Some things are scientifically proven to get you motivated to lose weight, including attending group support meetings and keeping a food diary. The basic formula for losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume per day. The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends losing weight gradually at a rate of ½ pound to 2 pounds a week.
Autonomous Motivation
Autonomous motivation is more effective for weight loss than controlled motivation according to a study published in the May/June 2010 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior." Making changes for personal reasons is autonomous motivation. Wanting to lose weight because of guilt, inadequacy and pressure from others is controlled motivation. In the study, 37 of 66 participants successfully lost 5 percent of their bodyweight. Those successful with weight loss reported higher levels of autonomous motivation during weeks four through 16 of the study.
Group Sessions
Attending group weight loss sessions gets you motivated to lose weight according to a study conducted by Weight Watchers. Information on the study published in the 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine" revealed the more meetings the participants attended, the more weight they lost. In fact, all participants who had an attendance record of 66 percent or higher during a six-month period lost weight. The participants who attended a minimum of 20 out of the 24 sessions lost an average of 14 pounds.
Food Diary
The self-accountability of writing in a food diary is an effective way to get motivated to lose weight. In fact, participants who kept a daily food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn't keep a food diary according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the August 2008 issue of the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine." In the study, 1,700 participants completed a weight loss program that consisted of writing in a food diary, adhering to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, attending weekly group sessions, and participating in 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise per day for six months. The average weight loss was 13 pounds.
A Successful Diet Partner
A successful diet partner motivates people to lose more weight according to a study from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and published in the October 2009 issue of the "Archives of Internal Medicine." In a two-year trial, participants joined the program alone or with a family member. After 6 months, participants who joined with a family member that lost at least 5 percent of their bodyweight had the most weight loss success and lost on average of 11 to 13.2 pounds.
References
- Science Daily; What's Motivation Got to Do With Weight Loss?; April 2010
- Diabetes in Control.com: Weight Watchers Meetings Reduce Risk for Type 2 Diabetes: 2010
- EurekAlert!: Kaiser Permanente Study Finds Keeping A Food Diary Doubles Weight Loss: July 2008
- "Archives of Internal Medicine";Trial of Family and Friend Support for Weight Loss in African American Adults; S.K. Kumanyika, et al.; 2009
- Weight-control Information Network: Better Health and You - Tips for Adults: 2008
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