We all know that feeling when the scale says something we don’t want it to say, and our clothes feel a little tighter than usual.
It’s easy to let yourself get discouraged and give up on your weight-loss plan altogether.
Today we will discuss how to have the right mindset to not give up, and what steps we can take to get back on the right path of our weight loss goals.
If you want to learn how to motivate yourself to lose weight, keep reading!
How To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight
Losing weight and keeping it off is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of willpower and patience.
Many people always ask me what the real secret is to weight loss.
There is NO secret!
To reach the goals you set for yourself, you must be committed and bust your ass for it.
One minute you feel so fired up and you are working very hard toward your goals, you have momentum, and the next, you are lost and overwhelmed.
We’ve all been there.
Being frustrated is entirely normal, but remember, the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.
With struggle comes strength.
Don’t waste any second wallowing in self-pity and negativity.
To grow, we must keep challenging ourselves and stretching beyond our comfort zone.
Once you stick to that fitness or nutrition journey you committed to in the first place, you’ll get stronger inside and out and rise to a much higher level than where you began.
Visualize a favorable scenario. All you need to do is get your body moving. Start slow, and don’t give up.
Patience and being positive will keep you on your way to creating a happy, healthy, and active lifestyle.
Bottom line: Don’t just settle for “OK” or “GOOD ENOUGH.” Instead of thinking that you’ll just lose a couple of pounds, aim for: getting in the best shape of your life! Eat right and train hard.
1. Understand It’s Supposed To Be Hard
Losing weight is supposed to be hard because it requires you to change your lifestyle.
You need to eat healthier, exercise, and then be patient.
Think about all the years that you have been putting crap food into your body, do you really expect all the extra fat to melt off overnight?
The key is to not quit too early. There are no easy solutions or magic pills that will create instant results, only with consistent effort you will start seeing amazing results over time!
Download this cheat sheet to learn the secrets to go from busy and out-of-shape to energetic and fit!
2. What Is Your Reason Why?
In order to lose weight, you need to have a powerful reason for why you want it. Ask yourself, “why am I doing this?”
Don’t just say, “I want to be healthier”. Why do you want to be healthier?
One reason could be that you want to live long enough to see your grandchildren grow up. Another reason could be that you want to look amazing for your wedding.
Be specific when you answer yourself why you want to lose weight. Doing this will help you stay motivated and focused on your goal.
3. Understand What Motivates You
Everyone is different, and what helps me motivate myself might not work for you. Think about what might have helped you in the past to achieve a goal.
Did you have an accountability partner or a coach? Did you set reminders or paste inspirational quotes around the house or on your phone?
There are habit forming apps (ex. Streaks) that are meant to keep you motivated. You can also join a fitness program that you enjoy and that has a supportive community (ex. Peloton).
Decide what motives you and start from there.
4. Identify The Barriers
What are the barriers that are preventing you from achieving your goal of losing weight?
Maybe you are not eating healthy because your schedule is too hectic and you don’t have time for cooking or grocery shopping.
Most likely you have been creating bad habits such as eating when you are bored or eating too much at night before going to bed.
You might need to work on your willpower, which is not easy.
Being uneducated about how weight-loss works can also be a hindrance.
Other barriers that can keep you from losing weight can be more personal, such as stress, emotional eating, or simply not believing in yourself.
Having no support from friends and family can, unfortunately, be a contributing reason for not being able to lose weight.
Whether you can overcome these barriers will affect how motivated or successful your weight loss journey.
5. Create A Plan
To keep yourself motivated to lose weight, it’s important you have a plan.
Whether it’s reducing your intake of calories or increasing the amount you’re spending on physical activity, you will now have a path to follow.
I recommend writing down your goal and your plan to make it more real, and so that you have something to refer to if you lose your way.
Create an actionable and measurable plan with realistic time frames. Also, break down your goal into small achiavable tasks to not overwhelm yourself.
Finally, track your weight as it will be easier to see your progress week-to-week and month-by-month. Seeing the needle on the scale swing left is a good way to keep yourself motivated.
Having a plan will facilitate your success!
6. Find Support
Find an accountability partner who will hold you accountable to your weight loss goals and help you succeed.
You will get encouragement, empathy and advice from someone else who is in the same boat as yourself when it comes time to making the right decision or moments of weakness!
There are also many online groups and in-person groups you can join.
7. Reward Yourself For Small Successes
When you reach a milestone in your weight loss goals, reward yourself with something that is meaningful to you.
There are many ways that this could be done, from a new movie or book to a spa day. Don’t reward yourself with junk food!
Rewarding yourself will help you stay motivated and on course to your ultimate goal.
8. Be Kind To Yourself When You Fail
If you fail to meet one of your weight loss milestones, don’t beat yourself up about it.
Even if you didn’t lose any weight, you didn’t gain any weight either, and that counts too!
If you go out on a girl’s night and have several slices of pizza, don’t think “I messed up and so I’m done” and decide to give up. Forget about it, move on, and start fresh the next day.
Keep a positive attitude and give yourself a break from time to time. You can always get back on the horse and try again!
9. Be Patient & Don’t Give Up
We live in time where we want everything now, and it’s too easy to give up on your goals if we don’t think we are achieving them fast enough.
Remember that you shouldn’t be losing over 2 pounds a week anyway if you are following a healthy diet.
Losing weight takes patience and persistence. Don’t give up. Keep making progress.
Conclusion
If you ask me how to motivate yourself to lose weight, I will advise you to make a plan, stick to it, keep a positive attitude.
Each day, remind yourself that if you have people supporting you and you are patient, you can lose weight.
Don’t worry if you fall off the van wagon for a day or two. Knowing how to overcome failure is just as important to succeed in your weight loss journey.
Lily
Hi, I'm Lily! Like you, I have struggled with my weight. It was not an easy journey but I was able to lose 40 pounds and have kept it off for 14 years. My goal is to share with you all the research, tips, and tricks that I have learned over the years to help you lose weight also.Download this cheat sheet to learn the secrets to go from busy and out-of-shape to energetic and fit!