How to Get Motivated to Lose Weight

If you've been trying to lose weight for some time you know how hard it can sometimes be to simply get motivated to lose weight and more importantly to keep it off.

I've been there myself. For years I struggled with "trying to lose weight" and lack of motivation.

I knew I needed to lose weight. I wanted to lose weight but after a long day's work I simply wanted to relax on the couch and order some take out food.

Getting some exercise or even having a healthy meal was just so hard to do. I'd then feel guilty and ashamed of myself for lacking any motivation or will-power.

I struggled with how to get motivated to lose weight until I discovered a few simple ways that got me off that couch, that stopped me from eating the wrong foods and got me to do the "simple things" I needed to do to lose weight and keep it from coming back.

1. I clearly identified "Why" I wanted to lose weight in the first place.

So, to follow in my foot steps ask yourself "Why do I want to lose weight?" Then write down the reasons "Why" you want to lose weight on a piece of paper or better yet in a journal. Go...do it now. And make this the first day that you absolutely start your weight loss process.

1. Be very SPECIFIC about your reasons.

2. Talk about it in the "present tense" like it is already happening.

The more SPECIFIC you get, the more REAL it will be for YOU. Relate your reasons to your present life rather than in the distant future. What do you want NOW and exactly why do you want it?

You should be able to PICTURE your reasons "Why?" visually.

For example:

I'm losing weight so I can have a slimmer face, clear and glowing skin.

Versus: I want to lose weight so I can look better.

My husband or my boyfriend or my crush notice and complement me for how great I look.

Versus: I want people to notice and pay attention to me.

I'm more confident when I talk to my boss at work and I can see how he appreciates the great work I'm doing.

Versus: I can be more confident about myself

See what's happening here?... The more SPECIFIC you're getting to "Why?" you want to lose weight and the more your reasons relate to your present life, the more you get motivated to lose weight and actually making it happen RIGHT NOW.

2. Surround yourself with the right PEOPLE that keep you motivated to lose weight.

Being around the right people all the time is critical to getting and staying motivated to lose weight.

You know there's a saying that goes like.... "tell me who your 5 closest friends are and I'll tell you who you are"

Who you spend time with and surround yourself with makes a huge difference in the actions you take and the habits you form.

Just hang out with slim people long enough and you'll POSITIVELY see the difference in yourself.

If your 5 best friends are slim and fit and you surround yourself with slim people, then there's only 1 of 2 things that can happen.

1. They develop the habits to put on weight or 2. You get influenced to lose weight and become more "like them".

You will subconsciously do the things you need to lose weight from just surrounding yourself with the right people.

Be around positive, reinforcing people. People that support and re-assure you. Stay away from negative people even if they are your current best friends and family!

Negativity can pull you down. But positive vibrations from positive people will lift you up and keep you on track and motivated to keep losing weight and staying healthy.

Start today by associating yourself with the right people online. Your Facebook friends, YouTube friends and even weight loss support groups and communities online will help you with how to get motivated to lose weight and stay motivated.

3. Put together your 2 "What If?...." sheets NOW.

What if I do...? And What if I don't...? On your What if I do...? sheet write down at the top...

"These are GREAT CHANGES that are going to happen to me starting 1) tomorrow, 2) within 2 months and 3) in 1 to 2 years."

Then write down every single GOOD CHANGE you can imagine that will happen to you in the immediate, short term and long term time frames....if you START TAKING ACTION NOW to lose weight.

So for example:

On the What if I do...? sheet you could be writing things like....

- Tomorrow I will feel great about having started to take the actions to lose weight. I will stop feeling guilty. Instead I'm more empowered since I'm on the right track.

- Tomorrow I will simply wake up feeling better and more energetic since I'm going to eat right tonight.

- Within 2 months from today I will have lost XXX (enter your specific goal) pounds or kilos.

- Within 2 months from today, my boyfriend/ my husband will be telling me how I'm losing weight and looking great!

