Motivation for losing weight and psychology: how to set yourself up to lose weight

Hello readers. The vast majority of people do not have a strong will and an iron character, and are not ready to make sacrifices even for small goals. But is it worth getting used to the idea that “nothing can be changed” and “let everything take its course”? No, it’s not worth it, but then how can you force yourself to lose weight and how to find motivation for every day?

Some women believe that money or a lot of money will solve their weight problems. They choose elite clinics for weight loss, buy the latest drugs, go on exotic diets, and spare no expense on famous fitness trainers. This is all not bad, but if you don’t have motivation, the kilograms on your waist will very soon return to their usual place - this is confirmed by all nutritionists.

Motivation for losing weight - where to start, and how to find your true goal for losing weight?

The term “motivation” is usually used to describe a complex of individual motives that together spur a person to take specific actions.

Success without motivation is impossible, because without it, any attempts to achieve success are just self-torture. It is motivation that gives a charge of vivacity and an impetus to achieve the next step with joy and ease, with the inevitable pleasure from the very methods of achieving the goal.

But the desire to lose weight is not motivation. This is just a desire from the series “I want to go to Bali” and “I want rabbit fricassee for dinner.” And it will remain like this (“I’ll definitely start on Monday!”) until you find your motives for returning your body to a beautiful and healthy state.

Come down from heaven to earth

All these 12-week transformations from a chubby programmer to a special forces soldier or from an accountant to a fitness model are not real. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends losing half a kilo a week for those who are “degree” obese, and 200g for those who are not. Approximately based on these numbers, calculate how much weight you can lose. It is better to discard any less realistic expectations immediately. Yes, at first it may take a couple of liters of water, but that’s all. The process will not be rapid. Be encouraged by the fact that you will be losing fat, not muscle.

How to look for them, and where to start?

Identify key tasks . What exactly do you want - to become more beautiful, tighten your contours, achieve powerful relief, simply “lose fat”, etc. Find your incentive to lose weight.
Having defined the task, we divide it into stages . Why is it important? Because it is impossible to achieve an unattainable goal, much less simply and quickly. You need to move towards your goal gradually, solving one small problem after another. If you decide to become an athletics champion after 25 years of sedentary office work, you will not become one tomorrow or in a month. But this desire is quite realistic if you approach its implementation wisely.
When dividing a task into stages, you need to focus on enjoying the process. Hard labor will not bear fruit; only work on oneself, which brings joy, brings the truly desired result. For example, it is very difficult to force yourself to run in the morning, but if at the end of the route there is a cafe with beautiful views and a cup of aromatic tea, it will be much more pleasant to run to it.
If you have motivation, a decision has been made and goals have been set, start right away. Don't wait for Mondays, New Year's, 8 am, etc. Only now - or never.

The main conclusion: ten small goals are easier to achieve than one unattainable one.

Motivation No. 3 - dream job

Employees of recruitment agencies confirm that overweight women have problems finding work. Of course, we do not discriminate based on the age, gender or appearance of the employee. But, as soon as an obese person starts looking for a good job, he will probably face rejection from employers.

You can forget about your dream job. Therefore, motivation to lose weight for people looking for work will be the strongest incentive to find a decent job with high pay.

The range of professions for slender women is greatly narrowing. There are professions, such as flight attendant or flight attendant, where there are weight standards. A few extra pounds can put you out of work.

You won’t meet a fat woman in a store or boutique selling branded clothing or perfumes; they simply won’t take her there in the first place. But in a regular store, where the salary is an order of magnitude lower, there are plenty of them.

Unfortunately, employers have biases imposed on them from the field of fitness, beauty and health. There is a stereotype that a curvy woman is not agile enough, is slow, has health problems and does not look presentable.

And it is around him that all our motivators revolve:

