How to Stay Focused and Motivated While On a Diet

All People Struggling with Weight Loss Want To Know How to Stay Focused and Motivated While On a Diet!

Staying motivated and focused, while on a long-term diet plan to lose unwanted weight, is one of the top challenges for people trying to lose weight.

 

It is the topic of continual conversation on weight loss forums and is the overwhelming reason that people go there in the first place.

Yes, diet and exercise (D&E) is discussed but the reason that thousands flock to these forums is not so much about D&E, but is more about sharing the challenges, frustrations, set backs and victories associated with weight loss.

It is about connecting with others with similar goals and similar challenges on a forum where they can feel comfortable and not feel judged.    There is huge value in this type of implied team effort and the comfort of feeling like you belong and share a common thread or goal with others.

This sharing in other’s progress and interacting with others is a way to stay motivated and focused.  Especially considering for some that…

….their weight loss journey may take over a year.

Unfortunately, even with the forum groups – these dieters will still experience an approximate 95% failure rate!  And here is where the problem lies….

….because although these forums are a good thing, the understanding of the limitations of motivation are not understood.

Motivation is and should always be considered temporary in regards to weight loss.   Motivation by definition is short lived.  It comes and it goes.

It should be considered temporary because it is needed in the beginning to actuate change, not change in weight but change in habits.

The food, exercise and eating choices you have made in the past have created the body and level of health you have today.  So the question comes down to … how did you make those choices?

You made those choices based upon ….

•Your learned bad eating habits!

•Your negative patterns of eating!

•Your Emotional relationships and connections to food !

Motivation can override such habits but only for a short, temporary period of time.

Motivation should always be a stepping stone used to accomplish the goal of changing these bad habits, negative eating patterns and relationships with emotional eating!

What people do instead is not identify these issues, do not try to replace them with empowering habits but try instead to simply eat healthier and hope it becomes a habit.

To eat healthier, while your bad habits keep trying to jump up and sabotage your weight loss efforts requires a never-ending supply of motivation to accomplish it.  Not only that, but the second that they are distracted (from their motivation) or not focusing on their diet, then these inner issues and habits will rise up and they will find themselves reverting back to these inner demons or bad habits.

You see, simply trying to force your self to eat healthy will not change your eating habits.

Unfortunately on the forums, you hear this happening on a daily basis….. people having a weak moment and binge eating on junk food with all the associated guilt that goes with it.

Luckily, supporters are quick to get them back on track with a suggestion, kind words or a pat on the back.
The only true step they take towards habit changing is keeping a daily food journal.  Although it is a good step…it is but a single step in an entire multi-flight ascent to the top of the building.

The greatest use of motivation is to use it appropriately, as a short term tool to focus your will power on taking action steps to change your negative eating habits.

When the right steps are followed then the old negative habits are replaced with new, empowering healthy habits that allow you to stay on a diet without effort and with out any need for a continual supply of motivation.