keep track of how much you eat and exercise in a journal so you can track and reflect on your weight reduction progress.
Online programs like MyFitnessPal function by allowing you to track what you ate on a given day, as well as any activity you did, using a database of tens of thousands of logged food items from grocery stores and restaurants.
If you’re having trouble calculating calorie counts or portion proportions, an app like this can help. It allows you to post images as you travel, as well as update your weight, so you can observe the physical changes in your body over time. This can be quite motivating!
Keeping a food journal isn’t the end-all solution, but it can help you measure your progress and gain a better understanding of your eating patterns. Consider the advantages of meal planning and how you may use your newly acquired journaling skills to help you plan ahead and shop more efficiently.
8. Use Appropriate Vocabulary.
Losing weight is a mental as well as a physical issue. Staying motivated, especially when you feel like your progress has stalled, is considerably more difficult than making healthy dietary adjustments or going to the gym on a regular basis.
That’s why it’s a good idea to come up with a mantra that you can repeat to yourself on a regular basis to help you stay motivated.
It may seem foolish at first, but stating yourself – aloud – something as simple as “I will make healthy choices today” will help you strengthen your mental toughness and self-confidence when faced with difficult options.
If you’re not sure where to begin, check over these weight loss affirmations and use the power of positive thinking to motivate yourself.
People who can speak favorably to and about themselves, rather than focusing on the bad, are more likely to have higher levels of self-confidence and lose more weight. They’re also more likely to see their plans through.
3 gala apples on one side of a white weigh scale
“Believing you can lose weight and accepting that it won’t happen overnight is a big part of it.” – Unidentified