How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight: 5 Scientific Steps
These 5 scientific steps will help you learn how to stay motivated and achieve your diet and weight loss goals in no time!
We’ve all been there…
One moment you are fired up for your goals and future sexy self, ready to diet and conquer the world.
But after just a couple of days, you find yourself back to binge eating chips and watching hours of Netflix.
What is happening?
Why is it so difficult to stay motivated to lose weight?
Let’s look at what the science says about it!
We are going to answer these questions and uncover the real solutions for how to stay motivated to lose weight, backed by science.
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1. Motivation is fleeting, and losing weight takes time.
While in the next 10 minutes you can have Jimmy John’s delivering sandwiches to your doorstep, it may take more than a month to lose 10 pounds.
The main problem people face when wondering how to stay motivated to lose weight is that motivation wears off, and temptation will always exist.
Zig Ziglar has a good quote about the solution to this:
“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”
The secret here is to use our incredible 21st century technology to keep reinvigorating yourself with more motivation.
The easy ways to do this are:
- Listen to daily podcasts on being healthy.
- Read books or use audible.com to listen to health and fitness audiobooks.
- Join a community of people working towards similar goals!
All of these things will help re-inspire you and keep you motivated.
2. Everyone has limited amounts of willpower.
Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to make tough decisions in the morning but harder to make them evening?
This is because your willpower, similar to a muscle, is a limited resource.
After a long day of hard decision making, a psychological syndrome called decision fatigue sets in and makes it more difficult to say no to that pizza.
The solution here is to use habits instead of relying on willpower.
Habits, since not consciously made, don’t dip into those willpower reserves and are decisions made on autopilot.
Simple habits like drinking a large glass of water right when you wake up or not eating after 7 pm are easy to establish and will help you when your motivation and willpower fades.
We also have a short video on the health benefits of apple cider vinegar on our Youtube Channel, The Health Nerd, that you might find helpful!
3. Progress can be deceiving.
The mirror plays games when it comes to losing weight and getting in shape.
Many dieters have experienced the situation where they are losing weight and feeling better, but are seeing no physical results in the mirror.
This can be crazy frustrating.
The solution is that measurements don’t lie.
It may not sound sexy, but diligent tracking progress is crucial for success. Yes, take photos, but also make sure to:
- Weigh yourself
- Take measurements
- Take videos
- And keep studious track of these records.
Progress = motivation and this will keep you from getting discouraged by the mirror.
4. Being healthy doesn’t have to suck.
When most people think about getting healthy and fit, they envision eating dry chicken breast, bland broccoli, and running for hours on the treadmill.
It doesn’t have to be like that, nor should it.
Find something you love, especially when it comes to exercise:
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Crossfit
- Biking
- Running
- Hiking
- Weight Lifting
- Swimming
- Etc.
There are A TON of options.
With all those options out there, you have no excuse not to find something you love and can stick with.
Remember that a perfect workout routine you hate is going to be less effective than finding a type of exercise you love and can stick with.
5. Design small rewards for sticking to the plan.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
We humans may think we are complex and gifted beings, however, we are still simple animals.
Basic reward systems in almost all major weight loss studies work on us just like our furry brethren.
Having a cheat meal once a week or even a reward day every few weeks on a diet can provide a lot of psychological relief and something to look forward to on those more temptation filled days.
This is also something that we have incorporated into our popular fast weight loss program, the 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge.
Many of our clients weigh over 200 pounds and have a LOT of weight to lose. Our Challenge was designed in a way that it can be repeated in multiple “rounds” if you have more weight to lose.
So how do our clients stay motivated to lose the weight through those multiple rounds of the Challenge?
We use ALL of the principles above plus many more! People lose an average of 10-21 pounds in 21 days and absolutely love it! But even better than the weight loss is the feedback we get from people about how the program has taught them how to change their eating habits and find a diet that truly works for them in the long-term.
I like how you point out that if you find something you like to do like yoga or biking or something then you’ll be just fine exercising and maybe even have fun. Personally, I weigh more than I’d like to, and I’d like to lose some pounds.
This was an awesome and helpful article.Thank you very much to everyone who contributed their advice and knowladge.Thanks
Thanks, Sally!! 🙂