The Secrets to Weight Loss Motivation After 50
Losing weight takes hard work, discipline, and most of all, motivation. This is especially true for people over 50 – as we age, it takes a bit more effort to lose weight, and motivation can be in short supply.
Fortunately, staying motivated to lose weight may be easier than you might think.
How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight
It’s important to set yourself up for success with how you view your weight loss journey. Think and talk positively about losing weight will make it easier to stay committed.
Losing weight is often painted in a negative light – when they think about losing weight, many people envision starving themselves, choking down flavorless food they hate, and endlessly sweating at the gym. None of this is true, of course, because modern approaches to weight loss help you shed those extra pounds without all the hunger and exercise. What’s worse is that all of this negativity can erode your motivation and prevent you from reaching your weight loss goals.
Positive expectation is a process of thinking and feeling that focuses on confidence and hopefulness in the future. Maintaining positive expectations can help you squeeze out negative thoughts and stay focused on the benefits of losing weight.
What positive expectations actually look like may vary from person to person, depending on their reasons for losing weight. Positive expectations may include discovering new foods or rediscovering old favorites, better-fitting or new clothing, improved health, and a little bounce in your step.
Remember why you were motivated to lose weight in the first place
People lose weight for a variety of reasons, such as:
Improving their health
Boosting their self-esteem
Improving their appearance
Improving their professional or personal life
Whatever your initial motivation was, it was powerful enough to jumpstart your weight loss journey. Tap into that original motivation every day to stay on course.
Identify and avoid motivation-killing triggers
Certain triggers, such as fatigue, stress, and feeling overwhelmed can leave you feeling unmotivated. Learn to identify the signs and symptoms of fatigue and stress, such as difficulty sleeping, exhaustion, body aches, trouble concentrating, and weakness. Address fatigue or stress before they kill your motivation by getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night, avoiding alcohol and substance use, and getting the recommended amount of exercise each day.
Set realistic goals
Success is the best way to stay motivated, and goal setting is the best way to succeed. SMART goals are especially effective. SMART is an acronym:
Specific - Set specific goals, such as losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight throughout your weight loss journey or getting your cholesterol levels down to healthy levels
Measurable - Decide how you will measure your progress; you can track your body weight or waist circumference, for example, or record your exercise performance over time
Achievable - Nothing kills motivation like falling short of your goals; losing 25 pounds a month sounds great, for instance, but you will be more likely to reach a more realistic goal of 4 to 8 pounds each month
Relevant - Your goals should lead you to your target weight; avoid setting goals that have nothing to do with your weight loss journey
Time-bound - When it comes to staying motivated, nothing beats a deadline; set short-, medium-, and long-term deadlines for weight loss
Keep a food journal
A food journal is your secret weapon for long term success. Writing down what you eat and drink can help you track the number of calories you consume and help you identify your eating habits.
Plan your meals
Meal planning is essential for weight loss success, and for maintaining your motivation. Planning out your meals helps you control your calorie intake and reduce the risk of temptation.
For best results, combine meal planning with meal preparation. Cooking in batches saves time and money, and the convenience of pre-cooked meals can help you avoid temptation after a long day.
Cultivate healthy habits (and cut out bad habits)
Your eating habits may be undermining both your weight loss efforts, and subsequently, your motivation. Let’s face it – it’s hard to stay motivated when you can’t lose weight or when the weight keeps coming back, and your eating habits play a big role in weight loss. Fortunately, you can make some simple behavioral changes that will keep you motivated.
Eating habits that undermine weight loss include:
Mindless eating, or not being aware of how much you are consuming
Eating a whole meal even when you are not hungry
Eating too much
Continuing to eat when you are no longer hungry
Midnight snacks
Skipping breakfast
Emotional eating
Eating too quickly
Always eating dessert
Never having low-calorie, healthy meals available
Eating junk food
Eating habits that have a positive effect on your weight loss motivation include:
Eating regular meals
Keeping healthy, low-calorie foods on hand
Using proper portion sizes; fill half your plate with non starchy vegetables or salad, a quarter of your plate with high quality protein, and a quarter of your plate with whole grains, starchy vegetables or other complex carbohydrates
Serving food onto individual plates; bring only the plates to the eating area and leave the leftovers in the kitchen
Sitting down for your meals
Engage with success stories
Hearing how others have lost weight and kept it off can really spark motivation. Read reviews and member spotlights to learn more about weight loss and to stay motivated with success stories.
Seek out expert guidance
Scientists have been researching weight gain, weight loss, obesity and more for decades. Today, weight loss experts are armed with science-based and verifiable information, which can help people lose weight and keep it off. Even if you already know quite a bit about losing weight, a Mighty Health coach expert can provide actionable information to help you set smart goals, eat right, and keep you motivated.
Motivation is an essential part of the weight loss journey – losing your motivation can prevent you from experiencing the satisfaction, health benefits, and ego-boost of long term success. Contact a Mighty Health coach to learn more.