Motivation for Weight Loss

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight and tone up, you already know that motivation is one of the hardest things to maintain over time.

And it’s not surprising. Life gets in the way, things come up, and results often take too long to see. Overall, the challenges of weight loss can often lead to a loss in motivation. And we often become frustrated quickly when we don’t see results fast enough.

On the other hand, you may have seen some immediate results that got you motivated in the beginning. But what usually happens is that those immediate results taper off a bit, and you find yourself hitting a plateau. This is also discouraging and can drain your motivation just as much as seeing no results at all.

So what can you do to stay motivated? Let’s look at some core tips that should help you stay on track with your weight loss goals.

Motivation Tips for Weight Loss

1. Think Ahead – This may sound simple, but one of the biggest mistakes during any weight loss plan is not thinking about the consequences of every decision and action. What I’m referring to here is food decisions – we often make choices in haste and don’t consider the real consequences for our health and weight.

2. Hang Around with Health-Minded People– I don’t mean that you should run out and dump a bunch of your friends, but most people don’t realize how much their friends can influence their daily behaviors. This has been a huge lesson in my own life. The more I hang out with other people who care about their health and fitness, the more likely I am to maintain it as a priority my daily decisions.

3. Be Reasonable – You should also realize that hitting a plateau and losing motivation are par for the weight loss course. It’s unreasonable to imagine any weight loss regimen that is not full of ups and downs along the way. So be reasonable and practical at the outset, and you’ll be less frustrated when frustrations actually occur. The other trick is to prepare for them when they do occur – whether it’s fitting in an extra workout or going for a walk.

4. Eat When You Feel Hungry – This one may sound obvious, but it’s important that you don’t let your metabolism slow down too much, because once this happens, you’ll start storing more calories as fat. Instead, eat frequent meals throughout the day in order to avoid major hunger pangs. This will keep your metabolism in high gear. A good way to do this is by supplementing with protein shakes and bars. Checkout Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion, one of the best tasting protein supplements on the market. Myoplex LIte Bars are also great snacking options.

5. Change Things Up – Boredom is by far one of the biggest predictors of loss in motivation. So whether it’s in your exercise routine or in your diet plan, make sure you throw in some variety on a regular basis. Even something as simple as giving yourself options each day can help prevent boredom. This is why I always tell my clients to avoid diets which are very strict in nature – they can’t practically be maintained over the long term. Options and variety are key to weight loss motivation.