How to Continually Stay Motivated to Lose Weight

The worst part about trying to lose weight isn't the exercising or dieting, it is the mental game to stay motivated. Once past the first couple of weeks, watching the weight slowly shed off becomes less exciting than eating that piece of cake or watching a movie marathon rather than working out.

The difficulty is in staying motivated. You know you want to lose weight, but how do you make that desire enough to put off sweets and keep putting yourself on the treadmill? Here's some steps you can take to stay driven for your quest against the scale.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Big calendar
• Wii Fit
• Friends
• Petty cash
• Online Forums

1. One great step to take when losing weight is to tell people about it. The more people you tell that you are trying to get fit, the more they will bug you about it when you are not feeling like going to the gym. Also, they will be on the lookout for you to lose some weight, so when you do, they will be the first to notice!

2. Another good idea is to get a big calendar and add in permanent ink your goals for certain times. Hang the calendar in a prominent place where you will see it every day to remind yourself what you are working towards. Want a bikini body for summer? Want to wow your relatives by Christmas? Remind yourself on the calendar, along with your short-term goals of weight loss. Keeping a physical reminder around is a great way to stay motivated!

3. It never hurts to wager a bet. Bet a friend a small amount of money that you can lose a certain number of pounds by a certain day. Money is a great motivator! Just make sure that the bet is large enough to keep you motivated, but not too large to sour your relationship with that person. If you want to keep your friends out of your finances use a service like Make Money Losing Weight to bet other people who are trying to lose weight. One study found people who get money for losing weight are up to 5 times as likely to lose 5% of their body fat

4. Try and find a friend who is also trying to get more fit, and motivate each other. Keeping each other honest is key to actually losing weight.

5. Buy a Wii Fit! Although I don't like including brand names in eHow articles, this is a great tool to monitor your weight and it turns working out into a fun activity, so losing weight becomes less of a chore. I used it yesterday, and I was having so much fun...but now today my calves were sore a little bit; I didn't realize I did that much work.

6. Watch a show like "The Biggest Loser" on a regular basis. This keeps me pumped up about losing weight, seeing others going through the exact same things I go through. Who knows, it may help you as well! To kill two birds with one stone, jog in place while watching the show.

7. Subscribe to a service, like the free service Peer Trainer, that emails you every day with tips on how to lose weight and become a healthier, happier person. Daily reminders about losing weight and it's benefits are a great way to stay motivated to keep those pounds off.

Tips & Warnings

• You can never be reminded too much that you should lose weight if you really want to.
• Consult a doctor before starting a diet and exercise regimen.
• Diet and exercise go hand in hand, don't do one without the other and expect to lose massive amounts of weight.
• Think of the children!
• If exercise hurts, stop. Consult your doctor.

Resources

• The site for the Wii Fit.
• The Biggest Loser site.
• Peer Trainer, the free service that emails you daily.
• stickK, a site where you can bet to lose weight.
• Make Money Losing Weight, another site where you can bet to lose weight.

[alidascheiderer]

on 10/20/2009 Great article full of tips for the new generation of thinkers!
Recommended!