Motivation

When it comes to weight loss, motivation is, if not everything, then at least 99% of the whole journey. Honestly, you will never succeed in losing weight and keeping it off if you are do not feel the genuine desire and motivation to do it. Perhaps right now you feel that you are absolutely motivated and determined to succeed, or perhaps you feel very undecided and unsure about your weight loss plan; in either case, here are some good tips how to keep yourself motivated throughout your weight loss journey:

1. Find yourself a weight loss buddy. It could be a workmate, a friend, a relative. It really does not matter who it is but it better be someone responsible and determined to succeed at least as much as you are. If you can't seem to find this someone around you, you may want to try some online support group or ask if someone is interested to be your weight loss buddy at some of the weight loss forums around.

2. Read success stories. Lots of them. Look at before and after pictures of others. So many people have lost weight before you and so will you. Once you believe in this, it will happen. If you don't believe it, it can't happen. As simple as this.

3. Measure yourself. Both your weight and your body measurements. Later you will be happy to see how much you have progressed. While it is not advisable to weight and measure yourself too often, some people find it rather motivating to jump on the scale first thing every morning. But be prepared for some variations in the opposite way from time to time. If you believe this will discourage you too much, then better stick to check-in once a week or even less often.

4. Buy yourself some nice outfit in a smaller size than your current one. Not only will it stimulate you to lose the weight, but it will also be your reward once you are able to fit into it. Don't forget to try it on from time to time to see how close you have gotten. Similarly, if you used to be skinnier in the past, you may try on some old clothes of yourself.

5. Don't avoid the image in the mirror. Explore your whole body (without clothes on) and realize which parts of you and how much need to be changed. While sometimes the naked truth may be upsetting, you need to be aware of where you are in order to motivate yourself to improve it.