Here’s 8 Top Tips To Help Motivate You To Lose Weight Even If Life Seems Shit And It All Feels A Bit Pointless
You’re reading this because your efforts to diet in the past have failed. And now you’re searching hard for the will to go through it all again. In fact, you’re unsure if your emotions can take another failed attempt. It might even be the case you’re at your lowest ebb. Feeling depressed about your body image to the extend it’s impacting your life and overall happiness. Finding a way to motivate yourself to lose weight would be like finding the Holy Grail.
But you’re in luck. Because I’ve put together 8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight. And I’m going to share them with you right now.
Here’s what you’re going to find out.
- The importance of getting your mindset right before you start losing weight.
- How to make your journey uniquely your own, so you never compare yourself to others.
- Multiple ways to get the support you need to make through the ups and downs.
Plus, a whole lot more.
So tell me. Does this sound like what you’re looking for?
Awesome, let’s get started.
Your Circumstances Are Completely Different To Mine
I want to level with you right out of the gate. I don’t know you or your specific circumstances. You might be feeling at a low point in life for a multitude of reason I can’t comprehend while writing this for you.
The dramas and shit you might have been through could be unimaginable to me. And truth be told, my advice might not be what you need. More deep-rooted issues may benefit from professional help. So make sure you consider this before reading on and taking my advice and guidance on board.
Because I’m not a doctor, psychologist, or replacement for a healthcare professional. Hell, I’m an online coach, not a Guru claiming he’s got the cure-all solution for you.
And I’m certainly not going to sell you some shitty supplement as the cure for all your mental health issues, when actually it’s just a thinly veiled money making scheme.
My personal experience
But what I am going to share with you is my personal experience.
At the time of writing this, I’m 37 years old. Yes. I know the boyish good looks hide the scars of a life well lived. Over nearly 4 decades on this Earth, I’ve gone through my fair share of ups and downs. I’ve been bullied for being overweight, I’ve dieted down to be super skinny, and built my body back up.
I’ve been through the emotional rollercoaster of life with many heartaches and periods of depression I thought I’d never see the end of.
So while I don’t claim to have all the answers, I thought you might find solace, motivation, and inspiration from my experiences.
Because let’s face it, trying to motivate yourself to lose weight is hard. Especially, if you’ve had multiple failed efforts. So I want to help you change that. Starting right now.
Is It The Right Time To Lose Weight?
Firstly, you need to decide if now is even the right time to motivate yourself to lose weight. Because if you’re not in the right headspace, you could be doing more harm than good. Take your relationship with food for example.
Do you think of foods as good and bad?
Or fear allowing something even slightly more indulgent to pass your lips for fear of putting weight on?
Do you feel as though your happiness is dictated by the number on the scales?
Are you trapped in a dieting mindset, scared to live your life?
Or maybe you’re obsessed with perfection and have an inability to deal with your own perception of failure.
If these things ring true, then dieting might just be the last thing you need.
Your relationship with yourself, with food, and with what it truly means to be happy in life are what need your attention. And in my view, some professional help might be what you need.
Seriously, think about long-term happiness over a short-term gratification from a little less body fat. Because I guarantee, the sight of some abs will not instantly make you happy. You’ll always want more and your efforts will never be good enough.
So be honest with yourself from the outset.
A Harsh Truth To Start
But let’s assume, those things don’t apply. And right now losing weight is the right thing for you. But you’re lacking that seemingly elusive weight loss motivation.
My first tip might seem harsh, but I think it’s fair.
You are 100% in charge of your own fucking life. Stop deflecting responsibility for it.
In this life you get to decide how you live your life. It’s one of the beauties of the modern world. You get to decide what to do and when you do it. We’ve never lived in a more free society where there’s so much opportunity to achieve every goal you have.
In addition to that, you also get to decide how you react to the negative shit in your life. So what if you’ve tried and failed in the past? Are you willing to accept that’s it and you can do no more? That there’s no other option for you?
At some point you need to stand tall and face shit head on. Yeah, it’ll be tough and won’t be smooth sailing. But sinking into the shadows and recoiling from the problem is never the answer.
So now is the time to commit. To finally motivate yourself to lose weight. And most of all, to take action.
The 8 Best Ways To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight
#1. Give Yourself Permission To Succeed
All too often you beat yourself up before you’ve even started. You’re reminding yourself of all the reasons why not, instead of thinking about why you can.
And trust me, if you think you can’t. You can bet your bottom dollar, you won’t.
Start by defining what success means to you. Society’s definition of success might be washboard abs and a physique worthy of a fitness model. But does that really represent success for you?
Give yourself permission to pursue your own success, how you choose to define it. It might be as simple as losing 5kg or going to the gym for 6 months. However, big or small, measure your success by your own perceptions, not those of others.
#2. Accept Failure As A Positive
Your desire for perfection is a killer. Right now you’re trying to motivate yourself to lose weight. But in those efforts to motivate yourself, you’re not considering there’ll be some failures on the way. Instead, you fill your head will all the ra ra ra motivation quotes you can find. But all that does is give you a false sense of reality.
Because the reality is, you will fuck up. You will, I will, we all will. It’s part of the process and nothing to be feared or ashamed of. In fact, failure represents an opportunity to learn and improve.
