by Tony Robbins: Lasting weight loss doesn’t come from counting calories and forcing yourself on the treadmill every day…
Weight loss motivation has to come from within. Start by examining your beliefs, changing your mindset and setting achievable goals.
1. Find your purpose
Living life with purpose isn’t just for business or relationships – you also need to find your “why” for your personal goals. Your reasons matter: One 2018 study found that women who wanted to lose weight to improve their appearance were less successful than those who were concerned with their health and overall fitness. Tony would agree when he says, “The core benefit of eating right is having the energy to meet your dreams and to live a fulfilling lifestyle.” Are you starting with the right purpose?
2. Change your story
Maybe you’re not starting with the right reasons because you don’t feel worthy of weight loss. Or maybe you do have the right purpose, but you’re stuck in a pattern of “I’ve always been overweight.” You need to change your story in order to change your life. Tony Robbins’ video program The Path to Weight Loss digs deep into emotional obstacles that could be preventing you from getting started – so you can start discovering how to get motivated to lose weight.
3. Start with self-love
Part of changing your story is learning to love yourself. Self-love will help you lose weight – it’s been scientifically proven. Research shows that people who appreciate their bodies are more successful in weight loss. Another study found that positive changes in body image correlated with weight loss. Follow Tony’s step-by-step plan to change your self-talk and transform your mindset.
4. Practice positivity
If you’re having trouble aligning your purpose or changing your story, start with positive thinking. Plenty of studies have shown positive thinking can decrease depression, lower stress and increase coping skills – all of which can reduce the triggers that cause unhealthy habits in the first place.
5. Get educated
Weight loss isn’t about banning certain foods, cutting calorie intake down to nothing or running marathons. Truly lasting weight loss is about changing your daily habits in a sustainable way. Once you learn how to balance your diet, break down your meals, practice portion control and more, you’ll realize the small things add up to big results.
6. Set goals
“Action is the most important key to any success,” as Tony says. In other words, all that education won’t do you any good if you don’t take action. It’s OK to start small: Set SMART goals. Create daily habits like visualizing and priming. The important thing is to start achieving – today.
HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TO LOSE WEIGHT
We see it every January: The gym is packed at the beginning of the year, but where is everyone come summertime? Staying motivated is the toughest part of losing weight. And the top ways to keep yourself motivated to lose weight might not be what you think. They’re about fun, forgiveness and staying accountable.
7. Make it fun
Exercise doesn’t have to be stressful. It can be as simple as taking the dog for a walk or shooting some hoops with the kids in the driveway. Take a healthy cooking class with your partner or start a cookbook collection. When losing weight is enjoyable, you’ll hardly notice you’re doing it.
8. Avoid fads
Tony says “Deciding to commit yourself to long-term results rather than short term fixes is as important as any decision you’ll make in your lifetime.” You won’t get the lasting results you want by jumping on fads. Stick to reasonable, realistic daily habits like portion control and healthy eating.
9. Know your triggers
Do you eat when you’re feeling down or reach for a glass of wine or a beer after a stressful day? Being aware of your triggers and breaking the cycle is the first step to overcoming them. The next time you’re tempted into old habits, take a step back and ask yourself: Why do I want this? What is the underlying emotion? Take a breath and make a conscious decision to break your bad habits.
10. Keep a journal
This is one way to practice mindfulness and to hold yourself accountable. Seeing your daily habits on paper – or on a screen – provides an essential tool. Journals make you more aware of your daily habits and allow you to track your diet and exercise so that you can make adjustments when needed. Whether you use an app or old-fashioned pen and paper, journals are proven to work.
11. Build your resilience
You will have setbacks. You will hit plateaus – some weeks you may not see results at all. Building your ability to overcome these challenges is vital to lasting weight loss motivation. First, forgive yourself. No one is perfect. As long as you find the lesson in the setback, you’ve succeeded. It’s all part of adopting a growth mindset. Believe that you can change and nothing can stop you.
12. Get social
Connection with others helps weight loss motivation in several ways. Even simply sharing your goals with others reinforces your commitment in your own mind – and helps you reach them. Joining a social network or group provides support that can keep you on track and a network that will help you celebrate your successes. All of this makes you want to achieve even more.
13. Forget about it
You must establish joyful habits outside of weight loss. Spend time with your family. Go on vacation. Read a book. All of these things will reduce stress and help you live a balanced life – which leads to weight loss all on its own.
14. Find a professional
Still having trouble figuring out how to stay motivated to lose weight? Nutritionists, health coaches and more are all here for you. Think you can’t afford help? The Body You Deserve will teach you all of Tony’s proven strategies to maintain weight loss. Throw out your excuses and start your weight loss journey today.
