I’ve said a million times in a million different ways – convincing your mind is half the battle with weight loss motivation. We all know we should exercise. Yes, of course, choosing an apple over fries (do people really do that) is the right thing to do. I (you) are completely aware of every little thing we need to do to create a healthy lifestyle and keep it going.
So why do we fall off track? Why do we become unmotivated? Why do we want to lounge on the couch eating a box of cheez its when we know we’ll regret that decision about 5 minutes afterwards.
Now don’t get down on yourself. We’ve ALL been there. Trust me, even I find myself making bad decisions when I know better. Hello, I write Organize Yourself Skinny. In theory, I should have it together 100% of the time and never lose weight loss motivation. Well, I don’t and I wish.
Here’s the thing. We’re all human. Life’s not perfect and neither are you. We are allowed to make mistakes. So as frustrating as it is to eat an extra slice of pizza or miss a couple workouts I’m here to tell you it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. The important thing is to get up and keep going.
Before I give tips to get your mind back in the game let’s first talk about why you might lose weight loss motivation.
Stress
Unfortunately, stress is a part of life – it’s just the way it is. Even if you have the best coping skills around it’s likely there’ll still be times stressful situations will get the best of you. Trust me, it happens to the best of us. Of course, it’s okay to breakdown once in a while but if your world comes crashing down, and every healthy habit goes out the window, every time something doesn’t go your way then it’s time to reevaluate.
Burnt-out
Burnout is when stress, mental and physical exhaustion, along with the everyday demands of life become off balance – and not in your favor. Unfortunately, at some point, most of us have struggled with some level of burnout. When you’re burnt out the simplest tasks seem overwhelming. You have no desire to keep up with the basics and taking on anything new just feels impossible.
Unorganized and chaos
Changing your lifestyle requires focus and discipline. I feel very strongly that it’s impossible to create new healthy habits in the midst of chaos. It’s almost like trying to lead two lives. In one life you’re living the way you always have and just trying to survive. In the other life you’re trying to eat healthy and exercise. In order to succeed the two lives need to become one. Organization creates peace and reduces stress. This provides room to focus on change. Always remember, you can’t change without change.
Not fueling your body
I know you might not feel like grocery shopping, prepping healthy meals, drinking smoothies, or exercising but each one will help you cope better with everything I mentioned above. If you’re surviving off processed food and coffee then it’s no wonder you feel sluggish, unfocused, and with zero motivation. The food and drinks you put in your body matters!
How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight?
#1. Accountability
There’s nothing that jolts me back to reality like stepping on the scale, slipping into jeans that might be “too tight”, or tracking my foods. It’s so easy to stay in denial when you don’t pay attention to food or weight. Go back to the basics!
Here are some posts that’ll help:
5 Things You Can Do in the Next 24 hours to Start Your Weight Loss Journey
5 Habits You Should Be Focusing on Right Now to Create a Healthier Lifestyle
#2. Utilize services to make life easier
Gone are the days where we need to run ourselves ragged trying to do everything. There are services and tools available now to help us eat healthier, save time, and significantly reduce stress. For example, if you don’t have time to get to the grocery store then I highly strongly recommend using Instacart to have groceries delivered right to your front door. It amazing! Honestly, it’s been such a game changer for me. Meal prep is so much easier when I can have all the ingredients delivered right to me. I save at least 2 hours a week using Instacart. Anyway, you can read my full Instacart review for more information.
Or if you’re trying to change your eating habits and have no clue where to start then consider a meal planning service like Emeals. They send super healthy meal plans such as clean eating, Paleo, low-carb, low-calorie, and many others right to your email inbox every week. You can try a free 14-day trial to see if Emeal is a good fit.
If you simply need a way to organize your recipes, create easy meal plans, and generate a grocery list then Plan to Eat could work great for you. Plan to Eat offers a 30-day free trial.
Or if you just want a meal plan, and all the ingredients, delivered to your door then maybe a meal kit delivery service is for you. These are a little more expensive but they work well for many people. Here are the meal kit delivery reviews I’ve done of my favorites. Each review has a coupon if you choose to give them shot.
#3. Join a weight loss motivation group
When I first started to lose weight I didn’t think I needed, or saw the benefits, of joining any type of group. However, I was wrong. Today I’m a part of a few different weight loss groups including the Organize Yourself Skinny Facebook group and I find it to be extremely motivating. Not only do I use it for inspiration but I also have learned so many new ideas from the other members. It’s a great way to keep healthy habits on the brain.
If you don’t want to join a group then consider working with an accountability partner. In this case, you both can support one another and bounce ideas of each other.
#4. Focus on habits and set small goals.
One weight loss mistake I see people make, and I’ve made myself, is focusing only on the amount of weight they want to lose. In the beginning of my weight loss journey I wanted to lose 60lbs – that’s quite a bit and was not going to come off in a week. Heck, 7 years later, I still haven’t lost it all. My advice is to focus on habits. Don’t try to overhaul your life in a day. Choose a couple habits and set goals around those. Then create action steps to make it happen.
For example:
I’m going to drink 1 gallon of water every day this week. I’ll do this but getting a water bottle and setting reminders in my phone.
I’m going to exercise 4 times this week. I’ll do this by waking up early and getting to the gym in the morning. To make this easier I’ll have all my exercise gear ready the night before.
I’m going to eat more fruits and vegetables this week. I’ll do this by making green smoothie kits and mason jar salads.
Related posts:
How to Start a Morning Exercise Routine.
#5. Read, read, read
Our minds are focused on a million different things – work, taking care of the kids, dog, laundry, cleaning the house, taking a shower, spending time with our partners, etc! It’s no surprise that we forget to take care of ourselves. Our minds just don’t go there most days.
I keep my mind focused and motivated by reading other weight loss blogs, books, posts in the OYS facebook, and I even read my own blogs. I like to remember where I started and to be reminded to keep going. Whenever I feel like I need a push I turn to some of my favorite blog posts.
My favorite posts to read when I need a shot of motivation are these:
4 Pieces of Advice I’d Give my 40lb Heavier Self
9 Important Tips to Remember if You’re Serious About Losing Weight
Turn Weight Loss Into Your New Hobby
#6. Just get up and do something
More often than not, we are waiting for the perfect time, moment, and situation to get back into our weight loss journey. Or we think if we can’t do it all then why do anything? This way of thinking can keep us in bad habits for many years. If you feel unmotivated, and/or don’t where to start, just do something…anything. Sometimes it takes just doing one thing to start the snowball effect.
At the end of the day nobody is going to do the work for you. You need to push yourself even if every part of you wants to stay on the couch. It always seems hard at first but after a few days it will get easier and after a few weeks it will be habit.
Here are a couple posts that help with weight loss motivation, self-discipline, and mindset.
7 Ways to Create Discipline So You Can Lose Weight and Do Amazing Sh*t.
8 Habits to Change Your Mindset So You Can Finally Attract Weight Loss Into Your life
Remember, the road to weight loss is paved with small and large healthy habits. Pick a couple habits and get to work.
What are your tips for weight loss motivation? How do you stay motivated on your weight loss journey?
CONNIE BRADSHAW says
Depression and unhappiness lead me to eating and I see myself growing bigger and bigger in clothing sizes, finding my capabilities of movement even to walk my dog around the block becoming more and more difficult. I’m so out of breath and I feel like my heart is working way too hard. Don’t know how to stop!!!