How Do You Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight?

6:59 AM  , , , , ,  


What motivates you to lose weight?

Finding a reason to drop a few pounds is not all that hard. We all start with a lot of enthusiasm, but when the going gets tough, it gets hard to keep the desire to improve ourselves. Usually it's a simple thing that gets us started down this path.
Do you want to feel more attractive or enjoy life more? Do you want to be fit and strong, lower your blood pressure or take pressure off your joints. You are the only one who knows if your reason is enough to motivate you. Finding motivation to lose weight might be the easy part. The hard part is staying enthusiastic and motivated.

How to stay motivated to lose weight?

It is not rocket science and there is nothing new. It all starts with a plan. Like anything you try, it takes some preparation if you want to be successful. It is important to look ahead and plan how to overcome obstacles along the way. Take control of the weight loss process and you greatly increase your chances of a successful lifestyle change.
Unfortunately, most people don't plan ahead. Instead, they rely upon two things: their initial enthusiasm, and when this wears off, their willpower. But these may not be enough to overcome temptations and difficulties faced when we try to change our eating habits and lifestyle.
Here are some things you can do that might help you stay motivated to lose weight;
1. Write your weight loss plan. There is nothing that helps us stay on track better than having a plan to follow. Put the main reason for losing weight at the top in big bold letters. Think about the What, Why, How of your weight loss goal but make it realistic and achievable.
2. Make a list of the things you want to gain by losing weight. Gaining something is always more

motivational
 than losing something. But, here's the deal, the list must be something YOU want for yourself, not what you think other people want for you. Motivation and desire are personal things and come from within.
3. Decide how you are going to lose the weight. There are three ways that generally work. You can do this by changing what you eat, exercise or changing what you eat and exercise. Changes in what we eat and how active we become to lose weight must become a permanent part of our lives if we want to keep the weight off.
4. Make some goals but keep them small. Achieving a small goal is more motivational that missing a bigger one. If your goal is to change your lifestyle by eliminating 3500 calories a week from what you eat, write down how you will eliminate the 3500 calories. At one pound every week you could conceivably drop 52 pounds a year with one easy step. Pride in achieving a goal is a great motivator.
5. Reward yourself when you achieve a goal. Provide an incentive to keep working at it but don't use food as a reward for losing weight. The idea is that celebrating your weight loss success will motivate you and increase your resolve to continue.
6. Get a buddy. Someone to support and encourage you. Working with other people who are interested in losing weight or getting fit can help encourage you and greatly increase your chance of success. Whether it's family, friends or on-line chat room, having support can make a lot of difference for your success.
It's hardly a secret that a key to successfully losing weight is being motivated. But finding motivation may be easier than staying motivated. Not seeing immediate results, boredom, lack of support from family and friends can sometimes make the motivation fly out the window and cause us to give up. CLICK HERE to learn how to lose weight, get fit and stay motivated while you do it.