The 7 Best Weight Loss Motivation Tips

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Losing weight is hard! And it is even harder if you have a lot of weight to lose! We all know that it is a marathon and not a sprint and it is difficult to keep motivated for the long haul. But here are the 7 best weight loss motivation tips to help you stay on your journey and reach your goal weight.

I have at least 150 pounds to lose. That is a huge, huge number. And it can get very daunting. Especially when the experts say that we should aim to lose 1 – 2 pounds per week. So I will finally reach my goal in 75 to 150 weeks? I can’t even do the math to see how long that will be in months and years. No wonder so many of us give up.

Unfortunately,  I continue to see headlines on how to lose 10 pounds in a week or 20 pounds in a month. Thus making it even harder to stay on track when you are only losing 1 or 2 pounds a week.

So how do you keep going when it will take so long to finally reach the finish line? I am slowly and steadily losing weight and I have learned a few things along the way.

These are the 7 best weight loss motivation tips that I have used to lose 80 pounds and counting.

Set Mini-Goals

Setting mini-goals is one of the weight loss motivation tips that I use consistently. This will make it easier to continue on your weight loss journey. I only focus on the next 10 pounds rather than 150 pounds. Mentally it is so much easier to concentrate on 10 pounds and to count down from 10 to 1. Once I reach that goal, I just start on the next 10 pounds.  

For me, 10 pounds is a realistic number. It is not too easy, but also not too hard. But I know some people who focus on getting below a number that makes sense to them. 

Break up your journey as you see fit. You can use percentages: 25, 50, 75, and finally 100  percent. Or other milestones such as, under 300 pounds, 250 pounds and the very best of all, under 200 pounds. Onederland! I can’t wait to get there!

Reward Yourself

Once you set your mini-goals also decide on your rewards. Rewarding yourself is one of the best weight loss motivation tips. Rewards will get and keep you motivated to lose weight.

My rewards include manicure, pedicure, massage, facial, flowers, and new clothes. Last night I ordered a cute workout outfit as my reward for losing 80 pounds. 

And yes, you can reward yourself with a food item. When I lost 60 pounds I had a visit to Krispy Kreme donuts. However, the following day I was back on track to lose the next 10 pounds.

Weigh Yourself Every Day

As covered in a previous post, 3 Reasons to Weigh Yourself Daily,  I weigh myself every day and it helps to keep me motivated. Knowing that I will see the effects of the past few days on the scale, keeps me on track. I am less likely to eat junk or skip workouts because, in essence, the scale holds me accountable.

When you weigh yourself every day you become very familiar with your body and how it reacts to junk food, special dinners, or larger portions, and therefore when you are on the race to your next mini-goal you know that it will only delay it by two, three or more days.

Stepping on the scale every day is one of my most powerful weight loss motivation tips and I strongly encourage you to use it as long as you don’t get too upset when you see minor fluctuations.

Set Non-Scale Goals

Of course, you want to hit that number on the scale. But are there other things that are also important to you? Perhaps you have some fitness goals? Or activities that are more difficult for you to do right now. Setting non-scale goals is one of my favorite and best weight-loss motivation tips. 

For example, when I started this (final) weight loss journey I was so out of shape that I was out of breath after climbing one flight of stairs. Now I can run up the stairs and not be out of breath. Accomplishing this non-scale goal is a huge confidence boost.

One of the other goals is to shop for clothes in a regular store and never having to enter the plus-size section. This is still a long way off, but I am confident that it will happen one day.

Setting non-scale goals are especially important if you hit a plateau or when the scale moves very, very slowly because you still feel successful and will have the motivation to continue.

Immerse Yourself in the Weight-Loss Community

Immersing yourself in the weight-loss community and surrounding yourself with like minded people is one of the best weight loss motivation tips you may benefit from. I have found some support from a few groups. There are three weight loss groups that I belong to on Fitbit (read why I think Fitbit is great for weight loss). I am also part of three Facebook weight loss groups. I love to see group members’ before and after photos. They are very encouraging and motivating. These are ordinary people like me and if they can do it, so can I. 

I also enjoy reading articles on MyFitnessPal and SparkPeople. There are many inspirational accounts on Twitter and Instagram. I also use Pinterest to find healthy and delicious recipes.  (Check out my Pinterest account for recipes and weight loss tips and motivation.)

Two of my sisters and I also use WhatsApp to share our steps on Wednesdays. It’s a friendly competition, but we support and encourage each other. 

So find a group of family and friends or others who understand your struggles and can celebrate your success with you.

Take Progress Photos

To be honest, I hate seeing myself in pictures and avoid it as much as I can. But taking your photograph is one of the best weight loss motivation tips. It is so amazing to see your progress over time.

A picture is truly worth a thousand words, especially when you can see them side by side. Even better, keep an old, larger outfit to use for some of your progress photos.

On the days when you are tempted or have a craving to eat junk food. Comparing your old and new photos can help you to stay on track and keep motivated.

One study discovered that dieters who took photos of themselves were more likely to reach their goal weight. So start snapping!

Keep a Journal

Keeping a journal is the final best weight loss motivation tip. Logging your food, exercise, triumphs, and even struggles will help to keep you motivated. I use my Fitbit to track my food, water, exercise, sleep, and weight and have found it very beneficial. In fact, studies have shown that tracking or journaling keeps you motivated to lose weight. 

There have been several times that I didn’t eat junk food, simply because I knew I have to record it and it will be memorialized forever. Try it and see if it will work for you.

I know its hard, but take baby steps and start using these best weight-loss motivation tips. They are working for me and I hope they will work for you too!

Are there any other motivation tips that you use? I would love to hear from you!

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