Motivation is a must if you are going to be successful in your weight loss journey. In addition to getting the right program that works for your lifestyle you have to find ways to stay motivated so you see yourself through to your realistic goal that you have set for yourself.
As a weight loss consultant I teach people many different ways to stay motivated. Just as everyone is different and everyone needs to follow a weight loss plan specifically built for their personal lifestyle everyone finds motivation in different ways. I wanted to share with you my top 5 motivational weight loss tips in hopes that you too will find motivation and apply it to your weight loss plan.
Motivation Tip 1: In order to keep your focus on your desire to lose weight make a list of all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Keep it is plain site, tape it to your mirror in your bathroom and read them each morning when you wake up. If you are in your car a lot and you tend to eat fast food put a copy in your car. Tape it to your steering wheel or visor.
Motivation Tip 2: If you are looking to lose a lot of weight such as 100 pounds. Break out your calendar and set your goals. Be very realistic here. Example your current weight is 190 pounds you ultimate goal is 130. Let's say it is January 1st set your first goal of 15 pounds then realistically plan for that and give it a date. Say March 5th (this will give you 9 weeks to lose 15 pounds). Set shorter lower mile stones at first to give you momentum then spread it out a little as you go.
Motivation Tip 3: Plan a treat for yourself when you have had a great week. Make it non food related such as get a pedicure, facial, buy some make-up. Anything that will help make you feel even better about yourself and your great progress.
Motivation Tip 4: Take a picture of yourself in a swimsuit or something that will show your body better. Each month on the same date take another picture in the same outfit. Doing this will make you feel great seeing how baggy the outfits gets each month, keep the pictures close by so you can look at them. Best place it to post them on your bathroom mirror, the reason I say that is you will see them every morning and that will remind you to make the best choices you can each day.
Motivation Tip 5: Read inspirational stories of other people who have lost weight. Do read into how they did it just read about their success for what it is success. Every person is different so the plan that someone follows doesn't mean it will work for anyone. If you hire a weight loss consultant (recommended) ask them to hook you up with other clients for a support group they should be more than happy to do that and the other clients would like it too.
In conclusion there are many ways to find motivation for weight loss. As a consultant I have found that these 5 tips listed above have proven to work for several clients over and over again. Feel free to contact me for more motivational tips if you are looking for additional resources.
Great tips! I always stress to my clients the importance of celebrating the small achievements along the way to the big goal. It's so important to recognize the small accomplishments in order to stay positive and motivated along the way.
ReplyI concur, it is very important taking notice of the small achievements. Thanks for the comment!
ReplyI lost a lot of weight (90 lbs) and have kept it off for about 7 years and one of the biggest motivators for me while I was losing weight was shopping. Every time I went down a size, I rewarded myself by allowing myself to buy one pair of new pants. Every two size drops, I got a whole outfit. I went through my closet and gathered up all the clothes that were too big and donated them to Goodwill so I would have a new smaller wardrobe. Nonfood rewards were really key for me for some reason...I think I used to use food as a reward for things and had to find out a new way of rewarding myself.
ReplySpectra,
Good for you! I bet it felt great doing that. I did the same instead of rewarding myself with food I bought clothes. It was a lot of fun doing that. I then gave all my old clothes to victims of the california fires. Thanks for reading!
ReplyThese are some great motivational tips. Its so important to stay motivated and focused in order to accomplish your goals!
ReplyThanks for the post!
Replywhy focus on weight? it would be much reasonable to focus efforts on reducing body fat percentage...
ReplyI think it really depends on the person. Each person is different when it comes to losing weight. As a weight loss consultant part of my job is finding out what each person needs for their lifestyle then build a plan from there. So in some situations you are correct. Thanks for the feedback!
Replygreat tips, especially #3 and 4
Replyi have a few close friends whose weight varied too following pregnancies, work habits, etc. so what we do is pass clothes around whenever one sheds weight, so the next ones get 'new' clothes all the time, even if we already wore them at some point. when im sure an item gets too loose, off it goes to THE shelf. and I get so excited to bring a whole load of stuff to my friends, first to bit the credit crunch and help them, but also because each time its a new incentive for each of us to keep up the good work or start the work
i think we all got to a point of our lives (late 30s) where we know how to stick to healthy living habits, and very likely its the last time these clothes will ever fit us.
ive careful stored my former outfits, which means i dont need to get new clothes. so ive favored a good haircut to fancy makeup or jewellery
good luck to every one. we all know its a life long fight, that will get harder the older we get. but keeping mobile and active has no price.
That is a great story thanks for sharing.
ReplyI’ve been visiting your blog for a while now and I always find a
gem in your new posts. Thanks for sharing.
I run a related blog and recently was quoted saying…
Did you know that eating more can actually be more beneficial to losing weight then
Replystarving yourself? Well, not specifically eat more, just more often. Most people don't know that if your spread your meals out through the day you will be more likely to lose weight,
and keep it off.
Thanks for the post and congrats on the quote.
ReplyWonderful wrap up of some of the most important reasons to lose weight. Thank you very much for doing your part to keep people active and motivated at the same time. Keep it up dude!
ReplyThanks!
Reply1.)Focus on the positive
Instead of thinking about how much weight you have to lose or how fat you think you are, focus on how strong and wonderful you are and how you're working toward becoming healthy and stronger.