You can't fit into your favorite dresses and jeans. A very strong motivator, which often spurs girls to begin the process of losing weight. Many people even specifically buy something a size or two smaller, and work hard to fit into it and buy a new one, another size smaller.
A gift to yourself, your beloved, for your efforts. Just a beautiful body is not enough (as some people think), and besides it, there must be some kind of reward for yourself for all the work and torment, which will loom ahead, like a piece of ham that a dog runs after. For example, “I’ll lose weight to 55 kg and give myself a trip to the islands.”
Love. This motivator is one of the most powerful. It is love that makes us make unimaginable efforts on ourselves and reach heights that we would never have achieved on our own. The desire to conquer a person or keep his love can work wonders.
A good example to follow. It’s good if you have such an example before your eyes - some kind of authority that you want to emulate. For example, a friend or mother who, even at 50 years old, remains slim and beautiful because she works on herself every day.
Losing weight for company. Oddly enough, and no matter what they say about this method (there are many opinions), it works. True, everything depends on the group – the team you work with. It’s great when this group of good friends who play sports, devote a lot of time to working on themselves, and choose active recreation. As a rule, group weight loss “for company” helps to achieve good results. But only in those groups where everyone supports each other.
Health recovery. The problems and consequences of excess weight are familiar to everyone who is looking for ways to lose weight: shortness of breath and arrhythmia, heart problems, intimate problems, cellulite, gastrointestinal diseases and much more. What can we say about cases where life can directly depend on losing weight. In this case, working on yourself becomes simply necessary: sports and proper nutrition for health, weight loss and beauty should become your second self.
Criticism of one's own and ridicule of others. At best, we hear - “Oh, who has become such a chubby little thing” and “Wow, how crazy you are, mother”, at worst - “Move over, cow, you can’t get through,” etc. Such “amenities” are no longer a signal that it’s time to lose weight, but a real alarm bell. Let's run to the scales!
“No, I don’t like swimming, I’ll just sit in the shade and look, and at the same time I’ll guard your things.” Often, losing weight begins with the desire to walk beautifully along the beach so that everyone will gasp at your swimsuit and its strong, elastic contents. But, as life shows, losing weight “by summer” is a meaningless process with temporary results if a sports lifestyle does not then become a habit.
Set a personal example for your child. If your child constantly sits at the computer and is already beginning to spread out his body in a comfortable chair, then you will not change his lifestyle except by your own example. In most cases, sports parents have sports children who always follow the example of moms and dads.

Of course, there are many more motivators for losing weight. But it is important to find your own, individual ones that will motivate you to achieve feats and allow you to “stay in the saddle”, despite possible obstacles.

Using the "sleeping" potential

The whole truth is that a person never uses the full potential inherent in him by nature. We always have untapped energy that we don't think we have. However, as you dig deeper and deeper, you gain access to more and more human capabilities, thanks to which you can achieve truly significant results.

This is what is so important to understand when losing weight. Throughout the entire process, you will be able to test your capabilities and conquer new heights every day.

Where is the mistake?

Fighting extra pounds. Yes, yes, it is this struggle that prevents you from losing those extra centimeters. Stop fighting excess weight - start enjoying the process of losing weight. Look for those methods, methods and diets that will bring you joy. Any “hard labor” in this matter is an obstacle to beautiful body contours. Remember, fighting weight and striving for lightness are two different motivations and, accordingly, tasks, both in goals and in the means of achieving them.
Motivation. Losing weight “for the summer” or for a specific number on the scale is the wrong motivator. Your purpose should be clearer, deeper, and truly powerful.
Negative attitude. If you are pre-prepared for a war with excess weight, and are even sure of your defeat (“I can’t”, “I can’t handle it”, etc.), then you will never achieve your goal. Look around. Many people who have successfully lost weight have regained not only ease of movement, but also the elasticity of new contours, because they didn’t just want it, but were clearly moving towards the goal. If it worked for them, then why can’t it work for you? Whatever excuses you come up with now in response to this question, remember: if you are not confident in yourself, then you have chosen the wrong motivation.
There is no need to give up food and then fall into depression , greedily look into the plates of cafe visitors and make brutal raids on the refrigerator at night according to the principle “not a single cutlet will survive.” Why work yourself into hysteria? First, give up mayonnaise, bread, fast food and fatty foods. When you get used to replacing mayonnaise with olive oil, and rolls with biscuits, you can move to the second level - replacing the usual desserts (buns, cakes, candies and chocolates) with healthy ones. When you have an unbearable craving for sweets, you don’t need to rush to the store for a cake - bake yourself some apples with nuts and honey in the oven. Do your teeth constantly itch and want to chew on something? Make crackers from black bread with garlic in a frying pan and nibble to your health. The next level is replacing dinner with a milk-curd delicacy with minimal fat content, and so on. Remember that everything takes a habit. You won’t be able to just give up everything at once - your body will require an alternative. Therefore, first look for an alternative, and only then begin to prohibit yourself from everything - slowly, step by step.
High bar. It is important to know that the norm for weight loss, reasonable and healthy, with a long-term effect, is a maximum of 1.5 kg per week. Don't try to lose more! This will only harm the body (such extreme weight loss is especially dangerous for heart patients, as well as for kidney disease, etc.), in addition, the weight will quickly return back according to the “yo-yo” principle.

And, of course, remember that you need a complete and proper sleep schedule. After all, lack of sleep only provokes stress and the production of ghrelin (almost a “gremlin”) - the hunger hormone .

Keep calm - and lose weight with pleasure!

