Finding the willpower to lose weight is a question that almost everyone on the planet has faced at least once. Those who have been overweight for a long time struggle with this question even more. In this article, we aim to present 7 motivational tips for losing weight and reaching your ideal weight.
7 Strategies to Stay Motivated for Weight Loss
Being aware of why you want to lose weight, changing unhealthy eating habits and replacing them with new habits you enjoy, having a companion and supporter, starting gradually, and staying consistent are key strategies for staying motivated in your weight loss journey. Saadnews will present seven strategies for creating motivation for weight loss. Stay with us!
Identify the Reason for Losing Weight
Many people who complain about a lack of motivation for weight loss and give up after a few days of dieting often lack sufficient and justifiable reasons for losing weight. Therefore, it is essential to identify all the reasons you want to lose weight and write them down on paper before starting. Writing and clarifying your reasons for weight loss will help you continue through the entire weight loss process. If you get tired or feel hopeless, take a look at the goals you’ve written down. Your reasons might include preventing obesity-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease, a doctor’s recommendation, becoming more attractive, getting in shape, staying younger, boosting self-confidence, or fitting into a favorite piece of clothing. Experience has shown that those with strong intrinsic motivation for weight loss have been more successful in their journey.
Set Realistic Expectations for Yourself
You may be looking for a magic weight loss pill that will take you to your ideal weight after just a few days of use, but all of that is just advertising. Rest assured, nothing will replace persistence and consistency. Therefore, the second effective strategy for staying motivated for weight loss is having realistic expectations for yourself and giving yourself enough time to reach your goal. Remember that large goals often lead to disappointment, so don’t expect to lose 5 kg in a week. Instead, take gradual steps. Those who expect to lose significant weight in a short time often get tired of dieting and give up quickly. However, even a 5-10% reduction in your body weight can have a significant impact on your health.
Find a Companion and Supporter
We recommend finding a companion or a supporter to help create motivation for weight loss and succeed on this journey. Everyone needs support to stay motivated, and it’s even better if you can find someone with the same goal to join you. You can find a companion by joining a sports class or planning daily walks so that you can exercise together and encourage each other through the weight loss process and dieting. You can also use social networks and share experiences with others.
Engage in Enjoyable Activities
Nothing kills weight loss motivation faster than doing activities that feel unpleasant. If you enjoy eating food but must give up this pleasure to lose weight, it is likely that you will lose motivation quickly and give up. Therefore, try to engage in activities that you enjoy, such as joining exercise classes you like and experimenting with creative cooking. Make new dishes that are lower in calories, fats, and proteins while being higher in fiber. If you feel tired of what you’re doing, try something new to add excitement to your routine and motivate yourself to keep going.
Track Your Weight Loss Progress and Encourage Yourself
Just like the goals you've written down, regularly track your weight loss progress in a notebook or on a board, either weekly or monthly. This will help you see where you started and what results your efforts have yielded. You can even use old and new photos of yourself or try on clothes you used to wear. Reward yourself for every success.
Change Your Eating Habits
One of the key principles of weight loss and dieting is changing unhealthy eating habits. Changing eating habits often seems difficult or even impossible, as it’s generally hard to break any habit. In fact, many of us lack the motivation to change our habits, and this ingrained behavior can also reduce motivation for weight loss. Therefore, choose a healthy eating habit that you would like to adopt as part of your routine. Set a time to start adjusting this habit and give yourself time to make the change. Some specialists believe that to ensure behavior change, it takes at least 21 days to form a new habit. So, once you've set a date for starting the change, add 21 days to it and treat it as the point when your behavior will be fully corrected. As you maintain this improvement, you can move on to the next one.
Staying Committed to Your Promise
Stay committed to the promise you made to yourself to lose weight. Keep in mind that sharing your weight loss goals with others will make you more accountable to your commitment. Trust yourself and speak positively about weight loss and the steps you need to take.
Final Words
Therefore, we recommend that to create motivation for weight loss, first make sure you are clear about the goals you want to achieve by losing weight. Then, create a list of healthy and favorite foods and keep it with you at all times. Include exercise and walking in your daily routine, and set realistic expectations for yourself.
