Losing weight can be difficult.
As with anything that involves self-motivation, maintaining focus and forward progress is hard. How often have you made a New Year’s Resolution to achieve something, such as;
- Lose weight.
- Get healthier.
- Do more exercise.
- Reduce my credit cards.
- Stop watching as many kitten videos on YouTube.
Whilst the “kitten videos” may be a losing battle, most other goals are absolutely achievable. It is frequently hard, however, to stay motivated for an activity that is not always viewed as being enjoyable.
When it comes to weight loss / weight reduction, ironically, it is often the over-abundance of fun that caused us to put on weight to start with. Ongoing lifestyle choices including poor diet, smoking or drinking too much, or lack of exercise have a powerful impact on our health and weight.
Choosing to take the first step towards our new goals is, unsurprisingly, the most important. Following through with the remaining steps tends to be the most difficult.
Motivation and long-term behavioural change
Of course, changing behaviour is relatively easy over the short-term; you simply make your mind up to do something. Even if there is “discomfort” involved, this is also short-term and the mental resistance is easy to overcome.
When the discomfort extends into the long-term it can become increasingly difficult to prompt yourself to action. This is where motivation steps in.
If you want to know how to get motivation to lose weight, here are a few ways to get you started;
Positive Goal Setting
Setting appropriate goals for weight loss, or anything else you wish to achieve, is vital. Without these you have no direction or focus for your actions and are more likely to give up.
There are a variety of things to consider when setting goals:
- Break larger goals down into a number of specific smaller short-term goals.
- Make sure your short-term goals are achievable.
- Your goals should be practical and planned to fit with your lifestyle.
- They should have a definite time element.
There are a few frameworks for setting goals. The most common these is the SMART goals tool. SMART stands for Specific / Measurable / Attainable / Realistic / Time-bound.
Additionally, try to frame your goals in positive language. For example;
- “I want to get healthier” instead of “I want to stop being unhealthy”, or;
- “I want to do more exercise” rather than “I don’t want to be lazy”.
As positive and negative language use has a sub-conscious effect on our behaviour, it can also affect outcomes. Be positive and stay positive.
Join a support group and community
We all have bad days.
Whether waking up on the wrong side of the bed, or experiencing a more-challenging-than-usual day, we’ve all been there. A support group, sometimes known as an accountability group, can help you achieve your goals.
When things get tough or you lose clarity, a good group will help get your back on track and focussed again. As with any difficult task, they always seem easier when doing them with other people. Strike up a conversation, help motivate them as they motivate you and you’re mostly there.
Make it fun!
It is so much easier to motivate yourself for an enjoyable activity. Time will fly by, and the pleasure you get from the activity itself is its own reward.
Additionally, as you progress with your weight reduction and wellbeing goals you will find that you naturally feel better. You’ll have more energy, more
The important thing to remember is that your idea of “fun” is partly based upon your mindset. Change your perceived view of what fun is and you open up a world of possibility.
Your support group is also what makes the “fun” happen. The people in your group are going through, or have already gone through the same experience as you. As you proceed on your journey, you’ll be doing it together with others. The enjoyment can come through social contact, sharing goals and achievements, or through developing new friendships with like-minder people.
Self-reflection
An important part of staying motivated and meeting your weight loss goals is to recognise both your victories and failures.
Self-reflection helps us understand ourselves and grow as human beings. These points are some simple techniques:
- Learn to identify and change your unproductive habits.
- When you have success, understand your own role in this and use it to boost your confidence,
- Use failure as a basis for improvement rather than as a setback.
- If you are uncertain, remember the original reasons for you wanting change.
The weight loss program also assists by asking you to record your ongoing behaviour with regard to diet and exercise. This helps to highlight behaviours and habits not previously perceived.
Take some time off
You don’t need to be working towards your goals every minute of every day. So long as you are making forward progress over time, and you are meeting your stated goals, you are fine.
If you feel you need a break, then take one. There is no point continuing something to the extreme that you begin to hate it.
Celebrate your victories
Celebrate your victories, even the small ones.
Not only do you give yourself a reward for your victory, you learn to give yourself credit as well. This helps you better recognise and accept when you are doing great, and further motivates you to do more.
Lose weight and feel great
Whilst losing weight itself can help you feel good and more motivated, achieving your weight reduction goal can be challenging.
With a supportive weight loss program you don’t need to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to motivation. With a community, accountability group, and personal health coach by your side, you’ll have plenty of backup and encouragement.