The beginning of a diet is generally an exciting time when your motivation is high and your intentions to lose weight and to keep this off are sincere. But as time passes and the routine of consistent weight loss week by week becomes more mundane, it is not easy to remain focused and to keep making the right decisions about the food you eat as well as your exercise regime. The following are proven ways to keep you motivated to make progress with your weight loss.
Sort through old photos of yourself. Tape the one on the refrigerator that you absolutely hate; a picture taken when you were at your heaviest weight. Tape it on the refrigerator or the cupboard where you will see it every time you go looking for a snack. Every time you see the picture tell yourself that you will never look like that again and this will help motivate you to not have that extra snack.
Chart your success plan by including rewards when your weight loss calls for this. Work towards goals detailed clearly like ‘When I have lost my first 10 pounds I will pamper myself with a day spa treatment’. When I wear the swimsuit on sale in the store, I’ll take a week off from work for an island vacation or even ‘When I lose 25 pounds and my face looks healthier, I will buy those diamond earrings I’ve been hankering after for years.
Begin your weight loss and enjoy the outcome of this across shorter timeframes as well as across the longer haul. Keep records of your diet progress and refer to these to enjoy the benefits of all your efforts and notice your increasing weight loss and your changing body shape week by week and over the longer time frame.
Start a blog, name it My Weight Loss Week, and get a little digital support. Starting a blog will help you stay motivated to keep going because now you are accountable to your readers to stay on your diet and keep losing weight. Having a blog will also get you a lot of support from your readers in the form of helpful comments and emails to keep you motivated to stay on track.
We live in world where the visual image is a powerful motivator, so find some photos or pictures of what you want to look like and will look like when you reach your target weight. Display them at home, in your office, even on your screen saver so that these positive images will begin to imprint at a deep level and motivate your weight loss week in week out. In the end you may even look better than your healthy body motivating image!
Seek out all the information available to you about other weight loss experiences on line or in books or other health publications. Many people have managed to lose weight and maintain a healthy body shape indefinitely, so be inspired by their weight loss success stories. When you reach your final gaol, you will be in a position to encourage others too!
Try new things and do not get stuck in a food or exercise rut. Try new ways to exercise. Consider a martial arts class, belly dancing, or take some friends to a roller rink or ice rink to skate for the afternoon or even go sledding or skiing. No matter what the season, there is sure to be some new outdoor or physical activity you can try to change your routine a little and take the focus off your weight loss week by week.
Avoid people who are unsupportive or that sabotage your weight loss efforts. If you have a friend who always want to eat fast food or go get ice cream and tells you that it is OK to cheat on your diet ‘just this once’ or says other things that dampen your efforts, do not hang out with that person anymore. Do not let anyone hold you back from doing what you know is best for you – making healthy choices and enjoying your weight loss week in week out!
