Losing weight is one part hard work, one part consistency and one part psychological. All three components should be equally balanced to get results, but often it’s the mental enthusiasm you have or don’t have that is the real determinant. Getting psyched to lose weight means thinking outside the box in which you’ve become accustomed to living. Use your own dissatisfaction at the way things are as the impetus to help you open that door to step into a world of possibilities. Get creative with your weight loss plan and make it as interesting as possible so you don’t simply exchange one rut for another.
Step 1
Grab a chair and have a seat with your journal open in front of you. Divvy up your journal into at least three sections. Make a list of all the physical activities you could see yourself doing to lose weight in the first section. Add exercises that you’ve never tried, or maybe have never even heard of before. Use the second section to monitor your food intake and the third for your bodily measurements. Record your activities and meals daily and your measurements weekly. Make a ritual of sitting down with your journal nightly to review your accomplishments to get yourself psyched to continue the next day.
Step 2
Buy a new bathroom scale because you’ll be using it a lot. Weigh in daily to get yourself psyched. People who weigh themselves regularly are more likely to lose weight and keep it off, says a study conducted by the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. Place a sticky note with your target weight in one corner of the scale.
Don’t let the fluctuations you might encounter unnerve you. As you lose fat and add muscle, the scales might dip up and down. Use a weight loss -- and especially a slight weight gain -- to stay motivated.
Step 3
Scour the Internet, books and magazines for upbeat quotes, pictures or other people’s success stories to get yourself psyched to lose weight. Write some of the quotes right in your journal or print them out and slip them between the pages. Read them out loud to yourself during your nightly review. Hang the pictures that motivate you on your fridge or your cubicle at work. Bookmark any websites that offer inspiring stories of other people’s journeys to lose weight and visit them often, or start a blog about your own accomplishments.
Tips and Warnings
- Offer yourself rewards as a motivator. Determine what your milestones will be and once you've reached each goal, buy yourself a little something. There's no shame in using a little trickery to keep yourself motivated to lose weight. It's a hard thing to do and because the big prize -- your goal weight -- seems so far away, use the reward system as an incentive along the way.
Things You'll Need
- Journal
Member Comments