Motivation Is An Important Part of Successful Weight Loss

The best-made plans to lose weight will still fail if you are not motivated for the long haul. It is not enough to join that fitness club or purchase that home exercise equipment, you have to actually go to the fitness center and do the activities on a regular basis and you have to use the home exercise equipment more than once or twice. It takes real motivation and perseverance to commit to a lifetime of good eating and exercise that will result in losing the desired weight. You may have good intentions but then find out that exercising is boring or too hard to do or that your diet is just too tasteless or leaves you hungry all the time. There are a million reasons to quit on your diet or exercise program and just as many reasons for finding the right motivation to stay on course and lose the weight.

Motivation is especially challenging for the individual previously described as a “couch potato”. Some previously shunned exercise because they found it boring or difficult and may also find it hard to get and stay motivated. It helps to stay motivated if you have a tangible reward and if the reward is something that you value or desire highly. In other words know what you will receive if you stay motivated such as buying a dress 4 sizes smaller that will look absolutely awesome on you that you can wear to a special event coming up in a few months. Purchase the dress and hang it up where you can see it every day so that you can visually see your reward and be motivated by it. You should also have a realistic weight loss goal and break that goal into smaller goals and then reward yourself with mini-rewards every time you achieve a smaller goal. You will stay motivated longer each time you are rewarded for reaching a smaller goal and the “winning” feeling you get will be further motivation for achieving the next weight loss goal on your way to achieving the bigger goal.

You may be someone who is highly motivated by being in a weight loss group so that others in the group can help cheer you on and help you to stay motivated.

Use the power of “psyching yourself out” to help motivate yourself throughout the day. You might write motivational messages on post-it notes and stick them around at work and at home so that every time you see and read one your motivation will be stoked again. These post-it notes will also be reminders to exercise and stick to your diet.

If you have purchased home exercise equipment don’t hide it away out of sight, keep it in plain view so that you will have to see it everyday and be a visual reminder to exercise.

Motivation is a very important part of successful weight loss so do whatever you have to in order to stay motivated.