One weakness so many of us struggle with when on a weight loss journey is motivation. Finding and maintaining our weight loss motivation is crucial because your WHY is what will keep you preserving through plateaus, struggles, and days where you just feel like giving up. Here are our top R’s for successful weight loss motivation.
1. Record your WHY. Why did you decide to start losing weight? Is it because you want to get healthier? Be more active with your kids? Fit into that outfit that’s been collecting dust in your closet? Win a huge cash prize with HealthyWage? Whatever your reason or reasons may be, it’s important to write them down so you have a clear vision of why you’re embarking on this journey. Again, there will be ups and downs, and days you want to throw in the towel, and these WHYs will serve as your motivation for committing to your goals and staying on track to hitting your weight loss goal.
2. Remind yourself with visuals. Remember that Yoplait commercial where the woman had the itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini hanging on her bedroom door? Every time she walked past it whether it was rain or shine, she was reminded of her goal: to look and feel amazing in that bikini come summer time! Especially when you’re at the beginning of your weight loss journey, the finish line can seem blurry and hard to grasp. By creating a visual, whether it’s a sticky note with your WHY written in bold letters, a picture of your upcoming vacation spot you have planned, or that outfit you want to slip on hanging where you can see it daily, keep your visual in prominent spot for you, where you’ll have no choice but to come across it daily. Some find it useful to have it on their refrigerator or pantry doors, others on their work desk or computer monitor – whichever spot it be, make it so it’s in a place you can’t ignore.
3. Remember your WHY and your goal. When you’re having a bad day and would prefer to binge through the pantry and watch Netflix instead of portioning out your indulgences and working out, remember why you started this journey and where you want to be. We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it – there will be days you just want to inhale all the sweet and salty snacks, days you don’t see the scale budging, days where you just don’t feel like committing to any healthy habits. It’s helpful to remember not just what you want, but also what you could be giving up if you lean into your emotions and temptations. If you skip today’s workout and decide to eat your way through a box of cookies, will it leave you feeling motivated to get back on track with your habits tomorrow, or are you more likely to have another “day off” again tomorrow? Will indulging in happy hour deals may be fun in the moment, but if you’re indulging more often than on occasion, are those indulgences leaving you feeling satisfied in the long run?
So, if recording, reminding, and remembering your reason and goal for losing weight isn’t enough motivation to keep you on track, try our 4th R for weight loss motivation: reward yourself with non-food items when you hit a mini goal! Maybe it’s a pair of shoes, a new workout outfit, or something you’ve been eyeing and really want. When you hit a milestone within your weight loss journey, reward yourself with something you enjoy and that isn’t food!
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