No Motivation to Lose Weight? Try These Tricks to Get Inspired

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By: Suzanne Kvilhaug

There’s a big difference between knowing it’s in our best interest to lose weight and having the desire to make it happen. Losing weight can make you healthier, help you feel more confident, and give you a new sense of empowerment but it all starts with getting motivated to make a change.

I’ve lost a lot of weight, gained some back, and then lost it again and what I can say is that the end result is always worth the process. And what I can also say that may pleasantly surprise you is that it isn’t necessarily going to be that typical struggle we all think of surrounding weight loss.

During my most recent weight loss, I fell so in love with new healthy foods, new ways of eating, and being really active that I would often forget that I was working towards a major goal. As it’s been widely talked about, it’s about making it a lifestyle, not a diet. No, it doesn’t happen overnight but one realization can happen overnight that can change how you approach losing weight forever. 

So if you know that by changing certain unhealthy habits you’ll create a much better life internally and externally, what is holding you back? From the outside looking in, it’s easy to want to shout to the person considering taking a weight loss journey “what are you waiting for?!” yet it’s always easier said than done. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. If you feel that it’s time to really commit to losing weight but you need to mentally find a way to passionately begin the process, try these tricks to get inspired.

Stop fearing change and welcome it 

It’s so true that if you don’t change anything, nothing changes. I would guess that the psychology behind why a lot of people want to lose weight but never do is because they don’t handle change well. There’s a reason people are celebrated after a big weight loss, and it goes far beyond the physical. It’s about celebrating what someone has mentally accomplished. If you’re not someone who does well with change in general, you might want to start by first learning to look at change in a positive way.

Being fearful of new foods, new diets and new routines will be the reason that you remain stuck. You can’t think yourself into a new body, the only way to change how you look is to take action. Any kind of action. But actions spring from mindsets.

So even if you just start to create mantras like “less thinking, more doing” and “change leads to a better life” positive thinking can become second nature. If in the beginning, your “action” is simply changing your inner self-talk, that counts. And it’s a change that will likely lead you to the right action for you. What I’ve found about fearing the unknown is that the mental process of fearing the unknown is a lot harder than actually choosing to move into the unknown.

Write it all down

There’s nothing like writing things down with pen and paper to gain clarity. Not only can it provide a much-needed reality check but it can also give you a starting point. And when I say write it all down, I mean write it all down. Write down specific goals, foods you would love to eat that are healthy, bad habits that need to go, your dream weight, health aspirations, timelines, and so on. You may be shocked by what you come up with and how you see things differently. 

Immediately commit to being active daily 

Don’t waste time waiting to decide how you’re going to be active. Do you ever notice how people conveniently stall when they know it’s time to start working out? Well...what gym should I go to? Maybe I’ll find classes somewhere? Should I get a personal trainer? Yoga might be my best bet, but what style of yoga? And the list goes on.

Instead of questioning what workout to do, pick one and start. Then adjust accordingly. If you really don’t know where to begin, begin with streaming workouts at home. What I’ve found is setting pretty strict guidelines on how often to get movement in rather than what movement to get in can really work. Sooner than later you’ll start to crave how physical activity feels and that’ll be all the motivation you need to get it done. 

Find a Program

No matter what commercials might imply, you don’t need a “weight loss program” to change your body. While you should always touch base with your doctor, you can start a diet or start exercising without signing up for anything. However, and here’s the big “but”, formalized programs are popular for a reason. They come with structure, routines, coaching, and a community of people who are doing the exact same thing in the exact same way.

Of course with so many diet programs to choose from, the overwhelming volume of options can be reason enough to lose your motivation to get into one. So the key is really deciding what is the biggest factor that can help you stick with the program to make it worth the expense. If a diet meal delivery service with easy-to-make meals makes you feel less inclined to hit a drive-through then Nutrisystem or Freshology might be up your alley. If you think bad habits and emotional eating maybe your issue, Noom might help. If you are interested in intermittent fasting but need a little guidance, Become could be your solution. Maybe none of these are right for you, and that’s ok too. The point is if “going it alone” hasn’t worked out then joining a program might help get you excited to start and the support systems might be what you need to stick with it.

Create a set vision but remain flexible in your methods

I’m a big believer in consistently visualizing your weight loss dream but remaining flexible about the methods needed to make it materialize. Weight loss is not as simple as calories in and calories out, there’s a lot of different factors. What works for someone else may not work for you and what worked for you before may not work now. So, whenever you are making a new attempt to lose weight, read up on different opinions, try new recipes, and ask advice from people who have done it before. The important thing is to be open to switching it up if you’re no longer seeing results in your process. But not to let slow progress, or setbacks destroy your motivation.

Life can throw a lot of curveballs at you and you need to adapt based on current conditions and circumstances. It’s not easy! So the trick is to have your own mental tool kit for when you hit roadblocks or plateaus. Never stay discouraged for long periods of time and remain open to changing how you go about things based on your reality. Instead of quitting or feeling like a victim when things don’t go as you hoped, get in the mindset of seeing everything as happening for you, not to you. Ask anyone who’s successfully lost weight before and they’ll likely tell you that nothing went as planned and the reason they succeeded, in the end, was their willingness to roll with the punches.

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