Monday, March 9, 2015

Six Keys To Successfully Motivating Weight Loss

By Leslie Ball


If you're like most people who have tried to shed extra body fat, you've no doubt experienced the frustration that can accompany that effort. Getting your body into better shape is certainly no easy task. In fact, millions of people each year start diet and exercise regimens only to abandon the struggle after only a few weeks or months. The key to avoiding that failure is to understand a few basic tips for motivating weight loss success.

The first key is to have expectations that you can really meet. You didn't gain all those extra pounds overnight, and they're not going away that quickly either. You have to make smaller, measurable goals that you can achieve consistently. Most dieters find that they can only safely lose a couple pounds a week at most.

Another key is to incorporate your favorite foods into any dietary plan. If you try to deprive yourself of those things, you will fail. It is the rare person who has the willpower to see his favorites and refuse them day after day. Recognize that it is the amount you eat that makes you fat, not the food itself. With that in mind, treat yourself on occasion.

Count the calories and track them in a journal. This is absolutely essential. You'll never really know how your strategy is working if you don't track it as you go. Keep a log of your meals, the calories consumed, and any exercise you engage in. That will provide you with important data to use in your efforts, while also offering additional motivation to inspire you to persevere.

Look for positive messages and skip the negativity. Many overweight people spend so much time being critical of themselves that they actually invite failure. After listening to their own inner voices criticize their many failures, most just lose hope and settle back into their own ways. Motivate yourself with positive self-talk and find friends and family members who will offer similar encouragement.

Cook for yourself as often as you can. Believe it or not, learning to prepare your own meals is one of the easiest ways to develop good eating habits. You'll have more control over what is going into your body, and you'll also develop better insight into how different foods go together to create healthy meals. As you gain expertise, you'll find yourself more motivated than ever.

Finally, never allow failure to get the best of you. Almost every dieter fails at least once in his or her efforts to get back into shape. Many simply give up and return to their old habits, gaining even more extra pounds and confirming their worst fears about themselves. When you fail and find yourself cheating on your dietary plan or skipping exercise, pick yourself up and start again.

The fact is that this type of commitment to losing those extra pounds requires a remarkable commitment of will. With these six keys to success, you can overcome the obstacles and persevere until you realize your dreams. In the end, you'll find the reward more than justifies the commitment you made, as you enjoy the new and improved body you worked so hard to obtain.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment