Did you start the new year all fired up to lose weight?
Is that going well, or have you already lost some of your energy and determination. If so, you’re not alone.
Weight-loss motivation is tricky. It seems to be there one day, and gone the next.
The most important thing is not whether you feel motivated every single day.
Instead, it’s your ability to revive motivation over and over that will keep you on the path to success.
As you know, my theme for the year 2016 is Revive Your Life.
If you missed my introduction, you can read it here on my blog.
www.weightlossjoy.com/revive-your-life
Today, I’ll be helping you boost your motivation with 7 Keys to Successful Weight Loss – Part 1.
As you go through these great ideas, think about your response to the questions or challenges. In fact, I’d suggest you get a piece of paper or computer file ready so you can record your answers right away.
By the time you finish with today’s seven keys, you’ll have fired up your motivation!
Key # 1 – Always move forward!
Your past does not affect your future. So it doesn’t matter if you’ve fallen off your diet or gained weight back in the past. This is NOW! As of today, you are crossing the line to success.
Tell yourself that starting today, you are moving forward, and never going back. Pump your fist in the air and proclaim, “From this moment on, I’m moving forward!”
Then celebrate the beginning of reviving your life.
Key # 2 – Do what worked before
Think about times when you been successful in the past. What did you do? Was there a specific diet plan that worked? Did you get up early and exercise before going to work? Maybe you cooked more meals at home instead of eating at restaurants.
Make a list of specific things that worked for you in the past. Put a star or √ mark beside the ones you plan to use during the weeks or months ahead.
Key # 3 – No more excuses
Think about all the reasons you haven’t been making progress. Whine a bunch about why you can’t lose weight or exercise regularly. Write a list of your biggest excuses, then read your list out loud.
Listen to how weak they sound. Now tell yourself that none of them work any more. From now on, catch your excuses as soon as they come out of your mouth. Remind yourself they don’t matter, and you have to do your program anyway. Then go do it.
Key # 4 – Create a finish line
Build a vision of how this project will look when you reach the end of your weight-loss program. How will you look, feel, and act when you cross the finish line? In addition to your new weight, picture yourself having confidence, energy and renewed zest for life.
Create an “artist’s rendering” of the finish line for your weight loss efforts. Below are a couple of ways to do this. If you like, do all three of them.
• Make a collage of your new life
Get a large piece of poster board or blank newsprint. Paste photos, magazine pictures, words, cards, ribbons, etc. on the board. Add a photo of yourself at a healthy weight. Create a title for your vision–perhaps the “healthy happy girl,” or the “strongman.”
• Find an incentive
Pull out a favorite “thin” outfit or pair of jeans, and hang it where you can see it often. Try it on every week or two and see how the fit is changing. Look at it frequently and use it to remind yourself of where you plan to be in the days ahead.
• Paint a picture
Describe the new you in great detail. Create a message that describes how you plan to look and feel at the finish line. Write it, type it, record it or podcast it. You might even draw a picture, image or stick figure that shows you at the finish line.
Tomorrow, I’ll share the rest of the 7 keys.
Today, be sure to sign up for the free e-book, How to Revive Motivation.
Click www.weightlossjoy.com/ and put your name and email into the purple box at the top of the page.