- Within 1 year I'll be shopping for those new clothes that perfectly fit my hourglass figure.

- Within 1 year, I'll be talking about my own weight loss success story and inspiring so many others to follow in my foot steps.

- Within 1 year I'll have so much more energy to play with my kids, spend more quality time with my husband and do so many more fun activities.

Now on your 2nd sheet, write down all the THINGS you can imagine that will happen if you DON'T TAKE ACTION NOW to lose weight...

At the end of each sentence also write..... I will not let this happen.

So for example:

On the What if I don't...? sheet you could be writing things like....

- Tomorrow I will feel guilty again for not doing anything to start losing weight. I will not feel good knowing that I'm not on the right track. I will not let this happen.

- Tomorrow I will wake up feeling tired and lethargic again! I'll have a hard time getting out of bed and feel low energy. I will not let this happen.

- In 2 months from today I will be the same. Worse, I could have gained more weight. I'll be scared to stand on the scale and embarrassed with myself. I will not let this happen.

- In 2 months from today my husband will still not see any changes in me and I'll be the same weight and have the same body. I'll feel like I'm letting him down and myself down again. I will not let this happen.

- In 1 year's time I'll still be wearing clothes to "try" to hide my weight and appear thin. I'll be self conscious about going in public and meeting new people because of my weight. I will not let this happen.

- In 1 year's time my boyfriend may not find me physically attractive anymore and may want to leave me. I may have a hard time finding a "significant other" that thinks I'm attractive and wants to be with me. I will not let this happen.

Now that you've written down all the things you can imagine, you have a vivid and clear picture for getting motivated to lose weight. Be aware of your 2 "What If..." lists. Read your lists 3 times a week.

See what's happening? Yes, you're getting motivated to lose weight NOW even as you're reading your lists.

Keep doing this and you'll find yourself taking ACTION. Then your habits are changing quickly. Then you start SEEING RESULTS.

As soon as you see RESULTS, you REINFORCE your actions and that in turn motivates you to take more action. And this is a powerful positive cycle to be in.

I, Dr Ashok Patil guarantee you that you will:

1. get motivated to lose weight

2. start taking the right actions to lose weight and keep it off

3. never want to look back - so you'll stay motivated.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr._Ashok_Patil/622032

3 Easy Steps to Fast and Lasting Weight Loss

3 Steps To Lose Weight That Will Last

When it comes to losing weight there are no magic pills or secret diets that can help you reach your weight loss goals. But you can achieve your goals with these 3 steps to help lose weight.

Like most things in life losing weight (a lot of weight) boils down to conscious effort, discipline, determination and perseverance.

Losing 10, 20, 50 or 100 pounds or more all comes back to what you do on a daily basis. If you do what you're supposed to do (eat right + exercise) day in a day out you will eventually lose all the weight you want.

However, if you throw caution to the wind and don't do what you're supposed to do then you may never see your weight loss dreams come true. This my friend is the saddest scenario there is.

If you're bored of being fat, if your tired of being overweight, if your ready to start your new life today then hold on because I am about to give you the simple yet extremely effective weight loss plan you've been waiting for.

Are you ready? I am going to tell you in no uncertain terms what you have to do to lose all the weight you want in 3 easy to do steps. However, in order for this to work you must maintain your focus and discipline everyday to keep doing the steps until you reach your desired results.

Even if you falter and veer off your weight loss track, it's OK. If you are able to quickly get back on track you will overtime, reap the benefits of dramatic weight loss and improved health.

And now, without further adieu here are your 3 basic steps to weight loss...

1. EAT LESS

2. EAT BETTER

3. EXERCISE

There they are. What do you think? A little anti-climatic, huh? Maybe you were expecting more... Well, let me tell you if you are able to grasp and implement this powerfully safe and effective weight loss plan is you will never again have to spend another unnecessary dime on weight loss products that don't work.

You see, your body is a fine tuned weight loss management machine. If you follow the right plan and give your body only what it needs to survive it will do all the hard work for you.

