How to Stay Motivated with Your Weight Loss Goals

If you’ve reached a plateau in your weight loss goals, or just need a little motivation to get back on track with your fitness routine, this list of 8 simple tips to teach you how to stay motivated with your weight loss goals is for you! Tips 4 and 6 have recently made a HUGE difference in not only getting me back to the gym 4+ times a week, but also in pushing myself to get the most of our my workouts. And tips 6 and 8 help me eat less throughout the day.

1. STOP DIETING

A lot of my friends have had success on various diets and by counting calories, and while I do pay attention to food labels, I find dieting always sets me up for failure as it’s only a matter of time before I fall off the wagon and indulge in all of the things I’m not allowed to eat. So now I just focus on eating healthy, controlling my portion sizes, and monitoring my calories in versus my calories out. And I am careful to reward myself with some of my favorite treats every once in a while so that I don’t feel like I’m missing out.

2. WORKOUT REGULARLY

I got a bit lazy with my workout routine over the Christmas holidays and while we were on vacation in January, and I found the more time I stayed away from the gym, the less motivated I felt to go back. So once we returned to reality, I forced myself to get back to working out at least 4 times a week, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find that the more I work out, the more I want to work out. In fact, I went for a run every single day last week, and while I know I should take some time off and give my body a rest, I feel amazing!

3. STEP UP THE PACE

Prior to the Christmas holidays, I started to plateau in my weight loss goals and I was feeling really frustrated. I was dragging myself out of bed at 5 am 4-5 mornings a week AND working out on the weekends, and yet I wasn’t seeing any results. I remember feeling REALLY frustrated, but when I took the time to think about what I was doing differently, I realized I just wasn’t pushing myself enough. I was running at a slower rate, I wasn’t running at an incline, and I was stopping mid-workout for a water break. I think the issue was that I was really worn out, so when I returned to the gym after our vacation, I stepped up the pace considerably and I’m amazed at what a difference it has made. Not only am I seeing results, but I also have more energy.

4. BUY NEW GYM CLOTHES

I have never been one to splurge on gym clothes because I sweat like a man when I workout and feel like it’s kind of a waste of money. But after spending TWO YEARS alternating the same 3 sets of yoga pants and tank tops, I decided it was time to reward myself with some fresh gear. And guess what? It has made a HUGE difference. I no longer feel frumpy and invisible when I walk into the gym each morning, and I actually feel more confident and motivated now that I’m wearing clothes that actually FIT me!

5. GET SOME NEW TUNES

I don’t know about you, but I cannot workout unless I have some good tunes blaring in my ears. The more upbeat, the better, in my opinion. The only problem is that, since I go to the gym so frequently, I end up listening to the same songs over and over (and over!) again, which can be kind of boring. But whenever I load new music onto my iPod Shuffle, I actually look forward to going to the gym, and I find my workouts fly by much faster. You can check out some of my favorite playlists HERE and HERE and HERE.

6. KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON

For the first 2 years of parenthood, I spent the majority of my time in my PJs. My daughter and I rarely went anywhere, and when we did, it was only to the grocery or liquor store, so I just didn’t see the point in wearing anything else. But once my postpartum hormones started to dissipate and I decided it was time to get back into shape, I realized that I am less likely to overeat when I’m wearing tight-fitting clothing. So I try really hard not to change out of my skinny jeans until the dinner dishes are done and my daughter is safely tucked into her crib for the night, and I find it really helps keep my snacking to a minimum.

7. STOP GRAZING

I am notorious for eating the crusts of my daughter’s grilled cheese sandwiches while I’m preparing dinner, and I almost always have a box of crackers or chips open on the kitchen counter, but it wasn’t until I started to pay attention to how much I was eating in between each meal that I realized what an impact my all-day grazing was having on my weight loss goals. So now I try to eat 3 square meals a day plus an afternoon snack, and I always make sure to include protein with each so that I actually feel FULL when I’m finished eating.

8. DRINK MORE WATER

I like to down a glass whenever I feel hungry, and before each meal as I find it fills my stomach so I don’t overeat.

Need a little more motivation? Check out this AWESOME collection of quotes to keep you motivated with your weight loss goals!

If you found these weight loss motivation tips helpful, please share them on Pinterest!

And if you’re looking for more weight loss tips, please follow our Health and Fitness board where we share all kinds of fabulous ideas!