Staying Motivated on your Weight Loss Journey: Real Tips that Help

A weight loss journey consists of many different and diverse feelings. Moments of success. Moments of failure. Some days you feel pride; other days you feel defeat.

What keeps you going? Sometimes it can be super hard to stay positive.

What’s the point? Am I wasting my time? No matter what I do, nothing’s working! Why is it taking so long? What am I doing wrong?

How do you keep your eye on the prize?

When things start to feel overwhelming, when you start to doubt yourself and your progress, when you question your ability and if you’re capable – how do you pull yourself back to a positive mindset? How do you stay motivated? How do you push forward knowing that it’s not always easy but trying to convince yourself that it’s worth it?

Here are some of the ways that have worked for me:

1) Set goals

What are you trying to achieve? Not only that, but how can you achieve it without being unrealistic and aiming for something that’s too hard to achieve?

Set small goals, and many of them.

Don’t just aim for the finish line of a 50 lap race. Aim for each individual lap as a goal to reach before moving on to the next. Focus on finishing that one lap.

Praise yourself when you do, feel good about it, and know that you’re one step closer to reaching that finish line.

Each small milestone along the way is worth celebrating and helps to motivate you and keep you determined to reach the next.

2) Reward yourself

I used to say “I wish someone would pay me to lose weight. That would motivate me to do it and stay on track because I knew that I would get something at the end.”

Then it hit me. Why don’t I pay myself? Ok, maybe not with money, because that would just be giving me my own money, and that’s no incentive. But there are other ways I could reward myself.

So using the small goals I set out above, I created a list of rewards for each significant milestone that I hit on my goal list. It doesn’t have to be big things, but it can be anything that helps you to want to achieve it.

For example, when I lost 25 lbs, I rewarded myself by allowing myself to have a cheat night out at one of my favourite restaurants. Starting off small for a small milestone, but still something to work towards and look forward to.

When I hit my 50 lbs lost goal, I bought myself a couple of things selfishly that I wouldn’t normally buy myself (because I’m a mother who always puts herself last to buy everything for everyone else – if you know, you know.)

For 75 lbs, I finally got the tattoo that I’ve been waiting and wanting to get for years, but just couldn’t justify spending the money.

At 100 lbs lost, I finally purged all my old clothing that was way too big and way too baggy and allowed myself to finally splurge and buy new clothes that actually fit.

Did I get paid for losing weight? No. But also yes. I paid myself by finally allowing myself to do the things I wanted to do without feeling guilty about them, because I worked hard and I earned them. I deserved them. I worked my damn butt off to get them.

3) Take pictures

I can’t stress this enough! Take ALL the pictures!!!

On the days where I am feeling the absolute worst. The days where the most negative thoughts won’t stop cycling through my head. The moments where my brain is trying to convince me that I’m not strong enough. The days where the scale doesn’t move after I’ve worked so hard and I start to wonder what’s the point – I look at the pictures.

Side by side comparisons of where I once was, vs. where I am now. Seeing the difference often helps give me that little push I need to keep going. It helps me to see that it’s not all for nothing. It helps my brain realize that I can do this, I am doing this.

4) One hard decision at a time

This lifestyle can become very overwhelming at times. If you let the thoughts in your head start to take over and you start thinking about food that doesn’t fit into your new way of eating, it can be hard to not give in. Your mind will start justifying every bad decision and give you every reason to give in, even if deep down you don’t want to.

Will it ever be perfect? No.

Is it okay to give in and indulge once in a while? Absolutely. If it’s something that you really want, you shouldn’t deny yourself of that. You can still indulge while trying to do it in a healthy way. Have something in moderation, don’t allow it to send you into a day long binge, forgive yourself and get right back on track.

But what makes those moments easier? The moments where you know it’s not something you absolutely want and need to have, but are struggling to choose wisely? The moments where you know that you have a really busy day or night ahead, don’t have anything healthy prepared, and it would just be easier or more convenient?

Focus on that one decision. If you can just say no in that moment, choose to stay on track, choose to not give into temptation – the moment will pass. You will feel better afterwards knowing that you did the right thing. You will feel extra determined knowing that you stayed true to yourself and your goals.

4) Be aware of the little things

Sure, a big part of losing weight is getting on that scale and seeing a lower number. I mean – that is what losing weight is after all, right?

But what about the days when the scale doesn’t budge? Or even worse, if the number goes UP!

One option is to call it names.

Throw it out the window.

Tie a cinder block to it and toss it in the lake.

Accidentally leave it on the roof of your car and drive away.

OR – you can just forget about it and move on with your day.

Yep. I know. Easier said than done. But forget about that stupid number on the scale and focus on all the other things. The little things. The non scale victories as they say.

Last evening I took my kids to a hockey game at our local arena. I sat down in the arena seat and I didn’t have to squeeeeeze my thighs in between the arm rests just to fit down in, while they dug into my sides uncomfortably for the entire game. WOW! What an eye opener. This is what it feels like to sit comfortably through an event? Actually enjoy it? Without being in uncomfortable pain? Talk about victory!

It’s those little moments that sneak up on you. The moments where you experience something that makes you notice how much harder and how much effort such little things were before you lost the weight.

Recognize those moments. Soak them in. Appreciate them. Reflect on them and how they effected you previously when you didn’t even realize it.

These are the little, but most important moments that make you realize that you’re winning!

Let me know in the comments below:

What do you find helps keep you motivated when you’re trying to lose weight?