Given enough time and following the 3 steps above you can lose tens and even hundreds of pounds without starving yourself or resorting to bogus weight loss pills or dangerous body sculpting surgeries.

Now, this is not to say that the road to significant weight loss will be easy or that you will not have to suffer a bit to reach your desired results. There will be days when you feel like throwing in the towel and giving up.

On those days you might just cave into your undeniable cravings and go crazy at your local all you can eat artery clogging buffet. But hey,that's OK. You're human. Sometimes you have to go a little nuts to get back on track.

However, if you are truly committed to reaching even your most seemingly unattainable weight loss goals you can and will do it by following the plan above. Now, for your benefit let's go a little deeper into each step of the plan.

1. EAT LESS

There is really no doubt about it. If you want to lose weight you have to start eating less. You have to create a calorie deficiency in order for you body to start shedding pounds.

If you do not begin to limit how much food you take in no amount of exercise will help you reach your goals. Eating less of your favorite greasy, fat filled foods will be the quickest way to dramatic weight loss.

It really doesn't matter how much weight you have to lose. Unless you take control of both your conscious and unconscious eating habits you'll be hard pressed to lose even one pound.

No, you have to start cutting back on the amount of food you are used to eating. I've heard of stories where people would go to Mc Donald's and pack away two Super Sized Big Mac Meals.

Obviously, this is way too much. In this situation even cutting down to one Super Size meal would be an improvement. But, as we will see in our next step, a better plan would be to do away with the Super Size meal all-together and start eating better.

2. EAT BETTER

As the saying goes, "We are what we eat." If we eat crap, guess what? However, if we learn to eat well then not only will our waistline thank us for it but we'll also feel better about ourselves to boot.

One of the quickest changes you can make to your diet when trying to lose weight is to ditch all the junk food you may be used to eating (chips, sodas, pizzas, donuts, cookies, etc) and start eating more vegetables.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. You may still be traumatized by your mother not letting you get up from the dinner table until you finished all your broccoli but let me tell you, your mother was right.

If you can fill half your plate at every meal with high fiber and nutrient packed vegetables you are well on your way to significant and long lasting weight loss. This is probably one of the simplest things you can do to really kickstart your weight loss journey.

While it might not be easy to start eating vegetables at every meal the sooner you begin the better off you'll be and the quicker the weight will start to melt off your body.

3. EXERCISE

In order to kick your weight loss adventure into high gear you have to get your body moving. I don't care if you call it working out, exercising, aerobics or whatever the point is you have to do something to get your heart rate up and your sweat glands working overtime.

Exercise is the key to sustainable, long lasting and real weight loss. For every pound you lose by eating right and exercising that is one more pound that will never come back to haunt you.

Why? Because you now know the "secret" to safe and effective weight loss. If you ever feel yourself creeping back up on the dreaded scale o' fat all you have to do is put these 3 steps into action and watch as you stabilize and contradict any unwanted weight gain.

By exercising on a regular basis you are giving your body the energy boost it needs to ramp up your metabolism rate to start efficiently and effectively losing weight on a daily basis. I don't about you but that sounds pretty darn good to me.

The more you push yourself physically the faster you will see change in your body occur. You may not have to work out with a personal trainer everyday but you do need to do something.

Be it going for a walk, running, swimming, biking, hiking, or any other physical activity you like to do start doing it now. Don't spend another night on the couch watching the latest re-runs. Get your body moving and start losing weight today.

CONCLUSION

Losing weight (even a lot of weight) is not rocket science. So rest assured that anyone can do it, even you. However, it will require all the patience, discipline, determination and perseverance you can muster.

Start slow. Take it one day at a time. You may not reach your ideal weight in one week, one month or even one year but stick with it and reach it you will. By following the 3 steps above you too can become a success story like so many other before you.

So go forth and start losing all that unwanted weight that years of undisciplined living have left behind. Take control of your life starting today. Soon you'll be glad you did. When that day comes there will be no looking back.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Alex_Jones/2159564