How to Stay Motivated On Your Weight Loss Journey

Fat – one of the stickiest and exceedingly stubborn things in the world. Once it intrudes on our healthy and peaceful lives, it makes a home there. And how many times have we tried beyond the bounds to get rid of it, only to fail again and again? 

We hit the gym, calculate the calories, embrace the green veggies, meditate, and whatnot, all in an attempt to fire the fat away.

But the body fat has a secret – It comes in quickly but leaves very slowly. Keeping your head and hopes high all the while in this long and exhausting journey demands some weight loss motivation. 

The importance of this motivation increases manifold, specially in countries like India where food is diverse and revered much. Biryanis, chaats, pizzas, kebabs, parathas, all these tempting delights sneer at us and make it further harder. The end result? Guilt!

Weight loss motivation works like lubrication when friction occurs between our healthier selves and tempting cuisine. It makes the journey smoother and ensures that we do not fail and sit back this one time. So, keep reading. 

What Makes Weight Loss a Tough Tide?

“Why is it so hard to lose weight?” 

“Why is fat stubborn?” 

“Belly fat just doesn’t go away.” 

“It is brutally time taking.”

“Mmmm. Those samosas!” 

We know these thoughts very well. But why is that fat so hard to lose? Let’s first understand weight loss. This knowledge is as important as the weight loss motivation. 

Understanding Weight loss

We eat food; this food gets converted into energy to perform necessary functions; if calories are more than what we are burning, our bodies store them as fat to use later. But it is not this simple. 

You might have noticed a few individuals staying slim despite the large meals they eat. Why?

Because there are several other factors that decide how much fat gets stored and how quickly it gets burned. For example:

• Calorie intake
• Metabolism
• Genetics
• Age
• Gender
• Health condition
• Stress and sleep
• The type of food we eat
• And willpower, consistency, and patience.

The better a person is at these choices, the smoother the weight loss.

The takeout? Every individual is different when it comes to weight loss. Comparing yourself with others will only make things harder. 

Weight Loss Motivation – 15 powerful ways that will keep you going

As someone said, “Our bodies can stand almost anything; it is the mind that we have to convince.” Surely, the weight loss journey is much more about our psychology than our physiology. 

Think right, do right, and right will happen. 

The right now is to stay motivated. Here is how:

1. Be Realistic

Most often, we see a few shredded guys and girls on the internet and breathe in those muscles and make them our dreams. We hit the gym, and do a few push-ups, but that shredded body seems miles and miles away. The result? Guilt, shame, and depression that we are a failure. 

When starting your weight loss journey, be kind to your mind and your body combined. The only quick way to lose weight is not to opt for quicker ways that promise body sculpting within a few nights to a few weeks. It is very unnatural and might harm your body in the long term.

Try losing 0.5 to 1 kg per week. ^[1]

This is what many practitioners recommend. 

And know what? One study found out that those setting higher and unrealistic expectations were the quickest to opt out of the weight loss journey. ^[2]

2. Weight loss is simple maths, and yet not!

Don’t be disheartened if you see things not happening around you. Your older dresses will certainly fit you one day.

Usually, the graph of fat reduction moves up quickly in the initial phase. We lose some quick weight and get very excited. And then, it comes to a halt and stalls. This is where you have to be a bit patient. 

If you are doing everything right, there is nothing to be worried about. Surely, if you are eating fewer calories than you are burning, you’ll lose weight. But there is a bit more to it.

Not all calories are equal. 

The source of calories, nutrient density, and the impact of different foods on hunger and hormones play a significant role. For example, 500 calories of vegetables will behave differently on your body than 500 calories of sugary snacks.

So, choose your food wisely. It is not about taking calories but taking good calories. 

3. Improve your digestive health 

Improving digestive health is crucial for staying motivated on your weight loss journey. When your digestive system functions optimally, it can aid in nutrient absorption, reduce bloating, and help you feel more energized. 

Here are some tips to enhance your digestive health:

Eat High-Fibre Foods: Fibre-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can promote healthy digestion. Additionally you can mix multi-millet mix to your atta or switch to multi-grain atta to increase your fibre intake. They help regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation.

Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water is essential for digestion. It helps in the breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients. Aim for at least 8-10 glasses of water per day.

Probiotics: Consider incorporating probiotic-rich foods like curd, yoghurt, kefir, or kimchi into your diet. Probiotics promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which can improve digestion.

Chew Your Food Thoroughly: Properly chewing your food helps break it down into smaller particles, making it easier for your digestive system to process. It also sends signals to your brain that you’re full, which can aid in portion control.

Regular Meals: Try to eat meals at regular intervals throughout the day. This can help maintain a steady digestive process and prevent overeating during your weight loss journey.

