The most challenging thing to do on your weight loss journey is to stay motivated. This is particularly true when you’ve had an ‘off week’ or two on the scale, where you feel you’re working hard, but the results just aren’t showing. How can you stay motivated despite this, or any other obstacle that pops up? We’ll review that below…
It’s a cool, sunny day here on Long Island, and I write this to you as I ice my ankle. I’ve got back-to-back days of softball games, and while my ankle is ‘functional,’ as a teammate of mine put it, it’s certainly not 100% yet. That means continuing to ice, balance, and even do explosive plyometric movements on it to get it up to speed as quickly as possible.
Joy!
Now then, back to why you’re here — How to stay motivated on your weight loss journey! So many things can happen that can be used as an excuse to fall off the wagon, and if you don’t pick yourself up quick, you can set yourself back even further than before that obstacle reared its ugly head. Anyone know of any Biggest Loser contestants who actually kept the weight OFF?
Yeah, didn’t think so…
Remember my TWO YEAR plateau? Remember the ‘benders’ I’d go on when the scale didn’t cooperate with my wishes after a couple of weeks? Yeah, lesson learned — Both for me, and at this point, I hope FOR YOU, too!
If you have a lot of weight to lose, the general macro goal may seem pretty daunting. 50 lbs, 100 lbs, or more… That’s A LOT of weight to lose, and it ain’t going to happen overnight!
There are going to be periods where you’re locked in, you’re eating well, you’re exercising regularly, and everything is going according to plan. There are going to be other periods where every distraction in the world pops up, every temptation seems to sneak in, and as a result, you’ll feel like this journey is damn near impossible!
That’s why, instead of looking at the MACRO perspective, you need to look MICRO….
While establishing early on how much weight, how many inches, how much tone, etc. is important, that’s not something you’re going to be able to measure in a week, in a month, or even in a quarter (that’s three months for you non-corporate folk)! Those ultimate goals are far off, and while we’ll get there one day, it’s important to set shorter term goals that will keep you motivated on a daily basis.
In order to come up with the micro goals, let’s first look at what’s realistic!
For starters, the HEALTHY amount of weight to lose on a weekly basis is anywhere between 1–3 lbs. Let’s go right smack dab in the middle, and say 2 lbs. a week is the weekly goal. Great!
Next, divide the amount of lbs. you’re looking to lose per week by the MACRO weight loss goal. If you’re looking to lose 50 lbs, we’ll divide that by two lbs, which is 25 weeks, or just over six months, to get there.
Great! Now, you have a time table in which you’d like to reach your macro goal in, as well as a micro goal to strive towards short-term throughout that period. You can also take this same approach with losing ‘x’ amount of inches, going down ‘x’ amount of sizes in clothing, going down ‘x’ amount in body fat percentage… You get the idea!
Beyond the typical ‘measurables’ that folks use to assess their progress on their weight loss journeys, there are other components to consider, as well! If you’ve had a not-so-great doctor’s visit in which you were told that you needed to lose weight, eat better and start exercising OR ELSE, then going back in a few months later to get everything tested again is a great way to see if you’re moving in the right direction!
I’m more of an intuitive person myself, so how I FEEL is often more important to me than how I LOOK — Though, let’s be honest, I look pretty damn GOOD! ;-)
Please keep in mind that both the short and long-term timetables mentioned above are ONLY going to happen if you stay consistent with both your nutrition and your fitness. If you deviate from the gold standard of either crucial physical component, things are going to slow down quite a bit for you…
One last tidbit I want to throw in here: STAY POSITIVE! Instead of being a glass half-empty kind of a person, look at it as glass half-full… Even if the scale is stagnant one week, see how your clothes are fitting. Are you looking more toned in the mirror? Are people complimenting you on the weight you’ve lost thus far? Do you have more energy, endurance, flexibility, etc?
If you think about it, if you answer ‘Yes!’ to any of these questions, it would be kind of dumb to revert back to bad habits, and take the positives away, now, wouldn’t it?
So, there you have it! The two main takeaways: 1) Go MICRO when it comes to measurable goals so that your MACRO goals don’t feel overwhelming, and 2) Always stay positive!
Until tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Pete Weintraub
pete@weightlossbypete.com
P.S. If you’re READY to take that first step on your health and weight loss journey, then you’re REALLY going to want to download my FREE report!
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