Weight Loss Motivation: What keeps you going?

We are all in agreement that losing weight is not a simple task. In fact, it takes weight loss motivation for one to keep going till they achieve their goals. There are those who start only to lose all the momentum and get back to old ways. So you are right to ask on how to get motivated to lose weight. While there are so many weight loss strategies, diet motivation has been exceptional in giving quick and effective success.

In this post, we will explore how and where to get weight loss motivation as well as share with you weight loss strategies that will always make you a winner.

How to get motivated to lose weight

Motivation to lose weight is like the amount of fuel in your car: it determines how far you can go. The more motivated you are the more likely you will succeed with weight loss. If you are wondering of how to get motivated to lose weight, here is what has kept many people going:

· Be yourself: you are an individual and unique from the next person. Your weight loss path can never be like that of your friend. To stay motivated, you have to do you. Forget about those skinny models you see, yours is a different path and you are solely in charge. You will take things as they come. You will not compare yourself to others; and that is what will bring success to your endeavors.

· Show yourself some tough love: it is unfortunate what weight can do to some people. There are those who hate themselves for being fat. You should not do that. It is motivating to think of yourself wearing a bikini flaunting your perfect body shape. However, if that is not you then there is no need to hate yourself. Show yourself some mad love. Be proud of what your body is. This love will drive you to do the best for your body and that is when you can lose weight.

· Be part of a team: with weight loss, competition can go a very long way. According to an article published in the Journal of Obesity, being part of a team can help you lose 20 percent more weight than when you are alone. Get friends, co-workers and family members to be part of your program. They will give you competition and support to keep moving every single day.

· Stop the daily weigh-in: while it is important you keep track of your weight loss progress, it does not mean you have to do it daily. Worse still, there are those who step on it multiple times in one day. According to Nicole Nichols, a healthy expert with SparkPeople.com, every day weigh-ins only increases your diet motivation but not necessarily weight loss. Instead she recommends that you weigh yourself one every week.

· Surround yourself with supportive people: those around you can make or break your weight loss dreams. You have to be careful who your friends are. For your motivation, have supportive people. Let them encourage you even when you are not doing so fine. They should be of positive influence and that will spark your motivation to keep going every day.

· List your reasons to lose weight: the feeling of a slim and fit body is one good inspiration to lose weight. But that is not enough to keep you motivated. Sit down and list all the good reasons of losing weight. This list may include health life, being a good example to your kids, shopping for fashion without restriction, regaining self-confidence, and a lot more. Keep that list and go over it often. When you are drained and feeling like not going for a run, this list should be a constant reminder why you have to do it.

· Often reward yourself: it may sound ridiculous that you buy gifts for yourself. But it has been proven to be a motivating act of appreciation when it comes to weight loss. Set targets and if you achieve them, get a gift for yourself. If this is hard on you, get friends involved. Give them $20 each and ask them to reward you if you hit set target. It is fun and you will find yourself losing weight faster than you would without such a motivation.

· Have goals that go beyond the scale: you may do all things right but still the scale will not show anything good for your efforts. This is not the time to be discouraged. Nichols advises that you set other goals that may not be directly related to the figures on the scale. Stay on your range of calories, go for your routine exercise, drink 64 ounces of water each day, cook your food and pack the remnants for lunch. With this array of goals, you will not be put down by the number you see on the scale.

· Be a positive thinker: there is a lot that can go wrong with weight loss. If you are always seeing the worst happening then you may not go far with losing weight. Cultivate in you positive thinking even when things are going south. See every failure as a chance to learn your mistakes. Be appreciative of mean achievements. Above all, love everything about you and nothing will come between you and your determination to achieve your goals.

· Stop making excuses: motivation is staying on course no matter what. Steer away from the temptation to cheat and throw yourself some treats. If you want to stay on track, be honest with yourself. You know the right things and the wrong ones too. If you fail to go for exercise due to a genuine reason, find time to make up for it.

Weight loss strategies that will work

Weight loss is like a business venture that will need a plan. Weight loss strategies are part of this plan and they make your goals come true. Those who have been successful with weight loss have cited these strategies to be the key to their plans:

1. It is all about commitment: nothing comes to you if you sit and wait. You have to get up and go for the best. It is focus that will get you where you want. Commitment will be the best tool to give you desirable results. Be prepared to make sacrifices and in the end you will achieve all that you set out to.

2. Setting realistic goals: people just speak of realistic but do not know what that really means. In weight loss, aiming to lose 0.5-1 kg a week is very realistic. Anything above that borders on unrealistic and unachievable. Did you know that to lose 1 to 2kgs will require you to burn 500 to 1000 calories more than you daily consumption? So if you set a goal that is higher than that you may be unable to achieve that. The good thing with setting realistic goals is that they are achievable.

3. Be active, stay active: exercise has proven to be a sure strategy that gives positive weight loss results. It is what you need to burn calories at a faster rate. Apart from weight loss, being active keeps you healthy by preventing a galore of diseases and conditions.

4. Eat right: diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to weight loss. Eating right means getting the appropriate foods and eating only the quantity that your body requires. Cut down on calories by ditching junk foods and instead go for veggies and lean proteins.

5. Perspective change: if you have tried and failed with weight loss, you may already know that your attitude is the enemy. It is time to change that. Do not take exercise and dieting as a punishment. Treat it like something that has to be done for your body.

6. Overcome yourself: the biggest enemy to your weight loss is you. You may have the desire to lose weight but the willingness is not there. If you are to make good of your weight loss dreams, you have to beat the critic in you. Convince yourself that all you are doing is for the greater good. See a winner in you all the time.

7. Do not try too hard: you can only do so much in one time. If all that you are doing is bearing no fruits, you need to rethink. Stop trying very hard if all you get is failure. Take a break from your dieting and exercise for days or a week. Rethink before you begin. If you completely fail, this is not a war that everyone must win. You can take comfort in the fact that you tried your best.

With the right motivation, weight loss is not the hardest thing to achieve. It takes the right mindset to be successful. With the extensive ways to find weight loss motivation, you have no reason to fail in your endeavors. Stay motivated and you will be amazed by how far that goes to achieving your goals. The weight loss strategies discussed will also go a long way to give you victory. Never say it is impossible when you have all the power in your palms to do anything that you focus on.