In today’s modern world where every individual is trying to lose weight, several exercises and diet plans have come up for weight loss. Despite many efforts, losing weight is hard, diet plans suck and exercises seem strenuous at one point of time. So we often wonder where we are going wrong or resort to a different technique each time to lose weight. But is the technique, exercise or diet failing your efforts every time? No, the main reason for failure is demotivation and the urge to give up trying.
We read several articles on weight loss tips, exercises and diet charts, but do we read on how much weight loss motivation plays an important role in losing weight? Apart from following exercises and diet charts to lose weight, it is important to stay motivated and persistent to keep your efforts going.
Types of Motivation
You may be surprised to know that there are types of motivation-mainly intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
1. Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation is a type of inspiration that comes from an external factor or source outside of you, e.g., If a doctor or a friend tells you to lose weight and gives you advice and tips for the same, then you may feel motivated to lose weight. Fitting into a slim fit dress or looking slim for your partner is also a form of extrinsic motivation.
2. Intrinsic Motivation
This is a kind of motivation that comes from within or inside of you. You exercise or follow a diet due to the sense of accomplishment at the end of it, then the motivation is of an intrinsic type, e.g., Choosing a healthy snack option makes you feel fit or better about yourself then this is an intrinsic motivation.
Different Ways to Motivate Yourself to Lose Weight
Staying motivated is not that difficult. The key to keeping your weight loss motivation doesn’t mean you need to fill up your motivation tank up to the brim. It just means that you need to prevent it from going empty. Following are some ways to motivate yourself to lose weight:
1. Stop Being Hard on Yourself
If you notice that your efforts are waning, give yourself a break from the rigorous exercise plan or diet chart for a couple of days. The main difficulty with staying motivated is the more you try to achieve something, the more elusive it becomes. By allowing your health plan to run its natural course and making some lifestyle changing habits, your weight loss motivation plan will always remain at the top and you will feel energized to maintain your efforts.
2. Stop Comparing Yourself To Skinny And Slim Models
Looking at super skinny models may seem the right way to stay motivated for losing weight, but the truth is otherwise. Comparing yourself to skinny and thin models is likely to hamper your progress and make you feel demotivated. It can also make you feel disheartened and give up resulting in larger food intake and making you more fat. Stop comparing yourself to unrealistic models and stay motivated by looking at your pictures and the progress you are making.
3. Focus On An Inner Feeling
Often we make a target for ourselves and focus on a specific number. If we fail to achieve those targets, we feel frustrated and lose the zeal to try again. The most important factor of weight loss motivation is staying happy for the efforts you are making. Try to appreciate yourself for following such a healthy diet plan and encourage yourself after every workout. This makes you feel good and keeps you motivated to achieve more.
4. Question Yourself
If you are suffering from loss of inspiration, then take this healthy self-quiz. Analyze the outcomes of abruptly stopping your diet plan and exercises. Self-realization and answering your inner mind will help boost your motivation levels and remind you of the aim you started off with.
5. Build Your Health Plan
The first step to keeping up your weight loss motivation is to properly build a health plan for yourself. Set up realistic targets and a plan to achieve it without hampering yourself. If you do not plan properly you will not know where you are heading which is likely to leave you feeling disheartened about yourself.
6. Reward Yourself For Small Achievements
Rewarding yourself at the end of achieving a goal may seem a great idea, but certain targets may take months to achieve. The longer duration of efforts make you dull and disheartened. Instead of waiting to reach the finish line, reward yourself mid-way for small goals accomplished. This helps you stay motivated in the long run.
7. Take A Vacation
Do not wait until you lose weight to go on your long awaited holiday, dinner date or meeting an old friend. Waiting endlessly can keep weight loss motivation low. Take a break and enjoy your weight loss plan along the way.
8. Admire Yourself By The Mirror
After every long day of exercise and a strict health plan, look at yourself in the mirror and admire how much you have achieved. Hanging that lovely skimpy outfit of yours at the mirror will keep your motivation levels going and achieve your goals faster.
9. Get Competitive
A little competition is always healthy. When it comes to weight loss motivation, competition plays a long standing role. Enrol yourself in weight loss competitions that have others enrolled for weight loss programs will help you keep the efforts of weight loss going. Recent study has indicated that team weight loss programs help lose 30 percent more weight than doing it all alone.
10. Determine Your Motivation
Before endlessly harpering about losing weight and trying all possible ways to achieve the same, the first thing you need to determine is what actually motivates you to lose weight. Remembering the reason helps you maintain focus and avoid distractions and obstacles that may come along the way.
