Weight Loss Motivation
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A lack of adequate weight loss motivation is probably the most common problem people face when trying to lose weight. Most people set out to lose weight without any thought at all as to how they are going to keep themselves on track on their diet and exercise programs. Without mental preparation, weight loss motivation will often fade very quickly, and result in repeated failed attempts to lose weight for an individual.
The motivation to keep going with your weight loss program can come from a variety of approaches. Some people find that positive reinforcement will work best. Giving yourself rewards for reaching small, incremental goals can keep you feeling positive and focused on your overall long-term weight loss goal. Be careful about what you select as your reward system though. Many people actually blow their weight loss plans by rewarding themselves with unhealthy foods that they’ve been intentionally avoiding on their diets. Sweets and high-carb foods, are especially bad to use as rewards because they cause major shifts in blood sugar. Rapid changes in blood sugar can trigger major cravings and the associated insulin release can block fat burning for up to two days. Non-food rewards typically work much better. Getting a massage, buying yourself a gift, getting a spa treatment, or whatever appeals to you can be an excellent way to keep your motivation to lose weight going strong without setting you back with your weight loss program.
For some individuals, negative reinforcement, also known as punishment, woks well for keeping them motivated to lose weight. If you set aside punishments for cheating on your weight loss program, it may help keep you more focused on being faithful to your weight loss program. As with rewards though, it is important to choose your punishments carefully. Some people get really down on themselves emotionally when they cheat on their weight loss plans, and punishing themselves for diet or exercise transgressions may actually drive them to emotional eating that only makes things worse.
Instead of punishment, motivation to lose weight can often be better enhanced by using accountability – to yourself and/or to others. The key to accountability is to keep a written record of what you are eating and what your exercise activities are. Using a diet and exercise log will allow you to monitor what yourself so you can see how well you are following your weight loss program. Then will keep you accountable to yourself and help you decide if you have done something worthy of reward or punishment.
Even better than being accountable to just yourself, it often helps considerably to be accountable to a family member or friend who is willing to track your weight loss progress with you. Someone who can give you support when you may be feeling weak and can share your happiness when things are going well can be one of the best forms of weight loss motivation there is. Having someone else to help administer rewards and/or punishments can make things easier too. For example, if you set a goal and reach it, your weight loss assistant might agree to give you a foot massage. On the other hand, if you cheat on your diet more than once in a given week, perhaps you have to wash your weight loss assistant’s car. You and your assistant can get creative and make the process fun – at least a lot more fun than you struggling through on your own.
There are additional methods to condition the mind to enhance weight loss motivation. Techniques like self hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique, NLP, and the Sedona Method can improve general motivation and help you handle specific issues that interfere with your motivation. As an example, if you have a lot of cravings for a diet-unfriendly foods, there are techniques to handle that. If there’s someone who seems to “get to you” and trigger behavior that sabotages your weight loss, there are ways to handle that as well. Different things work better for one person than another, so investigate the options to find techniques that appeal to you and give them a try.
With a little effort, you can develop very strong motivation to lose weight and use it to achieve your weight loss goals. Now that you recognize the importance of the mental aspect of weight loss you can take the steps to prepare yourself properly to keep your mind working with you rather than against you so you can lose the weight and keep it off for good.
For more information about weight loss motivation, including the most effective techniques from the best mental conditioning programs available, and to receive a free diet and exercise program , visit Dr. Best’s TrainYourBrain4WeightLoss.com website.
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