Weight Loss Motivation 101

By Joshua Wayne, MA


That Which Gives Purpose- Building on your “Why”, what is your deeper purpose behind losing weight?  How will your life be better if you lose the weight? 

Create a compelling picture for yourself that is rich in detail of how your life will be better.

➢    What will you be doing?
➢    Who will you be doing it with?
➢    Where will you be
➢    How will you feel when you’re there?
➢    What clothes will you be wearing- or not wearing ; ) ?

In case you didn’t notice, all of the above examples were written in “Towards Pleasure” language.  But maybe you’ll find that doesn’t work so well for you- maybe it doesn’t quite give you a sense of purpose.

If not, how about if you change the wording around a bit?  Remember, some people are more motivated “Away From Pain”.  If this is you, you’ll be more stirred by this question: “So if you don’t lose the weight, or if it continues to get worse and worse, how unhappy and miserable will you be?”

Similarly, you may want to create a compelling negative picture for yourself. 

➢    If you don’t lose the weight, what are you going to miss out on?
➢    What opportunities will you lose out on?  Maybe the ability to enjoy healthy time with your family late into your life?  Or maybe it’ll mean you continue to go out to go to restaurants and take vacations by yourself.
➢    How will your health deteriorate if you don’t lose weight?
➢    What does the hospital room look like where you’ll have to go for dialysis treatments?

So create a compelling picture for how your life is going to be better if you lose the weight, or worse if you don’t.  Cultivate this picture until it gives you a clear sense of purpose.  When that purpose is there, you will be much close to taking the necessary action. 

Remember, that while uncovering your “Why” and the deeper purpose that motivates you is a first step that cannot be skipped over, we all get busy and stressed, and it’s very easy to lose our focus.  At least until you build some positive, forward momentum and get comfortable with your new habits and behaviors, you may have to remind yourself of your “Why” and your deeper purpose again and again every day. 

Write down your answers on an index card and put in by your bed stand or tape it to the bathroom mirror. Every morning and every night remind yourself why you really want to lose weight.  Remind yourself why you need to begin taking action today, what the payoff will be if you do, and what the cost will be if you don’t.

This is not the only step on the journey, of course, but it is an important one that you have to master early on.  Getting the right support in place is also extremely important, as is learning how to handle the stress and challenges of daily life in a healthy, constructive way that doesn’t cause you to abandon your weight loss efforts or turn to food for emotional comfort.

But every journey begins with a single step, and understanding these fundamentals about motivation is unquestionably the first one. I have also put together a short quiz that you can take to find out how likely you are to follow through on your plans.

All The Best,

Joshua

Joshua Wayne, MA is a Personal Development Coach and trained psychotherapist with an emphasis on weight loss motivation and mind/body wellness.

In his private practice Joshua has helped his clients achieve their weight loss goals, shape their life direction and resolve a wide range of family problems from relationship difficulties to out of control teenagers.

Joshua has a Masters Degree in Counseling.   He has also been intensely interested in and studying personal development, fitness and spirituality for close to 20 years.  Joshua also heads up the PEERtrainer 12 Week "Point Of No Return" Coaching Program.