Practical Weight Loss Motivations: Part 1

This week, some practical suggestions on meeting your goals with practical weight loss motivations …

We work better when we have a goal we’re working toward; when we can measure our progress toward that goal and see that we’re winning! So here are some ideas on how to set practical goals to motivate yourself to get in better shape:

Set a Date

Set a special date 4 to 6 weeks in the future. It could be a date night with your significant other. It could be a staff party or high school reunion. Now go buy yourself a new suit or dress, but, buy it one size smaller than what fits you. Your goal is to make that outfit look great by the time the date comes around. Be realistic though. Don’t buy something 3 sizes too small or you’re setting yourself up to fail.

One Day at a Time

If you’ve always struggled with dietary discipline, set a simple goal first. One day. Just one day of eating right. It’s OK. Tomorrow you can have whatever you want, but for today, you’ll eat only what’s healthy for you. Didn’t that feel good? Now, see if you can make it two days, then 3, and so on. See how many days in a row you can keep it up. The important part of this goal is to remind yourself that on the day after your discipline ends, you can reward yourself by eating whatever you want. You’ll see magic start to happen when you can go 4 days in a row, with one day off, then keep repeating that pattern. Promise!

The Office Weight Loss Pool

Set up a pool at the office. Everyone pitches in 20 dollars. A date is set one month in the future. Whoever lost the most weight in that time, gets the pool. Now, do it again!

If you have a significant other who also needs to lose some weight, you can do something similar at home. Agree on a prize (go on, be creative). Set a one month deadline. Whoever loses the most weight wins the prize. Be sure to encourage and help each other though, or this one can backfire.

These are just a few suggestions for practical goals you can set that will motivate you to stay on track when that donut or bag of chips is calling you.

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Will Dove

Author
Will is a lifelong fitness nut. He started exercising religiously at the age of 16. Now 52, he still works out 5 times per week and maintains a body fat percentage in the single digits. Will is passionate about helping others to achieve their fitness and body image goals, and believes that most people fail to achieve these goals, not through a lack of self-discipline, but through a simple lack of knowledge.