3 Motivation Tricks to Keep You on Track

When it comes to losing weight, you really need to be motivated to stick with a healthy eating and exercise plan long term. Not only while you are actively losing weight, but after you’ve reached your weight loss goals too — after all, if you go back to your old habits, you’ll quickly regain all of the weight you lost.

When you first start a weight loss plan, you’re already motivated. You aren’t happy with your weight and you firmly decide to do something about it. That initial burst of motivation may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, but eventually your determination is going to weaken and you may need a little bit of help to get it back up to a helpful level.

Here are a few good ways to keep your motivation strong:

1) Keep a weight loss journal.

Write down all of the reasons why you want to lose weight, and then expand on each reason further. For example, if one of your reasons for wanting to lose weight is to have more confidence, write a longer description about why having more confidence will benefit you. How would it improve your life? How would it improve your relationships, your career, and other areas? Just writing about the benefits you stand to gain will go a long way in keeping you focused and committed. Also be sure to record your progress, including pounds and inches lost.

See: Healthy Eating Advantages — Why Should You Eat Healthy

2) Vent in your journal.

Another great use for your weight loss journal is to vent turbulent emotions. This is especially helpful if you tend to reach for food when you’re upset. Rather than eating to smother painful emotions, write about them to work through them. For example, if you’re upset about something your spouse said to you, write him or her a letter explaining just why it hurt your feelings, and how you feel about what they said. Don’t give them the letter – this is only a tool for you to vent your feelings so you can release them and move past them.

See: Empower Yourself with Positive Self-Talk

3) Plan for success.

Buy yourself a new outfit in the size you want to be wearing when you reach your weight loss goal. A pretty bathing suit, a new pair of skinny jeans, or a sports uniform are great motivators! Hang this outfit up in a place where you will see it every day, and keep affirming that you’ll be wearing it in no time. Whenever you feel tempted to cheat on your diet or slack on your workouts, go look at that outfit again and ask yourself if giving up is really worth it. Most often that will be enough to keep you on track.

See: How to Save for Your New Smaller Wardrobe

There are endless other ways to motivate yourself – think about what gets you excited about sticking to a healthy eating plan and workout routine. Develop simple tools and strategies that can instantly boost your motivation if it starts to slip again, and use them when necessary.

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