When people begin a weight loss program they are usually motivated to get started...
As time passes, for most people, the motivation starts to diminish. One of the reasons is they are tired of continuing to work towards their goals.
Honestly, for many, weight loss is not easy, because people need to change their life completely by adopting new habits they are not used to. I don’t blame them. To achieve a higher quality of life I had to change as well, giving up many of the things I used to enjoy. Now my life faces a different type of stress than before. I have more responsibilities: people who depend on me, more systems to manage, bigger risks to take, goals to reach, deadlines to meet, and deals to make. Before, all I worried about was my rent, car and work.
Of course, I was not happy back then. Now with more stress my life makes sense, I enjoy it, and I am fulfilled. The same happens with people who want to lose weight. They know they can be better, and they think weight loss can deliver what they are looking for. In fact, many people are not looking for the weight loss itself, they are looking for the things weight loss delivers: feeling confident, being able to wear the clothes they want, feeling more attractive, being healthy, having self-respect among others.
Nevertheless, usually weight loss does not do the job by itself. Most of these feelings people get from accomplishing their goals, overcoming their negative side, having a routine, being stronger and practicing other demanding habits.
This can be compared to someone getting a nice, free car. Of course that person will enjoy the car and feel proud of it. But often someone who gets a free car doesn’t take care of it as he or she would have worked for it.
The person who worked for the car knows the hard work he or she has put into it and cares about the car in a different, sentimental way.
So in reality people are not looking for weight loss but a change of lifestyle...
However, everything comes with a price, and the more you want the more you have to pay for it. Nevertheless, people who are willing to achieve more in a healthy way are the ones who are happiest.
Weight loss is a lifestyle, and if you are looking to tone your body, it’s also about progressing. So let’s talk about your motivation. Let’s find out what happened to it. Remember how excited you were when you started and how tedious and difficult it is now? Or do you want to get better results and you are stuck because you are not willing to get out of your comfort zone? Is your routine getting boring?
When you can’t get motivated, you need to discipline yourself.
You may have noticed this happens in every single area of your life: Your job gets tiring, your marriage gets boring, it is difficult to save money and many times you just feel that you need a break from life.
Let’s go back to when you started your weight loss program. Do you remember why you started? Do you remember the feeling you had of wearing the clothes you didn't fit into? Do you remember the feeling of how beautiful your wedding dress would fit? Do you remember how you were able to play with your friends outdoors when you lost the extra pounds? Do you remember how confident you’d feel when you tone your body? Do you remember how depressed you were and how exercise improved that? Remember the lack of energy you had? Do you remember how uncomfortable your white shirt was? Do you remember how weak and out of shape you were? Do you remember how your body was aging? Do you remember how sick you were because of your high sugar levels?
Did you give yourself time to write down all the reasons you started to exercise? This is why you are not motivated enough: Either you did not write down all the reasons you’re exercising or you completely forgot about them. This is how your motivation ends.
It is not your exercise routine, not the time you spend preparing your foods, or waking up early, or the balanced diet you are following.
The real reason your motivation is gone is because you forgot your reasons, your whys...
When life gets difficult for me, I remember my reasons, why I changed, why I like discomfort, why I choose to wake up at 4 a.m. and go to sleep at 10 or 11 p.m., why I exercise, why spend a lot of my time learning, why I don’t drink or smoke, why I don’t watch TV, why I punish myself when I find myself surfing the web wasting time, why I spend my money on healthy foods, why I choose to work instead of party.
I prefer the pain of disciplining myself to the pain of complaining that I am not a better person or achieving more...
If you started a weight-loss program it was because your pain was strong enough to get you to do something about it. The thought of being in a better position than you were gave you the courage to start.
Yes, it might be boring or you might be tired or it got difficult. Your motivation is gone. So change your routine a little, your exercise, the way you eat, the time you wake up, or when you exercise, but don’t stop moving forward. REMEMBER ALL THE REASONS WHY YOU STARTED. You will not be as motivated as when you started, but remembering why you started will give you the energy to discipline yourself to continue until you get motivated again or it gets easier.