11. Stop Checking Your Weight Daily
The complete “No” in weight loss motivation is to check your weight daily. Although the weight scale can be a helpful for measuring progress but getting into the habit of checking too often can be frustrating if results are not yielding. Stop stepping on the weighing scale and check only once a month to track your progress. It is a good enough time for results to show and you will continue to feel motivated.
12. Start A Weight Loss Gallery
Today there are thousands of apps and social media networks that make weight loss fun and enjoyable. To keep your weight loss motivation going, consider building a weight loss progress gallery. Make a weight loss gallery on Instagram or any other photo app. Post daily photos after a tiring workout or a healthy meal. It is not just fun but also helps document the daily changes in your body which you may otherwise not notice on a daily basis. These photos help you stay motivated.
13. Stop Self-Criticism
We all have the misconception that self-criticism is a great motivational tool. But in reality, self-criticism can sabotage your efforts. When you begin self-criticism, you link your brain to the fight-fight survival reflex which in turn increases the cortisol (stress hormone) secretion. This causes unhealthy cravings for sweet and fatty foods. If during your weight loss program, you find yourself in a critic mode, take deep breaths can change your psychological state. Silence the inner negativity, look at the mirror and smile to encourage your efforts.
14. Surround Yourself With A Healthier Environment
Since your home is the place you will most likely be, surround it with a healthier environment. Organize your fridge with healthy food, store food in colourful and vibrant colours, keep the dirty laundry away from your room, always keep your sneakers at your visibility etc. Keeping your environment looking healthy will help you keep weight loss regime on track and motivation levels high.
15. Turn Into A Healthy Smartphones Apps
Today, there are several weight loss apps available for your smartphone. This keeps your weight loss motivation levels high. You can instantly search for healthy recipes for your meal and snacks on these weight loss apps. These apps also have a calorie tracker that keeps a check on the number of calories you burnt in a day. This keeps your motivation levels high.
16. List Down Actual Reasons To Lose Weight
Getting into your skinny jeans or bikini is just a short term goal for losing weight. These reasons do not keep you motivated as they pressurize you and increase the stress within you. Make realistic and long term reasons like improving self-confidence, being healthier, improving stamina, looking beautiful and feeling fit. List down these long term reasons and keep looking at it every now and then to remind yourself of the main purpose. This helps you stay on tracks and maintains your efforts at losing weight in a healthy way.
17. Gift Yourself
After all you are special. Tiring yourself continuously with no rewards in between can be an ordeal. Reward yourself with small gifts in between to keep your spirits high and motivation levels going. Only if you feel good about yourself, will you desire to try harder.
18. Confront Your Fears
Sometimes motivation is not everything. Rather your weight loss motivation can be heavily impacted by fears that hold you back. Embarrassment to show your fat body or the fear to face failure can hamper your motivation level to a huge extent. To help overcome fear, try making a list of other exercise alternatives that you can do at home without feeling embarrassed or make yourself a healthy snack without explaining to others why you are on a diet. Your own personal space will do you a lot of good.
19. Be Compassionate
Self-appreciation is the main factor that keeps weight loss motivation high. If you are feeling let down that your efforts are not yielding results, then shift your focus to self-appreciation. Appreciate yourself for trying so hard and encouraging yourself to do better next week. Practice imparts perfection and you will soon hit your target one day. Never get tired to keep trying. Be compassionate and show gratitude to yourself, as trying itself is a great achievement.
20. Eliminate Negative Elements In Your Life
If you are fed up of struggling to lose weight, then take a break and focus on other areas of your life. Try balancing out and eliminating other negative elements of your lives. Pay off your debts, mend a broken relationship, improve your work life balance, and spend more time with family. This will make you feel good about yourself and encourage you to give weight loss another chance.
It is important to remember that weight loss does not happen overnight and is a slow and consistent process. As easy it is to gain weight, shedding off those extra kilos does take time. One of the main ways to keep the motivation levels high is to focus on satisfaction and self-appreciation. Preventing counterproductive negative thinking will help you remember your original goals.
Initially your new diet chart or exercise plan may be difficult to follow and leave you feeling shallow. But have patience and be persistent about your goals. Reflect on how good you feel after every healthy meal and exercise workout. Tell yourself how well you are doing and how awesome you are. Keep your motivation levels self-based and not how other view or think of you. Exercise, emotional health, good diet and sleep are all an essential part of your weight loss program. On top of all this is motivation that helps you keep your effort going.
If you are afraid to start out on your own, you can join a weight loss group or a couple of friends with similar goals, swap stories and monitor progress together. This makes weight loss fun and exciting. Most important factor to remember is to keep it up-losing weight is gradual but healthy. Once you achieve your goal you are going to feel good about it forever. You will see a healthier and happier you!
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