Top 10 Tips To Boost Your Weight Loss Motivation

Let’s face it, by the third or fourth week, it can get pretty hard to stay motivated with a weight loss program.

You’re not seeing fast results. Plus, you’re tired, irritable, and, well, hungry! The problem is that many of us are in a hurry to see changes that we often miss the whole objective of losing weight.

Shedding those extra pounds isn’t about reaching a certain number on the scale. It’s about living each day a healthy, well-balanced life.

And that is a process that takes time, hard work, and determination. It also takes discipline and holding yourself accountable, which is why, after a short while, we tend to lose the incentive to keep going.

That is unless you get the right type of encouragement!

Because we’ve all been there, we decided to put together this guide of the top 10 tips to boost your weight loss motivation. They can help keep you inspired and focused to get your mojo back.

Let’s get started.

Read also: Top 10 Tips For Low Carb Dieting

1| Get to Know Yourself Better

The trick to staying motivated is to find out what you like and don’t like. Once you identify what works for you, you’ll feel confident starting your successful weight-loss program.

Remember, what works for your friend or that lady on TV won’t work for you. You decide how you want to lose weight, and it has to be on your own terms, or it won’t work.

This can mean stocking your fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables. Or it can mean taking the weekend to cook a long list of healthy meals you can quickly prepare after work.

How about exercise? Do you like walking or swimming? Do you prefer working out alone or in a group?

Knowing these things will go a long way in keeping your motivation going and help boost your weight loss.

2| Track Your Weight Loss Journey

Studies show that keeping a food or weight loss journal is a great way to stay motivated. Plus, you can look back and see how far you’ve come.

Journaling also is a terrific way to identify your stress triggers. These are the bumps in the road that make you steer off-course and deviate from reaching your goals.

It could be work pressure, money issues, or problems at home. Whatever it is, write it down in your journal. By jotting down what you eat along with your thoughts, emotions, and daily struggles, you’ll be able to keep your motivation going and stay on track.

Read also: Top 10 Superfoods For Weight Loss

3| Set Micro Goals

No one starts losing weight without an end goal in mind. Yet, sometimes, this goal can’t be achieved in time because people are rarely patient with themselves.

Other times, the goal is just too overwhelming to handle. So, they give up.

The alternative is to work on something more reachable and easier to manage.

For example, don’t just say, “I want to lose 5 pounds this week” and leave it at that. Instead, try saying something like, “Today, I’m going to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.”

Doesn’t that sound more reasonable and easier to do?

4| Reward Yourself

Rewarding your hard work and dedication isn’t being self-indulgent. It’s actually an essential part of your wellness journey.

Take a step back and look at everything you’ve accomplished. Celebrate the small successes along the way because they’re what got you where you are today.

So, the next time you reach one of your micro goals, why not take yourself out on a fun shopping spree? Or treat yourself to an indulgent beauty treatment?

Here are a few extra ideas to get you inspired:

Plan a staycation
Take the day off for relaxation
Take a nap in the middle of the day
Go out with friends
Take up a new hobby

5| Make Exercise Fun

For most people, working out is a type of punishment. It’s something they’re forced to do rather than something they enjoy.

But the best way to make exercise part of your daily habit is to look for activities you like doing. For example, why do you insist on running three times a week if you’re bored out of your mind with running? Why not try Salsa dancing or cycling?

Another way to make exercise fun is by turning on a killer playlist. Also, if you’re tired of working out alone, why not sign up for a class? Better yet, gather your friends and hit the hiking trail?

6| Surprise Yourself

It’s easy to fall into the routine of eating the same thing every day and doing the same workout routines. But this can be a definite motivation killer!

So, the next time you’re doing your grocery shopping, look for a fruit or vegetable you’ve never tried before. Or you can look up new recipes online and try them out.

As for your workouts, shake things up by trying a new Zumba class or taking a new route when running.

7| Focus On Your Mental Health

Yes, eating right and working out are integral parts of weight loss. But did you know that losing weight starts in your head?

The better you feel in general, and especially about yourself, the more likely you’ll have the right motivation you need to keep going.

Check out these tips to get your mental health on track:

Get 7–8 hours of quality sleep each night
Make time to socialize with your family and friends
Learn a new skill, preferably in a real-life setting and not online
Practice mindfulness meditation so you can be more aware of the present moment
Exercise regularly, preferably somewhere where there’s fresh air and sunshine

8| Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Even though losing weight seems like a social project, it’s a personal journey. What you’re going through is very different from what your friend is dealing with.

So, try not to compare yourself to others, whether real-life people you see every day or those photo-shopped beauties you see on social media.

What you should be doing, instead, is focusing on all the hard work you’re putting into eating right and working out. Look at where you were last week or last month and how much you’ve accomplished since then.

That’s who you should compare yourself to. No one else.

9| Aim for Consistency, not Perfection

While counting calories and reaching lofty goals is important, losing weight is about staying consistent day after day. No one expects you to be perfect, so stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

So, you ate that last piece of chocolate cake. So what?

It doesn’t mean you’ve fallen off the wagon, and it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. All it means is that you’re doing your best and that you really wanted some chocolate.

The next day, focus on eating all-healthy foods all day long. Problem solved!