Keeping Motivated

The first step in starting on your new healthy lifestyle is identifying your motivation. Why do you want to lose (or gain) weight?

Are you losing weight to prevent a serious health problem, such as diabetes or heart disease? Are you determined to look and feel great by next summer? Whatever your reason, you need to believe in it strongly and use it to fuel your motivation. 

Once you're clear on why you want to change your weight, you need to think about exactly what you want to achieve. Having an idea, not only of the bigger picture, but of just how you're going to get to your destination, is the best way to keep on track. This means setting goals. To set yourself up for success, make your goals realistic and specific. And be sure to write them down!

When you first decided to take control of your weight, it's likely you focused on the total amount of weight at issue. However, in order to get to where you want to be, it's best to break your long-term goal into a series of more readily-achievable, short-term goals.

For example, if you state your long-term goal as "I want to lose 60 pounds", you may feel defeated after a few weeks, thinking that you have not made as much progress as you would have liked. Reaching your goal of losing 60 pounds may seem a long way off and that prospect can sap you of motivation. But if you also set a smaller goal, such as "I want to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks", you are likely to feel more motivated, as the smaller goal seems more achievable. Yet, it will only take six mini-goals to reach your final goal of losing 60 pounds.

If you break your long-term goal into smaller steps, focus on each step of the way and reward yourself every time you reach a mini-goal, your motivation will soon snowball.

Plan non-food rewards for reaching your mini goals - it can certainly spark your motivation to know that when you lose that next pound or complete your planned exercise program you'll be treating yourself to a new CD, or tickets to a game or concert.

Even if you've set mini-goals, at times you may be tempted to slip back into your old habits. If your lifestyle changes seem too hard to maintain, remind yourself of why you decided on this path in the first place. Keep a 'before' photo to look at - this can be handy at times when you feel like giving up. Remember your motivation and visualize yourself as the 'new you' - healthy, strong and fit. Think about how good you will feel, and use this feeling to make better choices.

If you suspect that a few weeks into your weight-control journey you may end up tempted by junk food or to eat for reasons other than to satisfy hunger, prepare a plan of attack in advance to remind yourself of alternative activities that you can enjoy next time you feel like raiding the refrigerator. Write your plan out and keep it handy. It will give you something concrete to turn to if your motivation is waning.

If you're in need of motivation, why not read the Success Stories on CalorieKing.com? Find out how other people coped with challenges and steal some of their tips!

You don't need to single-handedly change your lifestyle. In fact, it's a lot easier to make changes if you have people to support you in your goals. Enlist the help of your family and friends in your quest for a new and improved self. If your family and friends are resistant to the changes you're  making in your life, seek the support of people who are like-minded. The CalorieKing forums are a great place to start. There you can share your thoughts and feelings and ask questions of people who have probably, at some time, been right where you are now. Also, consider joining a CK group. There's sure to be one which meets your needs. If there's not, you can start up your own!

...of your feelings, your thoughts, and the role healthy eating and exercise play in achieving your weight-control goals. Participating in the CalorieKing Program can help you with this. The more you learn about yourself, and about health and nutrition, the more likely you are to stay motivated to achieve your weight-control goals.

No one does every single thing “right”, every single day. Remember that life-long weight control is a result of leading a healthy lifestyle and that  learning new habits and ways of thinking takes time. If you eat a whole package of chocolate-chip cookies one day or skip a few exercise workouts, it doesn't signal the end of your new lifestyle. Just pick yourself up and start right back where you left off! Don't let a slip-up become an excuse to quit.

And as one successful CalorieKing.com member said, "Start thinking like a 'slim person'. Even they eat and drink too much sometimes, the difference is that they eat well for the majority of the time."