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Some final useful tips

In most cases, motivation “fades” over time; it is undermined by failures, like a bark beetle on a tree trunk. What needs to be done to ensure that the desire to achieve your goal does not fade? Here are some simple tips:

Lose weight for yourself, and to do this, reconsider your attitude towards yourself, love yourself, declare war on complexes like “I’m a fat loser, don’t look at me.” Stop feeling sorry for yourself, change your view of the world around you from sad and depressive to positive and joyful.
Break the final goal into several intermediate, very small ones.
Take before and after photos.
Keep a diary where you write down all your achievements and failures, and don’t be lazy to return to your successes.
Be prepared for relapses in advance - this is as natural as for many smokers who quit smoking. Read about cheat meals, or how you can eat whatever you want once a week.
Share the joy of even small achievements with someone close to you - he will definitely support you in the future!
For victories, give yourself small gifts and little joys, but not related to food!
Start a blog and share your discoveries with your friends in misfortune.
Look for like-minded people - there are many groups and forums for losing weight online.

By the way, experts strongly advise against stepping on the scale several times a day or every day. Small fluctuations of 300 grams may upset you, but they are natural for the body. For many, weight loss is very slow, even with draconian diets and exercise. The scale reading can make you depressed if the changes are small compared to the effort you put into it. But don't worry - everything is going according to plan.

It is recommended to weigh yourself once a week - this way you can better track the positive dynamics . But if you started exercising at the same time, it is better to measure changes in volume with a measuring tape, because muscle weighs more than fat. And throw the scales in the trash so as not to worry again.

Overheard motives for losing weight

How to find motivation for losing weight that works 100% for men and women? Take one that has already worked in more than one case. Some of these examples from people who have lost excess weight forever have been collected here.

Motivation for fast weight loss

Do you urgently want to remove unnecessary weight from the sides that ruins everything? Then try this motivation:

Embark on a challenging journey into the lap of nature. Climbing a mountain, walking along a river, or just a long hike to a place where you haven’t heard about the benefits of civilization will quickly turn you into a slender or even pumped-up handsome man.
Choose an active sport with the maximum level of dynamics. Let it be at least a skateboard or a bicycle - anything is better than traveling through cyberspace.
Fall in love. Yes, losing weight for someone you love, and not for yourself, is a much more easily accomplished task. If the chosen one has already found or, moreover, the marriage has long been confirmed... this kind of motivation only gets worse - after all, it’s so great to please someone who was there in both sorrow and joy!

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Hard motivation for losing weight

Yes, often it is the people who are strictest with themselves who achieve success in whatever they undertake. Be critical and picky about yourself as much as possible - soon you won’t recognize yourself. An example of this type of motivation to lose weight:

Set a serious goal and assign a realistic reward for it - something that before, without thinking, you would have bought anyway. The summit is not taken? Well, we’ll have to do without the plan.
Eat in underwear (or without it) in front of a mirror. Looking at your unattractive figure is not the most pleasant thing. However, it works flawlessly: an extra piece will definitely not go down your throat.
Buy oversized jeans on sale and hang them on the refrigerator door. The fear of what will inflate to such proportions will sometimes force one to bypass this door.
Go to the pool or the beach with skinny girlfriends. The innate female desire to look better will do its job - and the process will be launched.

Tricky motivation for losing weight

Everything needs to be approached wisely. And if there is a way to deceive your own mind and body for good, why not do it? Here are some ways:

Buy beautiful clothes that you really like, but one size smaller. This is a great incentive to get rid of the weight that separates you from your cherished desire.
Replace “nervous snacking” with delving into interesting leisure activities. For example, you can read a good book or take a walk.
Study examples of those who have already managed to lose weight. But only those where everything is described step by step!
After all, imagine yourself as a video game hero who reaches new and new levels. Achieving your ideal weight will be your victory!

It is important that, having received a good motivational charge, a person can bring it to life and begin to move towards his cherished goal. You need to understand that nothing happens in a few days or even a week. Yes, you can lose 2 kilograms in two days, but can this be called a serious approach to business? Love yourself and don't be afraid to listen to your body.

Break the long journey into stages and reward yourself for completing each of them. It is much easier for a person to agree to walk flight after flight than to climb to the 25th floor!

Don't be afraid to become better, imagine yourself as a winner today. Forgetting about complexes and believing in victory, it’s much easier to move. And remember: the one who walks will master the road.

Get a trainer. And a nutritionist

Not from Instagram. Normal specialists suddenly charge decent money for their services. But they provide them, and don’t just send out some pieces of paper with “200 g of dry buckwheat per day, 400 g of chicken fillet, plus 4 tablespoons of butter, and unlimited cucumbers.” If you get nonsense on your own and not nutrition, we look for a specialist. He will analyze your mistakes and teach you how to eat regular food so that you can lose weight. It's the same with training. Sometimes a couple of technical errors turn all the gym sessions into fruitless ones.