Avoid Overeating: Overeating can strain your digestive system. Pay attention to portion sizes and eat until you’re satisfied, not stuffed.

Slow Down: Eating too quickly can lead to digestive discomfort. Practice mindful eating by savoring each bite and taking your time during meals.

Limit Processed Foods: Highly processed foods are often low in fibre and nutrients, making them harder to digest. Opt for whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible.

Identify Food Sensitivities: Some people have food sensitivities that can cause digestive issues. Pay attention to how your body reacts to different foods and consider eliminating any that consistently cause discomfort. For example, if you get gas or bloating after consuming milk, avoid it or switch to lactose free milk and milk products. 

Regular Exercise: Physical activity can stimulate digestion and keep your gut healthy. Incorporate regular exercise into your routine to aid in digestion and weight loss.

Get Enough Sleep: A good night’s sleep is essential for overall health, including digestion. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.

Just remember that digestive health is closely linked to overall well-being, and a healthy digestive system can enhance your motivation and success on your weight loss journey.

4. Pen down your plan and journey

When we write down something, we tell our mind that it is crucial to us. Moreover, because we take time while writing and pondering, our minds register it with more care and work harder towards it. 

Having a plan will lay down certain milestones that are easier to achieve. 

If you start your journey with only end result in mind, it will feel very distant and you might not see any achievements during the journey. This can be quite disheartening and sag you down.

Having milestones and achieving them time by time will elate you as you walk towards your ultimate goal. These small small wins will uplift you and add a boost to your weight loss motivation. 

Have SMART goals:

• Specific
• Measurable 
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-based

Here is what a SMART plan might look like:

“I will walk 3 Km for 4 days this week (be it in the morning or in the evening).” 

Just make sure you make it realistic.

Also, rather than using negative words, use positive words. 

For example, instead of saying that you won’t drink soda this week, say that you will drink only juices this week. This will shift your mindset from a negative state to a positive one.

5. Find your friend in a weight loss journal

This is one of the easiest and yet powerful things you can gift to your weight loss journey. 

Try recording your progress as you walk towards your goal. Write about each milestone you achieve and how good you feel about it. This will pump you up and weave you into a state that is all about losing that stubborn fat. 

Apart from your positive thoughts, try to monitor your journey and write about it as you briskly walk towards your healthy weight. 

• Write down what you eat
• Keep a note of your weekly weight loss (don’t record your weight every day)
• Note how losing your focus impacted your weight
• Note your emotions and trigger points. This will help you avoid them the next time

Studies say that writing journal and self-monitoring enhances weight loss ^[3]

6. Gift and Gratitude

This human brain loves its feedback and reward system. If we do not reward it timely, it thinks that all the hard work is going in vain. Try to reward yourself as you go on achieving smaller milestones. This will trigger the release of dopamine and your mind will work harder at achieving those milestones again.

Here is how you can positively reward yourself:

• Go for a movie
• Gift yourself a trip somewhere
• Buy yourself a pair of running shoe
• Take cooking classes in healthy cuisine

All this will keep you motivated to work further.

7. Keep educating yourself

Knowledge is power, more when it comes to health and weight loss. Apart from that, when you learn about something, your mind and body work on it even further. But what knowledge are we talking about?

• Be nutrition aware as to what are good calories, bad calories, what to eat, when to eat, what to avoid, and different types of diet.
• Learn about different workout techniques and their impact.
• Read about stress management techniques as stress plays a huge role in weight gain
• Know the importance of sleep and how to get better sleep for fat reduction
• Read health-related resources to be aware that you are not at fault if there is a halt in your weight loss journey

Knowing all these things won’t just make you a wiser person but will also motivate you to work harder and smarter towards your goal.

8. Embrace support communities 

Embarking on a weight loss journey can often feel like a solitary endeavour, but it doesn’t have to be one. Sometimes a sweet support is all that we need. Listening to people going through the same troubles, their success stories, all these things can add up to your weight loss motivation.

Furthermore, you can get ideas and ways to enhance or reshape your health plan. Not only this, if you ever feel alone during your morning walk, you can always ask your beloved community member to join you alongside. 

9. Be ready for stalls

As told earlier, no flight in the world goes upward only. There is no such thing. Similarly, when you embark on your weight loss journey, you might face plateaus. 

It means that there will be days when no progress will be visible to you and you might feel like giving up. A brutal roadblock. But this is exactly the point where you have to show some courage and perseverance because beyond this cliff lies a soothing scenery. 

