Wondering how to motivate yourself to start losing weight?
It’s still January (just!), which means that the age old ‘new year, new me’ mantra is still very much in play! If one of your New Year’s resolutions is, like millions of others all over the world, to lose that extra bit of weight, then putting your plan into action is often much harder than simply thinking about the end result. Losing weight and getting in shape is a really tough but admirable thing to do, and once you find the motivation to actually start your fitness journey, you will feel better than you ever have before. If you are someone who is waiting to find your own impetus to start losing weight, then why not read through how to motivate yourself to start losing weight.
You need to want to lose weight for specific reasons rather than just wanting to go along with the crowd. Do you want to start a family? Do you want to fit in a specific dress? Do you want to be able to wear a bikini on your summer holiday? Any little personal goal rather than just the broad “I need to lose weight" can make the fitness journey much more tangible and real. If you're wondering how to motivate yourself to start losing weight, figuring out why is a great first step.
It’s important to realise that you are certainly not alone in your ambitions. Whether you want to join a local weight loss group, or maybe find a community online that are all working toward their own weight loss goals, it is much more motivating and inspiring when you have got other people in mind who are doing the same thing. When you know you have a weekly public weigh in to confront, you might think twice about having those biscuits after dinner!
It’s very easy to fall behind on a weight loss journey or give up altogether if you are the only person who is involved. If you share your results and progress pictures on your social media, the likes and comments from your friends and family will really inspire you to keep going and keep you motivated when you hit bumps in the road. And believe us, there definitely will be bumps in the road!
You really need to analyse and understand your own relationship with food in order to change your diet and lifestyle. Are there certain triggers that encourage you to eat? Are there certain times of the day when you are more likely to snack? By realising these patterns, you can do something about it.
The more educated about different foods and their benefits, the better your diet is going to be. It’s not all about turning to the low-calorie snack and packaged meals because at some point you are going to reach your goal weight and then have to work to maintain that weight rather than going back to your old habits.
Rather than throwing out a big number as your end weight loss goal, break it down into much more achievable portions so that you can feel your progress in a much more real way. Slow and steady wins the race, so don’t go too hard too early!
We are all human, and we all experience setbacks sometimes, so don’t throw in the towel if you happen to have a bad day diet wise. Just pick yourself up, put it in the past, and keep going. Five good days out of seven is still much better than none!