7 Motivational Tips for Healthy Weight Loss

Do you find it hard to stay motivated when you are trying to lose weight?  Get inspired with these 7 tips to keep you strong on your journey…

1. Know why you want to lose weight. Be specific and dig deep.  Are you concerned about how you look?  Are you looking for more energy?  Are you concerned about health problems? With all this in mind, write the story of how you will feel and what will happen after you lose your weight.
2. Find a weight loss partner and hold each other accountable. Share idea for recipes and meal planning; exercise together. Make it fun!
3. Set short term as well as long term goals.  Make your short term goals focused on actions rather than results, eg. I will eat a healthy breakfast every day this week rather than I will lose (x) number of pounds this week.
4. Reward yourself for success often.  Have a reward at the end of every goal no matter how small. Make sure these rewards are not food related.
5. Know what situations and events trigger over-eating and avoid these as much as possible. If you are not able to avoid the situation, have a back-up plan in place to help you deal with the event. Most of all, don’t beat yourself up if you indulge a little too much. Make eating healthy the rule and indulgence the exception.  Remember the 80/20 rule.
6. Stop and enjoy your food. Be conscious of every bite you take.  Eat slowly and savor your food. Make a point of sitting down to eat.  Never multi-task when eating; focus on what you are eating. Become more creative when cooking.  Splurge on some healthy ingredients you might not usually purchase.
7. Substitute other pleasures for eating. What makes you feel both comforted and special? This can be anything from taking a walk to getting a message;  from starting a new hobby or sport to a warm bath with a good book.

Just remember weight loss can be as much about what you accept into your mind as what you accept into your mouth. Having a good attitude and accepting yourself for who you are will go a long ways to making your weight loss journey a successful one.

Until next time,