The most useful tip you can ever be given about losing weight and actually keeping it off for good is this: motivation goes hand-in-hand with commitment!
The Difference Between Motivation And Commitment
Having weight loss motivation simply means you have something in mind or physically in front of you that is driving you to take actions that lead toward weight loss. For instance, if you were out for a run and two snarling dogs started snapping at your heels you would be very motivated to run faster. The effect is no different than hanging a pair of size 8 jeans on your bedroom wall as a visual motivating tool that makes you want to skip dessert and hit the gym for an extra 30 minutes.
Commitment to losing weight is something very different. Rather than looking to outward objects or focusing on things you would like to achieve in the future, you focus on your own strength and determination. A real commitment will mean that you cannot be detered from your goals. You exercise whether you feel like it or not, and you eat a salad instead of the cheeseburger and fries no matter how deprived you feel in the moment.
Have you cut-off mentally and given yourself no way of backing out - You have your goal and nothing is going to stop you from achieving it? That is commitment.
Without a steely commitment to achieving your goal your chances of keeping the weight off long term are low. You need a devotion to yourself in order to pull you through those challenging times when motivation simply escapes you. Those moments will inevitably come at some point, and it is a solid commitment to your plan that will keep you on course, even if you are kicking and spitting all the way.
Motivation will come back and stimulate you to keep running but commitment is the boost that gets you through the tough periods.
The Weight Loss Motivation Boost
You have to count on having moments when things that usually motivated you just aren’t working for the time being. For instance, what happens when you get into those size 8 jeans? You will need a new motivating factor, right? The motivation that works today is not guaranteed to work tomorrow.
Commitment to your goal is the boost that will see you through these hard days when you feel like you’ve lost your motivation to lose weight. Every single day you must stick to your plan and do all of the things you have vowed to do in order to lose weight. This may mean going to the gym as planned but with the condition that you can leave ten minutes early. Once you get going with that workout, chances are high you won’t actually want to leave early! Just taking those actions as you committed will completely change your weight loss journey.
Essentially, commitment to losing weight equals out to day to day action. Just commit to doing something every single day that will move you closer to your weight loss goals. Some days you will feel your weight loss motivation in overdrive while other days you want nothing more than a tub of fried chicken. Commitment is there through it all!
Use all of your goals - such as losing thirty pounds, fitting into that smaller summer dress, or having more energy for your kids as motivation… but never lose sight of that weight loss commitment!
Tags: diet, health, motivation, weight loss