4 Rules for Maintaining Your Weight Loss Motivation
Even if you’re ready for a dramatic life change, maintaining your weight loss motivation can be a challenge. If you follow a number of rules, however, you’ll find renewed motivation as you move toward your goals. We’ll discuss four of them below.
Keeping track — You must be aware of your personal numbers if you intend to be successful in your weight loss efforts. Knowing your weight is essential but don’t be obsessive over this. Jumping on the scale once is week is more than enough.
It is also important that you know your measurements. Be as precise as possible and record the measurements for your upper arms, hips, chest, waist, and thighs. Repeat this process every 2-4 weeks and compare your results. A loss of even a fraction of an inch is something to celebrate!
Keeping a log — The next rule we’re going to discuss may be the most important one of all. Keep a journal! Recording your personal numbers as well as the food you eat and the activity your perform will have a huge payoff.
Use the journal to record interesting weight loss facts that you come across. Record your emotions during the weight loss process. The journal enables you to discover patterns in your behavior and offers encouragement when your motivation wanes.
Researching — The third most important rule for losing weight involves research. You must educate yourself so that you have the tools you need to maintain your results. Learn what foods the USDA Food Pyramid recommends. Train yourself to recognize proper portion sizes. Read articles on weight-related topics.
When you do your research, you’ll come across many interesting facts that you’ll want to keep. Your journal is the perfect spot for you to have them easily accessible. You’ll be surprised at how much your weight loss motivation is boosted when you read a new perspective on old information.
Know your outcome — Finally, weight loss motivation requires you to have a vision. You must be able to “see” yourself the way you’d like to be. Spend a little time each day meditating or reflecting on how you would like to reinvent yourself.
Each day, spend time reflecting on exactly what it will take for you to reach your goal. How will you have to behave? What will you have to eat? How will you deal with temptation? It’s all in the details.
Following these four simple rules that we’ve discussed will help your motivation remain at its peak. The dramatic lifestyle change that you covet will become possible and you’ll find that the journey becomes pleasurable as your confidence grows.
