We each decide to try to lose weight for a number of reasons - to
look better, to feel better about ourselves, to be healthy for our
family, to be fit enough to keep up with the kids, to avoid major health
issues. Unfortunately, when the weight loss seems to stop or the diet
is too much to stick to, we lose sight of these goals.
It's hard to stay motivated when trying to lose weight, believe me I know - I've been there a number of times! You might be wearing yourself out at the gym every day, or starving yourself on a no carb diet all in an effort to reach your goal weight. Then you think - there's got to be a better way!
When things start to get a bit tough or you get sick of eating the same thing every day, you give up without giving your goal a second thought... if you can even remember why you were trying to lose weight in the first place?
Here are a few things to consider about your weight loss motivators:
Is your goal realistic?
It's pretty fair to say that the superficial goals of wanting to look good, or feel better about yourself are pretty easy to let go. When you're looking at the stick of celery you have for lunch, you decide "I shouldn't be worrying about how I look. Life's too short, I just want to be happy", and go for the fried chicken instead.
With these goals, you really need to consider what your ideal image of yourself is. Is it achievable? Or are you dreaming of being the next stick thin supermodel?
Having a realistic image of yourself, or even a favorite old outfit that you'd like to fit back into will go a long way to keeping you on your weight loss plan.
Are you doing it for yourself or someone else?
When we decide to lose weight to please friends, family or a partner, you need to be very careful that you're also doing it because you want to. If you feel like you need to lose weight to fit in and be accepted, it can be a real confidence killer.
While it can be very helpful to have a supportive family and spouse, if you're feeling more pressure than support you need to speak up. Your weight loss plan will never work if you aren't doing it for yourself or you don't feel supported by the people you care about.
If there are negative people in your life that are making you feel bad about yourself and your appearance, you need to ask yourself if you would be better off without them. If someone can't accept you for who you are, and you feel you need to change yourself to please them, are you sure you need that person in your life?
Do you see weight loss as the answer to all of your problems?
This may seem like a pretty strange question, but if you find yourself often thinking' "If I could lose a bit of weight I could..."...be more confident...be more secure...go for those jobs I want...finally ask him out...
These are false motivators. It's a lot like believing if you could lose weight your life would be perfect. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that just isn't going to happen.
Initially, it might be enough motivation to get you down to the gym a couple of times or to say no to that chocolate bar, but there won't be any staying power. You'll forget about it after a couple of weeks and just fall back into the pattern of feeling bad about yourself (yes, I am talking from experience).
Having the right motivators and goals is just as important as finding the right weight loss plan. If you're trying to lose weight for all the wrong reasons, it isn't going to happen easily. I'm not saying you can't lose that weight, you just might need to dig a little deeper to find the motivators that will help you to lose weight easily and keep it off!
It's hard to stay motivated when trying to lose weight, believe me I know - I've been there a number of times! You might be wearing yourself out at the gym every day, or starving yourself on a no carb diet all in an effort to reach your goal weight. Then you think - there's got to be a better way!
When things start to get a bit tough or you get sick of eating the same thing every day, you give up without giving your goal a second thought... if you can even remember why you were trying to lose weight in the first place?
Here are a few things to consider about your weight loss motivators:
Is your goal realistic?
It's pretty fair to say that the superficial goals of wanting to look good, or feel better about yourself are pretty easy to let go. When you're looking at the stick of celery you have for lunch, you decide "I shouldn't be worrying about how I look. Life's too short, I just want to be happy", and go for the fried chicken instead.
With these goals, you really need to consider what your ideal image of yourself is. Is it achievable? Or are you dreaming of being the next stick thin supermodel?
Having a realistic image of yourself, or even a favorite old outfit that you'd like to fit back into will go a long way to keeping you on your weight loss plan.
Are you doing it for yourself or someone else?
When we decide to lose weight to please friends, family or a partner, you need to be very careful that you're also doing it because you want to. If you feel like you need to lose weight to fit in and be accepted, it can be a real confidence killer.
While it can be very helpful to have a supportive family and spouse, if you're feeling more pressure than support you need to speak up. Your weight loss plan will never work if you aren't doing it for yourself or you don't feel supported by the people you care about.
If there are negative people in your life that are making you feel bad about yourself and your appearance, you need to ask yourself if you would be better off without them. If someone can't accept you for who you are, and you feel you need to change yourself to please them, are you sure you need that person in your life?
Do you see weight loss as the answer to all of your problems?
This may seem like a pretty strange question, but if you find yourself often thinking' "If I could lose a bit of weight I could..."...be more confident...be more secure...go for those jobs I want...finally ask him out...
These are false motivators. It's a lot like believing if you could lose weight your life would be perfect. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that just isn't going to happen.
Initially, it might be enough motivation to get you down to the gym a couple of times or to say no to that chocolate bar, but there won't be any staying power. You'll forget about it after a couple of weeks and just fall back into the pattern of feeling bad about yourself (yes, I am talking from experience).
Having the right motivators and goals is just as important as finding the right weight loss plan. If you're trying to lose weight for all the wrong reasons, it isn't going to happen easily. I'm not saying you can't lose that weight, you just might need to dig a little deeper to find the motivators that will help you to lose weight easily and keep it off!
Comments
Post a Comment