My clients often complain about not feeling motivated enough!
They say that this lack of motivation stops them from starting or continuing with their weight-loss journeys. You’ve probably also faced the same issue at some point in your weight loss journey. You have always has few questions in mind how to lose weight? How much time it will take to lose weight?.
Only someone who has been through the roller coaster of a weight loss journey knows how difficult it is to lose weight.
Or is it? Could it be that we are making it difficult for ourselves? Is there a better way?
We’ve been led to believe that this journey requires a constant fuel of motivation. While that may be true when you get started, it is habit and consistency that will keep you going.
Follow these principles and you’re more likely to continue working towards your fitness goals:
1.Know the reason for your weight loss:
Find your “Why”.
Why do you want to lose weight? Write down these reasons somewhere. Read them daily to keep yourself on track & revisit them whenever you feel tempted to cheat. The reason will drive you from within and propel you to attain that long term goal.
2.Record & Track your progress:
Maintain a calendar by either making a spreadsheet or simply jotting down your stats in a notebook. Keep an eye on your progress at regular intervals to keep moving towards your weight loss goal. Maintaining an exercise logbook & a food diary can ensure that you keep track of your diet and exercise habits. You’ll count calories from every nibble and track and correct exercise habits that will help you stay on track.
3.Have Realistic Goals:
Most diet plans claim to deliver easy & quick results but they’re mostly just tall claims. Losing 0.5Kg - 1Kg per week is considered healthy weight loss. Setting an unrealistic goal for yourself can lead to frustration & make you want to give up. Studies have shown that women who expected to lose the most weight were most likely to give up midway. The burden of expectations can be too much. Keep things real!
4.Reward yourself:
The best way to keep yourself motivated is to reward yourself but not with food. Different people reward themselves in different ways. For example, some enjoy watching a cricket match while others treat themselves with shopping. Find what gives you joy and keeps you going.
5.Setting up process goals:
Try setting up a process goal instead of focusing on the outcome goals. While an outcome goal is the final target weight that you want to attain, the process goals are small daily steps that help you reach there such as regular exercise, following your diet and others. Focusing on outcome goals can easily derail your progress because they can seem very daunting.
6.Learn to deal with emotional eating habits:
To achieve long term weight loss success, you need to deal with emotional eating habits.
Observe yourself and check:
Do you overeat when you are angry?
Do you crave sweets when you are sad or depressed?
Be honest with yourselves & jot down your feelings when you feel these cravings take over. Review the journal & look for patterns that you might be able to address or change.
7.Stay away from people who discourage you:
You will always find people who want you to go off your diet "just once" because it won't affect you. It is completely fine if it is only once & not over & over again. But, if someone is a constant source of distraction and disruption, then either stay away from them or have a serious talk with them about your weight loss efforts.
8.Follow a diet that suits your lifestyle:
There are hundreds of different diet plans out there. The one thing they all have in common is that you need to follow calorie restriction. You will lose fat only if you follow a calorie deficit diet. Therefore, avoid rigid diet plans that eliminate food items or require you to make drastic changes in your lifestyle. Prepare a customized plan that you can follow without any hassle throughout your life.
9.Social Support:
Getting regular social support & positive feedback will boost your motivation. It can also be helpful to get a weight loss buddy whom you can workout with & hold each other accountable. Additionally, joining a support group both online or in-person can be beneficial.
10.Public commitment:
Tell others about your weight loss journey & post updates on social media.
Sharing goals with other people will make you more accountable & keep you on track.
11.Find a Role model:
Choose the right fitness role model. This needn’t necessarily be a supermodel. You can even find a role model in a friend or an acquaintance who has successfully lost a considerable amount of weight & to whose journey you can relate.
12.Perfection Doesn't Exist:
If you have an “All or Nothing" mindset, then the chances of your failure are high. Self-defeating thoughts can hinder your progress and need to be avoided.
Avoid cursing yourself if you make a blunder. Be a little flexible & lenient with yourself and it’ll keep you motivated throughout the journey.
13.Don't weigh yourself daily:
Frequently weighing yourself throughout the day is a common mistake. Just check your weight once a week for tracking your progress. Also, don't completely rely on weight as it is only one parameter of fat loss.
14.Get Professional help:
It is okay to take the help of a personal trainer, a dietitian, a psychologist or a fitness coach - they have the knowledge and the experience to help you. Many people also tend to feel more accountable when they seek professional help.
Fitness is a journey, not a destination. These principles/hacks will help you develop a system for getting fit and staying fit.
References:
1.Goal Setting as a Health Behavior Change Strategy in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Literature Review Examining Intervention Components
2.Blogging for weight loss: personal accountability, writing selves, and the weight‐loss blogosphere
3.Weight Maintenance: Self-Regulatory Factors Underpinning Success and Failure
4.Goal Setting as a Health Behavior Change Strategy in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Literature Review Examining Intervention Components
5.Self-reinforcement effects: An artifact of social standard setting?
6.Motivation, self-determination, and long-term weight control
7.Motivation by Positive or Negative Role Models: Regulatory Focus Determines Who Will Best Inspire Us
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