Yesterday I went just under 75 kg on the weight scale, which means I lost 10 kg since I decided to be healthier, 3 months ago. It’s an achievement in itself but it’s always easier to lose the first kilos when the motivation is at its peak. How do you stay motivated all along? It’s too easy to give up before you reach your goal, and even when you reach it, it’s quite hard to maintain your healthy weight in the long term. Look at me, I failed at it 3 times already. This time I won’t, but I still need to get there first.

1. Keep in mind why you’re doing it

It’s ok to want a slim body but a “healthy” body is more important in my opinion. Do you want to decrease your risk of getting type 2 diabetes? You know someone who suffered severe health conditions because of their weight and it made you realise how important it was to take back control? Do you want to achieve something that requires you to be fit, like running a marathon for example? Are you getting married and you want to look good in that dress? List all reasons you want to lose weight and write them down, keep them in mind at all times.

2. Have realistic expectations

If your goal is “I want to lose 10 kg in a month”, it would not only be unhealthy but you would go straight to failure. You can make small changes in your diet and lose easily a few kilos without making much effort. But if you want to aim to lose 1 kg a week, it will require more substantial changes in your routine so you need to know if they are sustainable in the long term for you. Losing more than 1 kg a week is probably not recommended anyway as you would put your health at risk.

3. Break it down to smaller goals

If you have a big amount of weight to lose, it could seem a bit daunting at first so it’s better to break it down to smaller goals and achieve them one by one. Look, if Adele did it, so can you! My ultimate goal is 60 kg but my next step is being under 70 kg by the end of November. I’ll focus on that mini target first as I know the ultimate goal is still a few months away.

4. Involve your partner

Or a friend, a roommate, a family member… Anyone who would support you and make sure you stick to it. When you’re in a relationship and you’re the only one who needs to shed some weight, it could be trickier. He eats breakfast, I don’t. He needs roughly twice the number of calories I need just to maintain his weight. There are other ways to support you than sticking to the same weight loss journey.

My fiancé is terrible with gifts for example… Rather than being upset about it, I choose to have a laugh and use it to keep me motivated in this journey. I like useless stuff anyway, so we agreed he would buy me a small gift each time I lose another 5 kg. It’s a bit like when I was a kid at school and the teacher gave me a gold star sticker when I did something good. It’s not about the quality of the reward, but the fact that you’re getting one. I still have 15 kg to lose, which means another 3 rewards to look forward to!

My rewards so far: Bath bombs, Bear Hugs photo holder, “How to be British” guide *

* Slightly out of topic but this is an interesting and funny little guide, I will most probably come back to it in a future post to share some tips about “How to be British”. This culture fascinates me and clearly my fiancé still thinks I have some efforts to make in that area…

5. Document everything

Personally I keep track of everything, every week. I record not only my weight but also other important data such as: % body fat, % body water, % protein, muscle mass and metabolic age. I measure all this with a smart fitness scale that logs everything into an app (I use VeSyncFit but there are plenty of options out there). Finally, I also measure my waist and hips every week as they are also good indicators I’m heading in the right direction. Sometimes I look back at these graphs and it helps me realise everything that I’ve already done so far!

6. Choose the best way to achieve your goal

It’s probably a good idea to list all the things you’re doing wrong and what you think you can change easily. Sometimes it’s not about eliminate some foods or drinks completely but just limit their consumption, or find a good alternative. Based on your answers, consider what’s the best diet for you and commit to it. I’ve decided to go for intermittent fasting because it suits my lifestyle very well, I can stick to it easily and it’s also something I can keep doing permanently thanks to its many health benefits. This is absolutely not for everyone though, I’ll go through it in more details in tomorrow’s post.

7. Talk about it

You may think people don’t care about anyone else’s achievements but you would be surprised how many people are going through the same thing at the same time. You will also find a valuable source of information online by talking to people who will give you interesting advice. Don’t keep it to yourself, share it, talk about it positively and embrace it. If you were running a marathon, would you keep it to yourself? Well this is also a serious commitment that requires the same qualities to succeed: determination and discipline. And if you feel like you can’t do it all alone, seek professional help.

8. Be kind to yourself

Even if you fail, don’t be too hard on yourself. Failure is often part of the road to success. My Japanese mum raised me with this proverb from Japan that says: “If you fall down 7 times, get up 8”. It says it all, what matters is the final result. If one day, you really crave a big fat burger that contains more calories than your entire daily allowance, don’t punish yourself with low self-esteem. If you’re changing your lifestyle with the aim to better listen to your body needs, chances are your brain is going to deter you from the idea anyway. But remember it can take some time to adopt a new positive habit.

Do you have any other tips? How do you stay motivated yourself?

Big Girl x