Inspiration for Motivation

What is it that motivates people to do what they do? It seems that some days we are very motivated to accomplish our goals and other days we're not. Life would be wonderful if we felt motivated enough on a daily basis to accomplish our dreams and goals but there will be many days when we feel frustrated and defeated.

If your goal is to lose 20 pounds by following a sensible diet, there will be days when you don't feel like following your plan. So how do motivated people stay motivated?

Successful people stay motivated because they do a little each day to accomplish their goal despite how they feel. There is no magic solution for increasing motivation. You must accomplish a little each day, even on days when you don't feel good or motivated. Like the old Nike saying goes "Just Do it"

Losing weight is not just a goal but a discipline. Like anything else in life, losing weight takes effort. No diet pill or herbal formula will make you lose weight. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. This is accomplished by sticking to a sensible diet plan. Regular exercise helps to.

So how do you stay on a sensible diet plan to lose weight? Take it one day at a time. First, you need a plan. Write down foods you like to eat and create a diet menu of foods that form a sensible diet plan.

Control your portion size and be sure to eat 3 to 5 times daily. Never skip breakfast and prepare some of your meals in advance. Losing weight doesn't happen automatically, it takes planning and lots of it! It was easy to put the weight on, but it requires a lot of hard work to get those nasty pounds off.

Follow a sensible diet plan each day and don't beat yourself when you overeat. Tomorrow is another day and get right back on your plan. Remember, you can accomplish anything in life when you have a plan and take action on a daily basis.

Set weekly goals and if you achieve those goals, reward yourself. (with non- food related rewards!) For example, if you lose 2lbs this week, get that pedicure you need, but if you did not lose the weight, don’t get the pedicure. Believe me things like that work. You can also try putting away a few bucks with each weekly weight loss. I saved for a larger reward by putting $10 away each week that I lost my 2 pounds. Choose a wonderful reward for hitting your goal (or dream) weight, it will make it all worthwhile! I have a beautiful silk dress in mind for my goal weight reward in March 2010.

Put pictures around the house of a time when you were the ideal weight you are aiming for, or pictures of someone else’s figure with your face on them. Look at them each day, work towards that picture each day in the choices that you make.

Write a vision statement… What will you look like? Feel like?... when you lose the weight? How will your life be different from what it is today? What will you do differently? Write it out in your journal or print a copy and put somewhere you can see it daily or weekly. Go back to that statement often. Are you living the vision??

Limit alcohol when attending a brunch or dinner out. I often take the car, as it will keep me from drinking. Champagne brunches are a real killer,… perhaps keep them few and far between! Or if you do have to attend, there are several that offer a non-alcoholic option at a reduced price. Also be aware of your food choices. Just because it is all included does not mean you have to eat/try everything J

Positive pressure: tell others! Whether it is your close friends, family or the gang in the weight management class. Let people know what you are doing, as it holds you accountable to your actions. How can you possibly tell your friends your goals and then eat that extra piece of chocolate cake? Often that last piece of cheese is not so yummy looking when you think of the consequences and having to tell people you did not hit your goal for the week.

Choose your top 10 “yummy” foods that are probably not so great for you and find a replacement for them! For example:
Cheese: any type of cheddar/brie/camembert etc - Veggies/cucumbers, carrots, etc with hummus, salsa
Wine - water with lemon/lime and ice
Beer - water with lemon/lime or coconut juice (all natural)
Creamy salad dressing - oil based salad dressing (kraft has those cool “spritzers”)
Starbucks caramel macchiato coffee (used to treat myself every Friday to this!) - tea: any kind!

…Don’t forget to drink lots of water J

Yours in health,
Angela