How To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight

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Staying motivated to lose weight is one of the hardest things you must deal with in your life.  There are so many temptations that it’s hard to stay true to your weight loss routine.

I know how you feel because even though I’ve lost a lot of weight I still struggle with inner “food” demons that threaten to destroy everything I’ve worked hard for.  But never fear!  I have put together a list of tips from experts that will show you how to motivate yourself to lose weight and keep it off for life!

The first thing you know is that will power alone is not enough.  Charles Platkin, noted author of Breaking The Pattern: The 5 Principles You Need To Remodel Your Life says that people think they can change their behavioral patterns through their own discipline.  Typically, he says, willpower does not last that long.

So here are some excellent tips that will help you overcome defeat and claim victory with weight loss.

How To Stick To Your Diet

No More Excuses

Experts say that you should exercise in the morning, even if you’re not a morning person.  The later you wait to exercise the more likely it’s going to be that you’re not going to do it.  Sally White, a Ph.D. and expert in showing people how to stay motivated to exercise says that you should keep your workout clothes with you where ever you go.  Leave them in your car or at work.  You should have them with you wherever you go so that you never have a reason or an excuse not to exercise.

You can also do things like leave your sports bra on when you go to sleep or lay your exercise outfit on the bed the night before.  Try setting your alarm earlier to give you time to work out or have an exercise buddy call you and remind you to get out of bed and start exercising.  The key is to figure out what works for you and then simply do that.

Involve Your Family

I know how hard it can be to find time to work out when you have kids.   But it actually doesn’t have to be because you can include them.  You and your family can go for group bike rides, walks in the park, hiking expeditions, or just a walk around the block.  Take the dog out and throw the ball around.

One of my favorite activities is to take the kids to the park with a container of bubble mix and a bubble wand.  Then we blow bubbles and spend some time chasing them around.  It’s SUPER fun and it’s a great way to burn some calories.  There are lots of ways to get the kids involved and when they are involved it’s more fun for you!  Also, Sally White says that children who exercise with their parents early in their lives are more likely to exercise later in life.   Your family and their wellbeing can be wonderful motivation to lose weight.

Measuring Devices

Get yourself a gadget that will help you track your weight loss progress.  It can be a huge weight loss motivation factor to actually be able to see the progress you’ve made.   You can find devices that are complex that can track everything from calories consumed and burned to simple devices that measure how many steps you’ve taken over an entire day.

Here’s a calorie tracker app for your Iphone.

You can find pedometers to measure your steps at Amazon.com or you can checkout the BalanceLog at Healthetech.com.  The BalanceLog is a software that will calculate how many calories you’ve consumed and how many calories you’ve burned.  Plus it will help you come up with a food budget that is based on the amount of exercise that you’re getting.

Use The Power Of Positive Visualization

Take your goals and positively visualize them.  Think about exactly how it’s going to feel when you are at your ideal weight.  Imagine going out for drinks with your friends or out to dinner with your husband in a new sexy dress.  Imagine running into an old flame or even an old enemy and you look thin and beautiful.  Stuart Platkin, motivational expert and author says that you should have “motivational scenarios” that you can play in your mind to help you when you find yourself stuck in a weight loss rutt. Platkin says to make sure your visualizations are powerful—powerful enough to stand up to the chocolate fudge cake that’s sitting on the kitchen counter.

The Power Of Music

Music is much more than something you can listen to while working out.  Music offers much more than mere mental stimulation.  It can actually put you in a much more positive mood.  Vince Nethery an expert at exercise science and professor at Central Washington University says that listening to music will help you “maintain a reasonable intensity level” and may even help you work out harder and longer.  A recent study in Virginia found that college students who listened to music while working out were able to do it more than ten percent longer than those who worked out without music.

If Not For Yourself, Then For Someone Else

Get involved with charities that have regular marathon or other physical activity based events.  There are plenty to choose from and they are always looking for people to get involved and help out their cause.

Click Here for a list of runs you can get involved with.

Click Here for a list of walking events you can get involved with.

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