Weight Loss Motivation
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Why are you losing weight? What’s your motivation?
There are three reasons why we try to lose weight. You may have countless, specific reasons, but they all fall under the umbrella of one of these reasons:
1. Losing weight to change and improve our lives
Millions of people in January will start New Years resolutions to lose weight to do just this. They have 10 pounds, 25 pounds, maybe even 50 pounds to lose, and they want to cut a few sizes off the waist. They don’t know of any medical issues brought on by their weight, they just know their toes are disappearing when they look down and new clothes start getting tight quickly.
Or, a little more drastic, you might have a bit more to lose, maybe 75 pounds, 100 pounds, or 150. Clothes have long been tight, but now so are seats, chairs, and the world around you is shrinking.
You want a change, whether it’s to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds.
2. Losing weight and training for an event
Many people make the commitment to lose weight to train for an event, like a 10k (Georgia Half-Marathon!). Some people are bold stupid enough, like myself, to sign up for an event months in advance while not being even remotely able to accomplish said task — at the time.
It’s a way to force change, motivate, and hopefully not embarrass.
3. Losing weight to save your life
Many people have found my blog and forum after being told by a doctor that they’re suffering from a condition or even dying because of their weight. True story. They get home from the doctor, search around the web, and somehow find my blog and forum and start reading for hours. Then, they e-mail me, share their life story with me (I’ve read every word ever sent to me), and start their own weight loss journey.
They start a journey to save their lives.
Again, some people may be motivated by just one of these reasons, but it’s usually by at least two, if not all three of them. Personally, I’m trying to look good for the beach in 2011 (#1), train for the Georgia Half-Marathon (#2), and make sure I keep a lid on my skyrocketing blood pressure for good (#3).
Here’s a warning: don’t find motivation in the scale. So many people allow these reasons to be put aside and turn to their scale for motivation, just like I did. I became obsessed, as many do, weighing myself 5-6 times a day during the late part of 2009. If the scale showed a loss, I was motivated.
If I gained .2 pounds though, I thought, “why keep trying?”
Ignore the scale. Weigh yourself, that’s fine, I do — just keep going regardless of what it says. Count calories, find your weight loss motivation deep inside yourself, and don’t ever let go of it. Let it fuel the fire inside you. Don’t give into the cheap pleasures of the world, the fried food, sugar drinks, drive-thrus, and 3-hours in front of the television every night.
Get motivated and fight it. Fight for your life.