Tips For Staying Motivated During Your Weight Loss Journey

Do you find it difficult to stick with your weight loss plan or that staying motivated wanes quickly? You can avoid that problem or have a backup plan that helps if it occurs. It’s not always easy to stick with eating healthy with so many temptations. If exercise is part of your program, and it should be, the hardest part is often getting started with your workout. Those are areas having a plan can help.

Use procrastination and just-one-more.

If you have problems sticking with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you’re probably already using procrastination and the just-one and just-one-more technique, just not the right way. Instead of procrastinating about exercise, procrastinate about eating. Give yourself the “I’ll do it later” speech if you’re considering an unhealthy snack. Use the just-one technique for exercise, just take a nibble, and do just one exercise or one set. Once you start, it’s like eating an entire bag of chips. You’ll finish the workout by doing just one more.

Have goals and keep score.

Winners keep score but you won’t know if you’re a winner unless you have a goal. Weight loss goals take time to achieve. Don’t focus on the big goal but break down the goal into smaller ones that you can achieve quickly. Make smaller weekly goals of losing 2 pounds weekly for 13 weeks instead of 25 pounds in three months. Meal planning can help, and so can journaling. You can track everything you eat in a food journal and track your exercise, including repetitions and sets.

Share your goals with a friend.

Having someone checking on your progress can be a powerful driving force. One study showed when someone called participants once a week, they stayed with a workout program, while those without a phone call didn’t stick with it. It’s even better if your friend is also on a weight loss journey. You can cheer each other on to victory and even share healthy recipes. If you live close to each other, become workout buddies.

• Give yourself some slack if you fall off the wagon and skip a workout or eat high-calorie, unhealthy food. It’s not the end of the world. Just start fresh immediately.
• Don’t overdo the exercise initially or curb your calories to a starvation level. That’s a surefire method to failure. Focus more on exercise form initially and take it slow. Eat healthy, but don’t cut calories too low. Reduce them enough to lose one or two pounds a week.
• You won’t see changes immediately, so don’t expect them. It took a long time to put on the weight and will take a while to lose it. Only weigh yourself once a week at the same time.
• Make a daily appointment for your workout and treat it as important as a doctor’s appointment. If you have a hectic schedule, make it the first thing in the morning so the day’s activities don’t get in the way.

For more information, contact us today at Get RIPPED! by Jari Love