Easy Ways To Increase Your Weight Loss Motivation

With so much information widely available, most people know that they need to eat healthy and exercise regularly. However, losing weight can be a difficult and daunting task if motivation is lacking. While many people approach weight loss as a short-term solution, people who are successful at losing weight also implement solutions that keep the weight off for the long-term. By committing to a long-term lifestyle change, you will be able to keep the weight off, and implement healthy eating and exercise habits throughout your lifetime. These are some tips to discover and strengthen your weight loss motivation.

1.       Write It Down

Start by discovering your reasons for wanting to lose weight. Those reasons are the engine that drives your motivation. If your reasons are clear and strong, you will have a much better chance of keeping the weight off. Put in writing and review regularly, and they'll provide inspiration when your will power starts to falter. Maybe you can attach this list to the fridge J That way, you will see it every single day.

Also, it's a good idea to break down your weight loss goals into smaller increments.  Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to turn your whole life upside down.

For instance, you might want to lose 20 to 30 pounds. This should break down to about 8 to 12 pounds a month over a 3 to 4 month period. By setting weekly, Bi-Weekly, or even Monthly goals, you give yourself something to reach for within a comfortable (and realistic) time frame. You can write down your target each month and when you meet success, it will increase your desire to continue.  It’s motivating!

2.       Routine Changes

Next, implement weekly changes to your diet. A good place to begin is by substituting processed foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates with healthier alternatives. The following week, you can keep this change in place, and also decide to eat five servings each of fruit and vegetables daily. Over time, changes to your routines while add up to healthy eating when applied consistently.

3.       Exercise

You may have signed up for Black Phoenix Bootcamp … but you have to show up!  And once you shoe up … you have to get your game face on and work!  I’m saying you have to kill yourself, but you certainly have to work “right outside of your comfort zone”.  Make yourself a little uncomfortable.  Remember, you have to break the plateau that you’re in … yes, being a couch potato is a certain plateau.

Coming to class and getting to know others with similar goals is what's great about Bootcamp.  It motivates you to stay focused on your weight loss goals.

4.       Rewards

One of the most important ways to stay motivated is by rewarding yourself. Treat yourself to small rewards when you meet your weight loss goals each month. Consider providing yourself with a large reward when you accomplish your weight loss goals. If you're not sure what type of reward you would like, take a look at what motivates you. For example, if one of your desires is to have more energy, a powerful reward might be an outdoor weekend getaway that requires exercise energy and stamina.

If you're on a budget, there are many rewards you can enjoy without spending a lot of money. One is the gift of time. Giving yourself the time to do things you love is a great way to pamper yourself. Many people have success by rewarding themselves daily with something small. Sometimes soaking in a hot bath at the end of the day is reward enough. But by rewarding yourself often, you will keep your motivation strong.

Once you find a way to stay consistently motivated, you will start to see results. Losing weight will help reinforce the positive choices you're making, and it will be even easier to stay motivated. Motivation is one of the best weight loss tools that you can have.

Winter Weight Gain - Why Does It Happen And What Can We Do?

Winter weight gain is a common complaint of many people.  It seems that every winter we add a few pounds, and come summer we don't lose them all again either.  A few of them always stick around, making us a little heavier every year.  Why does this happen and what can we do?

There are many contributing factors. First, it seems likely that we have a genetic disposition to store more fat as winter approaches. Many animals do this and it was probably vital to survival for our ancestors. Extra layers of fat on the body protect us against the cold and then can be used as fuel in the late winter and early spring when food stocks would historically be very low. We probably have a tendency to eat more in the fall, when food is plentiful after harvest time, to help this process along. We may also unconsciously choose foods that are higher in fat content at this time.

Hormone levels can also influence our weight gain. The interaction of hormones and other chemicals in the brain can bring about variations in appetite and cravings. Some neurotransmitters can also influence the way we eat. People who are overweight often have low levels of these neurotransmitters and the results can include excessive appetite, depression and sleep disorders. At the same time, the lack of daylight caused by the shortening days during late fall and winter can bring on seasonally affected disorder or winter depression.

One of the quickest ways to give a boost to the energy levels and emotions is to eat high carbohydrate foods including sugar treats, chips and cereals that give us a fast blood sugar 'fix'. So people who feel low in the winter will tend to overeat or eat the wrong foods, leading to weight gain, more depression and a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

 

So altogether there are many reasons why we eat more high carbohydrate foods such as cookies, pies and chocolate in the winter, and of course most of these foods also contain high levels of fats. The best way to handle this is generally to substitute other foods that are also high in carbohydrate so that we get what our body craves, but which have low fat content and plenty of fiber. This means potatoes, wholegrain bread without butter, wholegrain rice, cereals, and fresh whole fruit.

It is also important to take more exercise. Often our physical activity levels drop in the winter and we have a tendency to want to stay home and eat. This is natural when it is cold outside. But we are not cavemen! We have heating in our homes and can be sure that there will still be plenty of food in the stores come February. We do not need to stow fat the way that they did. 

Transform those carbs into energy now instead of keeping it on the waistline until spring. Winter weight gain is easily avoidable when you become proactive.