Need Motivation to Lose Weight? 7 Tips to Drop Pounds

Need Motivation to Lose Weight? 7 Tips to Help You Reach Your Goals

Losing weight can be difficult to accomplish, as it requires dedication and patience. Clear goals are the key to any successful weight loss journey, but if you’re like most people, you may find that you need motivation to lose weight. Over a third of all American adults meet the medical standards of obesity, according to the CDC. If you are struggling with your weight and lack the motivation you need to succeed, you are certainly not alone. Motivation is more than just the desire to lose weight, as it encompasses the willingness to change your lifestyle in order to achieve your goal. This guide will cover seven tips that can help you get motivated and lose the weight necessary for you to lead a healthy and happy life. We’ve compiled a list of things you can do at home and more extreme and immediate measure like attending a weight loss camp.

1) Set Clear and Realistic Goals

Before beginning your weight loss journey, it is essential to write down a concrete goal. Reliable goals include specifics that you can easily measure, such as the time, date, and number of pounds lost. Setting goals is especially helpful when you need to find the motivation for significant weight loss, as the goals give you something specific to work towards. It is important to be realistic about your goals as well as specific. You should consult your physician to inquire about a reasonable amount of weight to lose within a given time. Two to three pounds per week is generally considered healthy. Make sure your diet and exercise regime allows you to lose a reasonable amount of weight within your desired time frame. Nothing drains motivation to lose weight like failing to meet a goal that wasn’t achievable in the first place.

2) Rid Your Environment of Obstacles

One of the most common reasons for weight loss failure is being in an environment that does not support your weight loss goals. If your pantry is stocked with junk food, you’ll be more likely to lose your weight loss motivation when cravings for sweets and salt kick in. You should maintain an environment that sets you up to achieve your goals rather than one full of temptations. Part of creating an environment that facilitates weight loss is keeping healthy snacks on hand to ensure you always have healthy options available that can satisfy your cravings for bad foods.

3) Find Social Support

Finding a support system is essential when it comes to maintaining your motivation to lose weight, so join an online support group, or meet with a trusted friend who has the same goals at least once a week. It is well documented that individuals who have a strong social support system stay focused longer and lose more weight over the long term. Having someone to discuss your weight loss journey with can help keep you on track during the more difficult moments of the weight loss process. Finding other people who also need motivation to lose weight is even better, because you will all be going through the same challenges and can provide much-needed empathy and understanding to one another. Friends and family who do not struggle with weight loss can still be a great source of support, but they may not understand your challenges the way someone who is also trying to lose weight will understand them.

4) Create an Exercise Regimen

While weight loss is dependent upon expending more calories than you consume, exercise is an essential component to any significant weight loss journey. Exercise releases endorphins that boost your mood, which can increase your motivation to lose weight. In addition to losing weight, exercise can spike your metabolism and tone your body, making the caloric changes in your diet more physically apparent. While it is possible to lose weight without exercising, exercise is a great way to stay motivated and speed up your weight loss. As you continue to lose weight, you will be able to reach physical milestones that will keep you focused on the positive changes all your hard work has made possible.

5) Reward Your Successes

People can also fall off the wagon when it comes to losing weight if they fail to reward themselves when they reach specific goals. Don’t wait until you hit your final goal weight to buy new clothes. Make small purchases here and there so that you’ll always have something to wear that makes you feel great about your body. If you need motivation, the best place to start is the mirror. Rather than beating yourself up about how much you have left to lose, praise yourself for what you have accomplished. Rewarding yourself can be as simple as looking in the mirror and taking the time to notice all the ways you look healthier and stronger than you did when you began your journey.

6) Attend a Weight Loss Camp

Weight loss camps are growing in popularity for a reason—they work. Many people find that the controlled environment of a weight loss camp is a great place to rewire their dieting game plans, establish healthier eating habits, and learn the most effective ways to burn fat. Camps vary in what they offer, but you can expect a mix of specially prepared foods, intense exercise, and special classes that are directed at not only learning how to lose weight the right way but also how to sustain your weight loss results through a combination of better nutrition, portion control, and lifestyle changes.

7) Let Go of Your Failures

Resist the temptation to punish yourself if you eat something that isn’t part of your diet plan. You’ll never sustain the motivation you need if you don’t learn to let go of your setbacks along the way. Everyone makes mistakes, and many people give in to temptations when embarking on a weight loss journey. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it and take some time to consider the repercussions of your actions. Don’t dwell on it or let it distract you from your goals. Regard dietary slips and missed gym trips as temporary setbacks, and try to treat them on a case-by-case basis. Examine your failures within the larger context of your entire weight loss journey, including your successes. Keeping a big-picture perspective will help you retain your motivation and push on towards the end goal. Low self-esteem is a major contributing factor in the behaviors that lead to obesity, so treating yourself with kindness is a great way to change your existing habits.