HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY
How to Stay Motivated on Your Weight Loss Journey
Weight loss is a healing journey when you’re doing it in a sustainable way and not taking metabolism wrecking short cuts, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or frustrating. Setbacks are common, but they don’t have to get you down if you keep these six things in mind.
Forget the word diet. Diets don’t work. The only way you’re going to make lasting changes and keep the weight off for life is to change your lifestyle. The best way to do this is by making small changes and adopting new habits one by one. When I started on my journey to health, I began with an apple a day. I didn’t make any other changes until I really enjoyed having that apple every day. Then I started drinking more water. Next I started walking. Some people can make drastic changes and completely overhaul their life in one fell swoop, but for most of us, it’s overwhelming to even think about giving up bad habits or adding healthier foods to our diets. When people become overwhelmed, they tend to throw in the towel because they think it’s just too difficult. I promise you, it’s not.
Don’t focus on what you’re cutting out. For me, the idea of giving up my junk food cereal breakfast was dreadful. No way was I going to give up my favorite foods and eat bland, boring “health foods.” But once my apple a day habit took hold, I found that I didn’t crave the cereal as much and actually started getting curious about trying other fruits. I don’t know about you, but for me, if something is forbidden, I’ll want it more. I’ve learned that the easiest way to make lasting changes is to focus on what I’m adding to my life. I replaced cereal with smoothies and eggs and lounging on the couch with exercise, and I did it little by little. Day by day, I took one step toward a better life. And with each step I took, it got easier, until eventually my favorite junk foods and lazy ways were a thing of the past. The reality is, the more nutritious food you put into your body, the more your cells change and the more you begin to crave those foods. The more you move your body, the better you feel until you get to the point where you crave movement and don’t feel your best unless you exercise. Keep the focus on what you’re adding instead of what you’re eliminating.
Remember why you’re trying to lose weight. If you don’t know why, it’s time to sit down and really think about your “why.” Maybe you want to lose weight because you’ve found out you’re pre-diabetic. Maybe it’s because you want to be healthier so you’ll live long enough to see your grandchildren get married one day. Maybe it’s because you want to be able to get up and down from the floor to be able to play with your children. Whatever your reason, keep that in mind each day as you’re in the process of changing old habits and adopting new ones. When I first started on my health journey, I felt so awful that I wanted to give up. I was literally fighting for life each day. Knowing that I didn’t want to keep living if I continued feeling as bad as I did was what motivated me to keep going. I knew that I would never feel any different if I kept doing the same things, so I had no choice but to keep taking positive steps in the direction I wanted to go. Knowing your “why” for wanting to lose weight and be healthier will keep you going on the challenging days.
You will slip up. You will have setbacks. Acknowledge it. Accept it. There were many days I failed to plan ahead and ended up grabbing familiar convenience foods. There were many times I ended up on the couch with a bag of chips when I had intended to exercise and cook dinner. Knowing that it’s normal to fall back into old habits will make you feel less guilty when you do slip up. The trick is to not beat yourself up, acknowledge it for what it is, and move on. Start again tomorrow. Lasting change is usually not a linear progression. It can sometimes be one step forward, two steps back. Three steps forward, one step back. Just keep in mind that it’s the overall journey that is important. It’s the upward movement toward better health that matters.
In that same vein, try not to pay too much attention to the number on the scale. Our weight fluctuates on a daily basis, depending on what we’ve eaten and how hydrated we are. Women especially, can fluctuate 5-6 pounds just due to hormonal changes alone. I have clients that get frustrated because they’ve been eating clean and notice the scale go up a couple pounds instead of down. It happens. While it’s good to be aware of how much you weigh, it’s more important to pay attention to how your clothes fit and how you feel. Sometimes people will gain a couple pounds because they’ve gotten stronger, but their clothes are fitting much better. If you’ve starting strength training, you may be adding muscle mass and your weight may fluctuate. Muscle weighs more than fat so be prepared for this. It’s a good thing. The more muscle you add, the easier it will be to shed unwanted fat. So maybe weigh in once a week and focus more on how you’re feeling and how your jeans are fitting to gauge your progress.
Lastly, please don’t call yourself “Fat.” Saying derogatory things to yourself is disrespectful and won’t help you reach your goals. Calling yourself “fat” will only keep you “fat.” Do your best to focus instead on what you appreciate about your body. Maybe it’s that you’re able to reach things on high shelves because you’re tall. Or maybe it’s that you can sing, or cook or that you can walk a little faster than you once could. You won’t succeed at making lasting changes in your life if you don’t love and respect yourself. You must love yourself enough to want more for yourself. It’s the only way.
With that being said, we all need help sometimes. If you find that you’re struggling to stay motivated on your own, regular check-ins with your coach or practitioner can help keep you accountable and provide the support needed to keep going. It might also be time to redefine what healthy weight loss looks like and re-evaluate which foods are actually supporting your metabolism and which ones are doing more harm than good. If you’re ready for a new paradigm and you’d like to work with me, send me an email.
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