It is difficult to maintain motivation for dieting, isn’t it?
In the beginning, you follow your diet properly, join a gym, and do your best, but if your diet is disrupted by eating out or drinking, if you go to the gym but cannot use the machines, or if it rains, going to the gym itself becomes a chore. For those who have trouble motivating themselves to lose weight, we will tell you how to raise your motivation.
Make a final goal and small goals
Instead of setting a big goal vaguely, let’s also make small goals until then. Once you have decided, “I want to climb Mt. Fuji,” you first need to prepare and plan by gathering climbing goods, researching how to climb the mountain, climbing small mountains to build up your physical strength, and so on.
Preparation and planning (small goals) are also important to achieve the final goal of dieting. Instead of just starting a diet with the intention of losing weight, first decide on the final goal. For example, “I want to lose -5kg by March.” Then, make small goals such as “aim for -1 kg per month,” “limit sweets to 200 kcal,” “walk 8,000 steps every day,” “change morning cereal to oatmeal,” etc.
Then, by completing each small goal one by one in our daily lives, we can accumulate a small sense of accomplishment. A sense of accomplishment gives us confidence that “I can do it, too,” which helps us stay motivated and work hard to reach the final goal.
Write down the reasons why you want to lose weight
When people put their thoughts down on paper, they are more likely to organize their goals and objectives. If you put it up where you can see it, it will remain in your memory and you will be more likely to take action. Dieting is the same way. Even if you think “I want to lose weight” in your head, you are so busy with your daily life that every day passes by with “just thinking about it.”
If you decide to start a diet, first write down the reasons why on a piece of paper.
- I want to be healthy and disease-free.
- I want to lose weight and surprise people around me.
- I want to improve my physical strength and become less tired.
- I want to wear skinny pants that I have always wanted to wear.
- I want to lose weight for my wedding.
You don’t just want to lose weight, you have a purpose beyond losing weight. By writing it down clearly, even when you lose motivation in dieting, you can remember the reasons why you want to lose weight and imagine yourself as the person you want to be.
Aim for a score of 70 out of 100
The key to a successful diet is not to aim for a perfect score. If a person whose previous lifestyle and diet was about 40 points suddenly tries to achieve a perfect score of 100 points in diet and exercise habits, he or she will fall behind due to stress, leading to binge eating and drinking. Dieting is a long-distance race, and it is difficult to sustain a diet and exercise routine that can only be sustained temporarily. Without continuity, you will return to your original body.
Also, be wary of diet meals posted on social networking sites. The diets of people who are losing weight for competitions or models who need to stay in shape for work are not for average people like us. For women, a diet that is too low in fats can cause hormonal imbalance, resulting in skin problems, constipation, and menstrual irregularities.
Not Compared to Others
Dieting is not about comparing yourself to others. No one person is the same in terms of work stress, lifestyle, family structure, frequency of eating out, etc., so do not compare yourself to others and feel inferior. The comparison is to yourself. Feeling what has changed compared to your previous self will give you a sense of accomplishment and confidence that I can do it.
Dieting is a long-term battle, so there will always be times when your motivation drops. However, just by being aware of these points, you will be able to take it easy on your diet, and it will be easier to raise your motivation. Dieting is not an event, so create a method that you can continue over the long term and goals that are easy to achieve.
