You have a goal to drop some weight.

(Maybe you even know HOW to do it.)

But the problem is, you don’t feel motivated.

And because you don’t feel motivated, you’re having a hard time starting; or if you have started, a hard time sticking with it.

You may have even started out motivated, but now the thought of staying on plan feels boring, exhausting, scary, or just not worth it.

So what can you do to keep your motivation nice and piping hot, so that it’s easier to do the right thing for your weight loss because you feel like doing it?

Here are 3 tips to help you get and stay motivated during weight loss.

Tip #1 – Recognize that motivation doesn’t last.

This one is the most important tip I can give you, because SO many people make the mistake of thinking they should always feel motivated, or they won’t be able to reach their goals.

The thing is, motivation comes and goes, like the tide on an ocean. It’s not a consistent, level emotion for MOST people.

For that reason, you’ve got use discipline and routines to make things like willpower AND motivation unnecessary.

It might sound like more work if you’re not used to it, but the relief discipline and routines bring you can be VERY motivating, because it removes the need to make a million decisions. When the decision is already made because it’s part of your routine, so you just do what you decided, it’s very motivating!

Tip #2 – Find the WHY that makes you cry.

Whether we like it or not, our brains are wired with a primal pain/pleasure mechanism. What that means is that everything we do, in some way, is done to take us further from pain and closer to pleasure.

On Code Red, when someone is struggling to follow the rules and foods, we know that being obese and sick just doesn’t hurt badly enough yet.

We don’t necessarily mean physical pain, either (although that can definitely be part of it). The pain can be mental and emotional as well.

Being in pain isn’t fun, but it IS very motivating.

Get in touch with what’s painful about being obese and sick. That can keep even the most unmotivated person on track.

Tip # 3 – Find ways to make your weight loss journey more fun.

Since we are also motivated by pleasure (and some people are more motivated by pleasure than by pain), look at what you can do to make your weight loss journey more enjoyable.

For example:

– Get an accountability buddy and do it together. (Just make sure it’s someone who’s not an enabler; and who really wants to be successful.)

– Pick out SUPER cute clothes you’re going to wear when you reach goal weight.

– Track your non-scale victories, like losing inches, less joint pain, stable moods, stable blood sugars, getting your rings off, being able to get your rings on, or whatever your non-scale victories are.

– Take progress pictures and compare them to you when you started. While taking pictures can be painful at first, SEEING the progress in photos feels INCREDIBLY motivating!

– Write down compliments you receive about your health journey (if you receive any – in today’s delicate culture, not everyone’s comfortable receiving compliments to do with weight loss, and many people get mad about receiving them…but if you do, and you like them, write them down).

– Make a list of activities you enjoy, but that your weight and health are preventing you from doing. Then, as soon as you’re able (even if you aren’t at goal yet), start doing them, and enjoy what you’ve been missing.

– Set up progress rewards. A lot of people think the best thing to do is to wait until they’re at goal weight to reward themselves. The reality is, setting up progress rewards – especially if you’re a fun/pleasure-driven person – make the journey a heck of a lot more fun, and fun is motivating.

– Get connected to a community. A community of like-minded people on the same journey can help lift you up when your motivation wavers.

So there you go: some ways to get and stay motivated during weight loss.

Try them out and let me know which ones work best for you!

Sometimes we struggle with motivation because we get overwhelmed and don’t see a way out. This can certainly be true about weight loss. If that sounds like you right now, check out the 7-Day Total Body Reset. It’s the simplest, easiest, and least overwhelming way to get started on Code Red. Check it out here: www.coderedlifestyle.com/reset.