Why: More Important Than How

Before you start counting calories, steps, or pounds, it is important to take a different kind of inventory. Your reasons for losing weight will be the foundation of a successful diet and exercise plan. Make a list of those reasons and post it in places where you have been tempted to overeat. Attach a copy on your bedroom mirror, and place one near the couch if you have tended to lounge there.

Your Calendar

Once you are clear about why you will be slimming down, the next step is creating a guide for yourself. In order to bolster your weight loss motivation, think carefully about how you will spend your time. Purchase a calendar on which you indicate a significant goal—like attaining a specific weight in time for a wedding, a move, or the beginning of a new job. Then establish smaller, more immediate goals. Think about daily exercise routines and a weight loss target for each month. Build in some flexibility. A slight or temporary deviance from your plan is not a failure.

Thinking, Moving, and Eating

If there really is a secret to successful diet and exercise, it is a simple one. Weight loss motivation is a psychological accomplishment. It drives how your behavior, and ultimately your body, changes. Therefore, you must pay as much attention to your thoughts as you do to your actions. Choose a special journal in which you record positive thoughts, insights, experiences, and victories. Make daily entries. Refer to your journal when you find yourself thinking negatively.

Gift-Giving

One more way to stay motivated is to give gifts—to yourself! As you progress, find small but meaningful items that will inspire you. Magnets or mugs with encouraging quotes will keep you focused. You will also replace the habit of choosing unhealthy food as a reward.

It is naïve to assume that any weight loss plan will bring quick and easy results. But maintaining motivation over time is the key to success.