Published by Allen Brown
Deciding to lose weight can happen for a wide variety of reasons, but everyone can agree that the journey itself is hard and challenging. Sometimes we just don’t feel like working out at the gym or having a healthy meal, and instead, we are tempted to look the other way for a while. However, choosing to eat junk food and miss an exercise session once or twice can soon deflate any energy you had initially. While your fat loss journey will always have its ups and downs, it is also important to recognize that sometimes we need to keep ourselves motivated when things start to get difficult. In our following guide, we share 6 surprising ways you can try to stay motivated to lose weight.
1. Start a Slimming Down Journal
A key aspect of navigating through trying to lose excess weight is to understand your inner motivations behind these efforts. To achieve your long-term goals, you should start forming discipline and understand the implications and hardships you will face during your endeavors. Some people can benefit from tracking their food and exercise progress with a journal, which allows you to have a better perspective of how you’ve been performing and can help you identify areas where you can improve for future days. You can even personalize your journal with as much information as you see fit, especially if you’re interested in writing your thoughts and feelings about the process.
2. Dimension your Weight you Already Lost with Objects
Another inventive way you can place a new perspective on your journey is to have a real grasp of your lost pounds or kilos. The trick is to take everyday objects and use them as a reference for your weight loss in a way that allows you to truly understand how far you’ve come from the first workout or the first healthy meal. Choose whatever object you can think about and hold them in your hands. Even better if you have pets! Carry your dog or cat in your arms to have a better grasp of how much weight has left your body already.
3. Find a Training Partner
Accountability can be your best ally for your fat loss journey, and you can likely find comfort and support in your loved ones for your long-term goals. Find someone that can join you during your exercise routines, be it a friend or family member. If you’re living with your family or partner, ask them for help with cooking healthy recipes if possible. Share fun activities outdoors where everyone can enjoy a good moment while remaining active, instead of relying on more passive options like watching movies or eating out.
4. Forget about the Daily Weight-In
While it may sound counterintuitive, checking the scale every day to see any changes in the numbers will only demoralize you and hold you back. It’s normal that sometimes your weight stagnates or even goes up even if you’ve been consistent with your efforts since it’s likely that you’re losing fat and replacing it with muscle. Instead, aim for a weekly weigh-in so that you’re able to have a better perspective of your journey and increase your chances of getting positive numbers rather than feel discouraged from getting up the scale.
5. Photograph your Achievements
For some people, having a tangible record of their journey can be a good incentive for low morale. You take before and after pictures in the same piece of clothing every week to see how much your body has changed, photograph the delicious meals you’ve prepared, or keep track of your numbers after a successful workout. Whatever you end up choosing, a visual representation of your journey is an excellent way to keep yourself on track towards your ultimate goal.
6. Set Goals Unrelated to Losing Weight
A crucial aspect of the journey is to keep your mind focused on objectives that affect other elements in your life beyond the scale. Instead of obsessing about numbers and inches, you can look at how your strength is improving, whether your clothes fit better, or you’ve completed a 5K run in a better time. These types of milestones have a bigger impact on your motivation, and their positive effects stay for longer than just looking at numbers on the scale.
Finding the motivation to continue changing your lifestyle to improve your wellbeing and become healthier goes beyond losing weight. You must always be transparent with your inner thoughts about why you’re taking these steps towards improvements. In the end, you are your worst critic, and you must take your time and be kind to yourself with any setback or failure.