There could be a few reasons why you might hit this big boulder and see no progress in your weight loss:

• Metabolic Adaptation – When you start introducing your body to fewer calories, it might adapt to this new environment and look for ways to become efficient at the reduced calories. This means that your old weight loss strategies might not be as effective as they once had been. Solution?
  • Change your calorie intake again based on your new goals
  • Increase your workout intensity and duration for more calorie burn
  • Change your exercise routines
  • Take help from a dietician or a meal planner like this Happy Tummy Meal Planner
• Habituation – With time, your body will adapt to the same workout techniques and exercises. What you need to do is to keep an exercise mix. Try new exercises, do different forms of cardio, or embrace strength training if you haven’t already.
• Water Retention – Sometimes, your body might retain more water. This can mask your true fat loss progress. To tackle this, keep a watch on your sodium intake as it can lead to more water retention. Avoid foods high in it. Also, stay properly hydrated instead of avoiding it.

Know that all you need is to show some perseverance and will. Keep perseverance as a beloved part of your weight loss motivation. 

10. Appreciate yourself for your efforts

Guilt and perfection are the biggest boulders that one faces in their life. It not only halts progress but enslaves one down in a thick dark fog. 

Firstly, embrace your body and your life. This acceptance will pick you out of the stress and put you in a healthy position where you can really put effort. 

Studies have shown that people who love their bodies tend to lose weight quickly. ^[4][5]

Now, once you have accepted your body, it is time to show some love and some effort.

• Get a company of positive people who show inclusiveness and embrace spiritually
• Do not compare yourself with shredded people you or models you see on the internet
• Wear clothes that you feel good in
• Talk good to yourself in the mirror rather than feeling down
• Exercise and feel good that you are working hard towards something healthier

All these things will slowly lift you up and enhance your overall weight loss motivation needs.

11. Find friends in nature and pets

Mother Nature has provided us with love and nourishment. It doesn’t know shaming but warm embrace alone. 

Try to have a walk in nature and feel closer and connected. Studies have shown that being in nature uplifts mood and increases metabolism. In a way, you feel happy and peaceful. ^[6]

Another thing you can do is to have a pet. Having a dog can really release endorphins, our feel-good hormones, within you. The dog will not judge you but love the way you are. ^[7]

A dog can even be a great buddy during your leisure walks through nature. It can make you walk for longer as compared to walking alone. 

12. Don’t stress yourself too much

There are cases when people get overly motivated at the initial stage. They put in lots of effort, work days and nights, and then get themselves drained. 

Take it smoothly and easily. You also have to enjoy the journey as you walk through it. Firstly, don’t choose an exercise you don’t love. There could be several exercises to get the same result. 

For example, if you love swimming, you don’t have to hit the gym to lose weight. Diving and being one with the water can have soothing effects too. It is all about sticking to it. Be consistent. 

Here are a few options you can really enjoy while burning calories:

• Play some sport. It will let you be social, laugh, and cherish life
• Go for swimming, cycling, jogging, or even running
• Join dancing classes, Zumba classes, or any other social club
• Go outside if you feel bored at home

Being social is one of the best weight loss motivations you can have. 

13. Follow your ideal

In the world of social media, we easily interact with more people than we actually need. It means you might see hundreds of celebrities who might flaunt their figures. This might easily put in a sense of guilt and ask you to have unrealistic expectations. Don’t!

Instead, follow people a few people who once were at your stage and have crossed well. It will let you have a deeper outlook on what life truly is rather than getting tempted by social media goals. By having role models in harmony with your goals, you may feel pumped up and work well. ^[8]

14. Take professional help

Sometimes all we need is a pinch of extra support, that too professional. If you are doing everything you can from sweating out to eating good, you might need some professional to assess your situation. The right help might come from there. It is not a sign of failure but a sign of willpower, that you are willing to do everything you can to get rid of unhealthy weight. 

Here are a few types of professionals that might help you tackle different areas:

• Psychologist – to help you with your thoughts
• Dietician – to suggest the right food as per your goals
• Physical trainer – to get the right training according to your body type
• Social support group

And at last, 

15. Be committed to not giving up!

To achieve anything great, you need to stay committed towards it. It means keep going on even when you do not want it. The above-provided weight loss motivations will surely give you the required wings, but there might be areas when you need to keep going despite the presence of a will. 

A blend of stoicism and David Goggins’ sort of stance.

Make it a habit. It is because motivation can get you started, but habit is what will keep you going on.

Conclusion

Losing weight might seem like an impossible task. Lots and lots of tries getting tossed up to the hopeless skies. Although the right knowledge can surely give you the right path, weight loss motivation can be your guiding light. We all need it every now and then. 

We now have 15 powerful motivators at our side — realism, knowledge, planning, journaling, rewards, education, community, resilience, self-appreciation, nature, stress management, enjoyment, role models, and professional guidance. These secrets will help you stay inspired and resilient on this transformative journey.

Weight loss may be a daunting tide to navigate, but armed with these motivations, nothing can stop us from conquering it. Remember, every step, no matter how small, will bring us closer to the shores of a healthier and happier life. 

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