Tips to be happy and motivated while losing weight

For many people, losing weight, and keeping it off, can be two of the hardest things to do in life. Being happy and motivated during weight loss, and not losing focus, can be especially tough. Here are some ideas to help us be happy and motivated while losing weight.

Remember why you want to lose weight
Think of the downsides of not losing weight
Put up inspirational pictures, sayings, quotes and affirmations in your home and workplace
Enjoy your food
Imagine the positive outcomes that you want from losing weight
Many barriers to weight loss are probably temporary and can be overcome
Keep going after setbacks
Set small and large weight loss goals
Reward yourself often
Use positive self talk
Praise yourself often
Be patient with and committed to your weight loss
Be around supportive people
Have a weight loss buddy
Read motivational weight loss stories
Forget the past and focus on the now
Remember that one weight loss plan does not suit everybody
Remember your positive qualities

Remember why you want to lose weight

Often thinking of the benefits of why you want to lose weight can help motivate you to lose weight and help you be happier while losing weight.

Benefits might be to:

• have more energy
• fit into clothes you like
• be more confident
• feel more attractive
• have less health problems
• do a physical activity that you like without getting puffed or stopping often

Regularly read your benefits of losing weight. Put them somewhere where you’ll be able to get to them easily, such as in the top drawer in your kitchen or on top of your bedside table. When you feel like stopping losing weight, read the reasons to help motivate you to continue.

Think of the downsides of not losing weight

Downsides might be:

• not having enough energy to do what you want to do
• health problems caused by being overweight
• feeling less confident and attractive than you would like to be

Put up inspirational pictures, sayings, quotes and affirmations in your home and workplace

Put these up on the fridge and office walls to boost your spirits and inspire you to keep going, especially when the going gets tough.

Enjoy your food

Eating can be one of the great joys in life. Obviously if we don’t enjoy what we eat, we are likely to stop eating it, so make the effort to find healthy foods that you also like.

Our taste buds can take time to adapt to new flavours, so we might find the new foods hard to eat for a while. Persist – the benefits of healthy eating and weight loss are worth it.

Imagine the positive outcomes that you want from losing weight

What we often imagine (visualize) can happen, so visualize what you want from your weight loss.

Things to visualize might include:

• friends and family praising you on how good you look losing weight
• fitting into the smaller sized clothes you’ve been wanting to wear for a while
• feeling fit and energetic while running around with your kids/playing sport/walking…
• enjoying eating healthy and tasty meals that look delicious

Many barriers to weight loss are probably temporary and can be overcome

There are many barriers to losing weight. Lots can most likely be overcome. Below are some common barriers to losing weight, with ideas on how to overcome them.

• Don’t like healthy eating? Eating healthier foods might be hard at first, but in time you can grow to enjoy the new flavours and want to eat them.
• Find healthy eating dull and boring? There are plenty of great easy recipes to make healthy food tasty. With some herbs and spices, sauces and imagination…you can turn boring “rabbit food” into delicious delights.
• Don’t like fruit and veg? Know how to pick ripe and delicious fruit and vegetables, and make them into tasty recipes.
• Exercise is hard and you don’t like it. Exercise can be hard at first. The fitter you become the easier it is to exercise and the more likely you are to enjoy exercise. Start off gently and slowly if need be, and persist through tough times. Increase your level of exercise gradually to prevent pain, injuries and burn-out.
• Don’t feel like exercising? After exercising for a few months it can become a habit that you want to do, not feel like something that you should do, but don’t really want to. Remember the benefits of exercising. Make exercise fun – vary your exercises, have an exercise buddy, exercise to music, in beautiful surroundings…

Keep going after setbacks

Whether it’s eating a large packet of chips, eating too much when you go out, or eating all the cookies in the cookie jar in one sitting, don’t overdramatize setbacks by deciding to stop losing weight altogether. So you slipped-up. It happens. Forgive yourself and aim to do better next time. Don’t stop losing weight – get back on track after setbacks and keep going.

Set small and large weight loss goals

Goals help keep you on track and help motivate you. Review your weight loss goals regularly (daily/weekly/monthly…)

If unexpected problems come up, your goals might need adapting. Make your weight loss goals flexible in case this happens.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, use the SMART technique for goal setting. SMART stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-based (set a date you want to achieve each goal by)

Below are some examples of goals using the SMART technique:

• Eat at least 2 serves of fruit every day by the beginning of (add month and year here).
• Eat at least 5 serves of vegetables every day by the end of (add month and year here).
• Exercise for at least 20 minutes 3 days a week by (add date here).
• Exercise for at least 20 minutes 4 days a week by (add date here).
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week by (add date here).
• Lose half to one kilo a week by (add date here).
• By (add date here), fit into the black jeans in the closet not worn for years.

Reward yourself often

Give yourself a pat on the back whenever you achieve a goal and do a good job. Rewards for weight loss don’t have to be large and expensive. They can be little things like watching a DVD, having a cup of your favorite tea or buying something inexpensive for yourself.

Use positive self talk

Negative self talk hinders you and makes you feel bad. Positive self talk encourages you, motivates you and helps you.

Examples of positive self talk might include:

• “I can make healthy, delicious meals that I enjoy.”
• “Just because I’ve failed at weight loss in the past doesn’t mean I’ll always fail. I can lose weight.”
• “If others can lose weight and keep it off, I can too.”
• (When you have a set-back) “This is just a minor set-back. I will keep going. I will refocus and get back on track.”
• “I can find exercises that are fun and good for me.”

Praise yourself often

Criticism can make you feel bad and can hinder your weight loss. Praise, on the other hand, can help you achieve your weight loss goals, and boost your self esteem, confidence and happiness.

Be patient with and committed to your weight loss

The weight took time to put on, so it will take time to lose. Commit to your weight loss, even if it takes months or years to lose the weight.

Be around supportive people

Avoid negative people who put you down and don’t believe in you. Surround yourself with people who boost your confidence, make you feel good and praise you.

Have a weight loss buddy

A weight loss buddy is a great help for your weight loss. They can cheer you up when you’re down, help keep you on track and more. Your buddy might also be losing weight, so you can help each other fight the battle of the bulge.

Read motivational weight loss stories

Motivational weight loss stories in magazines, online, books… help inspire and motivate you. If they can lose weight and keep it off, you can too.

Get weight loss tips from people who’ve succeeded in losing weight and keeping it off long-term.

Forget the past and focus on the now

Put whatever weight loss failures you’ve had behind you and start afresh. Carrying around the past that you no longer need burdens you. Let it go. Focus on the now and create the future that you want.

Remember that one weight loss plan does not suit everybody

There are many ways to lose weight. The ones that work long-term should be healthy, enjoyable, sustainable, realistic, and tailored to suit each of us in regards to any health problems, injuries, allergies, food sensitivities…that we have. For best results, a weight loss plan should include both healthy eating and physical activity.

Remember your positive qualities

You are far more than your body weight. You might be a good listener, friend, parent, brother or sister, uncle or aunt… Don’t let your body weight define you.

written by Nyomi Graef