Do you need something to give you a bit more motivation to lose those extra lbs?
Here are 5 tips on maintaining weight-loss motivation (I personally follow these tips)
1. Remember your initial reasons for wanting to lose weight.
Recall why it was so important to you to slim down when you started this journey, and why you need to persevere. (ie:// My biggest reason for wanting to lose weight is my daughter, now that she's at the running around stage I began to realize exactly how out of shape I was and how important it is to lose weight not only for myself but for her as well)
2. Use physical reminders of your goal.
Keep a picture of an outfit you’re going to buy when you reach your goal, or a photograph of a thinner you where you will see it every day. (ie:// I use "pre-baby" pictures of myself as a reminder of my goal, I dont have a picture in front of me all the time but when i'm at the gym and i'm just about to give up I imagin those pictures and it gives me the boost I need to complete my workout)
3. Keep in mind how far you’ve come.
Compare yourself now to where you were before you started losing weight. How much weight have you lost? How much better do your clothes fit you? How has your energy level and health improved? What can you do now that you couldn’t do before? Going back to your old eating habits won’t seem so tempting when you think how it will undermine all the good things that weight loss has brought you so far. (ie:// as you lose weight you be begin to notice things you can do that you would have struggled with before the weightloss. Just the other day I jogged from a store to my car that was only a short distance away and I wasn't out of breath, pre-weightloss I would have been breathing hard just from that little jog. That mini-result gave me so much more motivation to keep up with my journey!)
4. Try the “shopping bag cure.”
Often, people don’t realize how much weight actually weighs. Sounds crazy, but when people tell me they’ve lost “only” 20 pounds, I ask them to fill a couple of shopping bags with 20 pounds of books and carry them up and down the stairs a few times. Everyone is always glad to put the bags down and report that they had no idea how heavy 20 pounds really is.
So the next time you’re feeling uninspired, fill a shopping bag or two with the amount of books or cans of food that equals how much weight you’ve lost and carry them up and down a flight of stairs three times. You’ll be amazed at what you’ve lost, and you’ll be relieved to put the bag down. You couldn’t have put that weight down weeks ago, when it was still around your waist, hips and thighs!
Keep the bag intact, and add more books or cans as you continue to lose weight. It’s a wonderful motivator.
(ie:// It really is amazing how much this tip can make you realize what you have lost!)
5. Get support.
Buddy up with friends, a spouse or family members who are trying to lose weight. They will give you a sense of camaraderie and encouragement as you strive for your goal, and you can turn to them for support when you need it.
(ie:// This tip is by far one of the most IMPORTANT ones in my opinion, Life can be a struggle without having to deal with weightloss on the side. Get a workout buddy or a diet buddy to walk along this path with you and you will be amazed at how much easier it will be for both of you. By joining this group you have already made a dent in this important tip so CONGRATS on that! :) )
Thank you for taking the time to read these great weightloss tips!