As you look toward a beautiful future, you will naturally gravitate toward health and well being.
2.)Make it easy for yourself
As you know, a lifestyle change is a necessity for permanent weight loss. That's one of the reasons why quick fix weight loss diets never work. A lifestyle change does not include dramatic, compulsive changes. Those are quickly abandoned and the dieter returns to their previous habits. The new lifestyle must be integrated slowly, lovingly and with care.
3.)Set Weekly Goals
Each week set mini goals to slowly integrate the new changes into your life. For example, if your diet consists of greasy cheeseburgers and ice cream sundaes everyday, make a goal each week to add a new healthy food into to your day, like a side of vegetables. Do this week by week and eventually the good healthy foods will crowd out the unhealthy foods.
4.)Drink More Water
This is something that you've undoubtedly heard before. Water helps to both neutralize your hunger , and it keeps things moving.
5.)Get your Exercise in Where you Can
Don't have the money to join a gym? There are lots of ways to get your cardio in. Buy a jumprope. If you can take 10 minutes 3 times per day to jump rope, you've got a whole 30 minute cardio routine in.
6.) Minimize Diet Sodas and Artificial Sweeteners
Some dieters reject all sugar products and replace them with chemical sweeteners. Please avoid the temptation to do this. Instead, squeeze lemon or a slice of orange into a glass of club soda instead of drinking diet soda. Use raw honey or agave nectar in your coffee or tea instead of artificial sweeteners. All the chemicals in diet drinks are quite unhealthy for your body.
7.)Eat Whole Foods
There's a common misconception that it's expensive to eat healthy. In reality, it's much cheaper to eat fresh, whole foods instead of processed foods. A great rule of thumb, borrowed from Louise Hay is that if it grows, eat it, if not, leave it alone. Examples of foods that grow are all fruits, all vegetables, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and other meats. If it comes in a box, probably better to eschew it. There is the practice of only shopping on the perimeter of the supermarket, where all the fresh foods are sold. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fish, meat and fruit and you will be perfectly healthy.
8.)Don't Let Yourself Get too Hungry
When you get hungry, it's more difficult to make smart choices about what you're eating. Check in with your body several times a day. If you find that you are beginning to feel a bit of hunger setting in, let yourself eat a little something light to satisfy your hunger and stabilize your blood sugar. Good choices would be string cheese and and an apple, 2 slices of turkey and an orange, a small handful of almonds and a small handful of raisins, some goat cheese and slices of tomato, ¼ of an avocado and some pine nuts or any light combination of complex carbs, protein, and fiber.
9.)Eat at Least Three Meals per Day
Don't skip meals. It's crucial that you start your day with a healthy breakfast to start your metabolism going and to help you to focus during your day. It also helps you to make better choices throughout the day around food.
10.)Eat Slowly
When you eat, try to chew your food thoroughly. Eat mindfully. Think about what you're eating. Slow down and notice how the food tastes. Notice how the different flavors hit your taste buds and how the texture of the food feels in your mouth. The act of slowing down and integrating a mindfulness practice into your eating will help you to register how full you are sooner rather than later. You will find yourself eating less food and feeling more satisfied.
11.)Don't Eat in Front of the Television
Pay attention to your food. Eating in front of the television or while surfing the web will prevent you from really enjoying your food. In effect, you will feel less satisfied and have the need to eat more. Try to ritualize your eating into a calming, relaxing event. Put on soft music and really enjoy your food.
12.)Ask your Body What it Needs
Before eating anything, check in with your body to figure out exactly what it needs. If you can be really silent for a moment, close your eyes and ask your body what it wants. As you listen, your body will tell you exactly what you need to be healthy. It's rare that your body will tell you that you need junk food. If it does, you might want to reconsider what you are hearing and ask your body what it really needs. If you keep on hearing junk food, your body might actually be asking that you be sweet to it, give it some relaxation time. It might be time for you to take a nap, or stretch or take a break from work.
13.)Don't Clean Your Plate
As you eat, take breaks and check in with your body to see how it's feeling. It's best to try and leave a meal feeling satisfied, but not full. Aim for leaving the table knowing that you could eat more, but understanding that you will be able to at your next meal. It's definitely okay to leave food on your plate and plan to eat it later or give it away. When you eat until you are full, your body will compensate by creating more room to store all that food. As you begin to eat less, your body will compensate by becoming smaller. Eventually, you will feel as though you don't need as much food as you used to.
14.)Go Toward Health
Remember that you are doing this to be healthy. Instead of looking at this as a deprivation plan, look at it as though you are gaining a healthy body and healthy mind.
15.)Give your Body Positive Affirmations
ReplyEach day, let your body know how wonderful it is. Let your body know how strong, healthy and perfect it is. Assure your body that as it continues to be strong for you, you will continue to treat it with love and respect. A great way to do affirmations is to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning and at night, perhaps when you are washing your face or brushing your teeth and say things such as, “my body deserves to be healthy,” or “I am becoming healthier and healthier every day.” Find something that sounds right to you.
Hey, if you are looking for a motivational tool to help you on your weight loss journey, you should try the weightmirror application on iPhone.
ReplyIt's so easy. You just take a picture of yourself and then the application will instantly show you up to 50 Lbs lighter.
It is fantastic!
That sounds like an interesting tool, thanks for the tip.
Reply