Who cares if you messed up your diet for one day? Why did it happen? What can you learn from it? What could you do differently next time?
You can’t expect to have all the answers from the outset.
Expect the failures. But treat them as a hump in the road you just have to navigate.
#3. Be You… Unashamedly
The first point in the list was about defining what success means to you. And now’s the time for you to take that one step further.
To truly motivate yourself to lose weight and achieve your goals, you need to do something you enjoy. And that might be something completely at odds with those around you.
Fear of going against the grain and expectations of others is stressful and could lead to a lot of anxiety.
When you’re the only one trying to lose weight, it can be tough. Sometimes you get mocked for trying to better yourself and achieve your goal. But if changing your health and lifestyle genuinely makes you happy, then don’t forgo that for anyone. If you have to, change who you hang around with. Find a group of people who will motivate and support you, not drag you down.
#4. Set Realistic Expectations
So far we’ve not delved too much into actual nutrition and training. And that’s for good reason. I want you to get your mindset right before heading into your next effort to lose weight.
But with that in place, now’s the time for you to look at nutrition. Specifically, your expectations around weight loss progress.
Because all too often you lose motivation when you don’t meet your unrealistic goals. Here’s a quick example for you…
To burn 1kg of body fat, you need to create a calorie deficit of 7,700 calories. If you were to put yourself in a deficit of 550 calories per day, it would take 2 weeks to burn that 1kg of body fat.
So if you calculate that the right deficit for you as 250 calories per day, an expectation of 1kg fat loss per week is wildly unrealistic. And instantly you’ve set yourself up for failure.
So set your calorie target based on a level of deficit you can adhere to for the long-term and avoids those epic feelings of hunger. And once you’ve got that number, start to manage your expectations around what’s really achievable. Although, bear in mind actual weight on the scale will vary a lot because of water weight.
#5. Create A Plan An Execute
I’m big on planning. And if you want to motivate yourself to lose weight, a solid plan is crucially important. But it has to be the right plan.
Pick the method of dieting that works for you. There’s nothing special about keto, paelo, or intermittent fasting. They’re all just methods.
Find what works for you and helps you adhere to a calorie deficit for the long-term.
When it comes to training, a solid resistance training programme will get you that lean, strong body you want. And you can pick up a free programme right here.
But if for some weird-ass reason weight training isn’t for you, then simply do whatever floats your boat. Be that CrossFit, running, rowing, or even Zumba (well.. maybe not Zumba).
But also don’t forget to execute on your plan. You need to put that shit into practise.
#6. Reflect And Journal
Journalling every day has certainly helped me over the years. Spending a few minutes each night reflecting on the day and planning for the next can help rationalise your thoughts.
Reflecting on your wins and what you can learn from the day is powerful. It also stops you wallowing in self-pity when things go wrong. It forces you to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and find a solution.
Above all else, it keeps your motivation on an even keel. So if you’ve tried to motivate yourself to lose weight in the past, but failed, this could be what you need.
Remind yourself of what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it, and just how far you’ve come. Revel in your successes, however small. Quickly, the odd digression starts to pale into insignificance.
#7. Seek Out Social Support
Your motivation will wane at some point. Maybe even frequently. By no means will this be a smooth glide to the fat loss promised land.
So you need to have somewhere to turn in these darker moments.
Constantly trying to find the energy to motivate yourself to lose weight can be tiring. So having a group of people to lend a hand might be just what you need.
You can find that in a Facebook Group, people who consistently post with a certain Instagram hashtag, or a Whatsapp group of your friends. These groups of people all going through the same journey as you shouldn’t be underestimated.
Make it your priority to find a support group. Because when you feel on your own and in a low moment, you’ll be glad you did.
#8. Commit Publicly
Now, this one might not actually be for you. You’ll have to decide for yourself. But I think it can be a very powerful way to motivate yourself to lose weight.
Once you’ve decided on your goal, put it out there in the public domain.
Tell your friends, family, and support group what you’re committing to achieving. It creates a sense of responsibility and purpose that you might not otherwise have had.
You should also find that your support network rallies around you and gives you the extra courage and motivation to get after it.
So work out what it is you really want to achieve and more importantly, why you want to achieve it. Write it down and commit to it… 100%.
The Bottom Line On How To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight
If you really want to motivate yourself to lose weight, take ownership of your actions, set your goal, and commit to pursuing it regardless of the ups and downs you’ll face.
Achieving any goal is usually difficult. After all, if it wasn’t, you’d already be there and you wouldn’t be reading this, right?
Motivation for anything is likely to ebb and flow. There’ll be days when you are low on motivation and days when it’s through the roof. So it’s important to think and plan ahead for what you’re going to do when things aren’t going your way. When shit hits the proverbial fan.
So before you plough headfirst into another diet, stop. Take a moment to reflect on the 8 points in this article. Are you setting yourself up for success or failure from the outset?
Because your motivation is going to be tested. So make sure you have the tools in place to deal with those moments. If you do, finally achieving the body of your dreams is simply a matter of time.
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But for now, all I’ll say is… Keep living the Lean Life and I’ll see you soon.