» Fast Track to a Healthy Weight III Journey to Simplicity: Ideas for a more Frugal, Simple, Godly home

How to Keep Yourself Motivated When Weight Loss is Slow

Since the first of January I have lost 7 pounds. I have incorporated all of the Fast Track and so to some it may seem the Fast Track isn’t worth the effort. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Firstly, my personal goal is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. To accomplish this it is imperative to identify your self-sabotage techniques (we all have them) and make a plan to conquer them slowly. In my case there are a few factors that “fight against” my efforts. This means that I do not lose weight in a manner consistent with most people. For me to keep myself motivated in this area I remind myself that I am unique, with a unique lifestyle, unique health challenges, and that as long as I am not gaining weight, I am moving forward with living to be healthy.

Secondly, motivation comes from many sources and those sources will change depending on many variables. Have you incorporated some healthy lifestyle changes within your family? Are you planning out 2 snacks per day? Have you made a food habit change? Are you drinking more water each day? Success is a great motivator. When the scale doesn’t show the numbers that you want, it can be all too easy to slip back into old habits as despair and defeat set in. This is a journey to living to be healthy for a lifetime, not just a means to an end for weight loss. So often weight loss can be slow for many reasons, and is a signal that it is time to kick it up a notch.

Here are some tips to help motivate you to continue on your fast track to a healthy weight when weight loss is slow.

Change it Up: Believe it or not, your body learns routine and adapts. If you walk on the treadmill 3 times per week, your body will become regulated to that in about 6-8 weeks. This is when you should change up your routine. Pick another source of exercise for the next 6-8 weeks, change up your treadmill routine, or apply interval training. Cross training will keep your body responding in the right way, and the results will keep you motivated!

Alter Your Calorie Count: Just as with exercise, your body learns to accommodate calories when it is always fed the same amount. If you have been counting calories or eating from food groups, change this up every third day or so. With calorie counting, either spike your calories for a day by approximately 250-300 or reduce your calories by as much. When eating from food groups, change your focus. If your focus is on vegetables, reduce your vegetables and increase fruits or grains every few days. Your body will begin to work more efficiently. This is a simple way to Fast Track yourself to a healthy weight.

Cut it Out: You have already made one major food change for the year. It is time to tackle another. Be honest with yourself and choose one of your self-sabotage habits and make a plan to eliminate it. What food or unhealthy eating habit are you willing to give up? Make steps to do that this week and watch the numbers on the scale begin to dip again. Staying motivated to achieve a healthy weight is work. But when you choose to overcome your poor eating habits one at a time in a slow and progressive manner, you are creating the basis for a long life of living to be healthy.

Have a Treat Night: Date night is important to keep a relationship healthy. Achieving financial goals when digging out of debt involves rewards. Treat Night is essential to keeping your journey to a healthy weight on track and allowing yourself to feel like a normal person. Each week plan a small treat for yourself. This may be a food treat, such as a piece of candy, creamy salad dressing, a glass of wine, or one serving of something you have eliminated on a daily basis. You can also use treat night as a way to reward yourself in other ways that you would not normally do. Try a new activity that you have been dreaming of, purchase a new accessory for everyday wear, take a class, go out with a friend and do something a little crazy like climbing on a playground. Truth is that all of these things will make you feel so good inside you will begin to “work hard” all week to get your sweet reward! That is motivation that just feels good!

At the end of the second month of 2011 it can be hard to keep yourself motivated to living a healthy life when your weight loss efforts are slow or stagnant. To help overcome this, your mindset needs to shift from the specifics of weight loss, i.e. numbers or sizes, and focus on the accomplishments you have made to being healthy for life. The weight loss will come as you continue to build each week!