Motivation to lose weight should come from within. The best way to discover the motivation to lose weight, however, is to know where to search. Simply put, there are at least two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within you, stemming from your personal values. extrinsic motivation is usually an outside source - something you gain from a product or service, for example, that is designed to boost your motivation to lose weight.
Intrinsic motivation can be tricky to sustain over time. The intrinsic motivation you receive from eating healthy foods, exercising, and taking part in social activities is probably the most difficult to give up. This is because the more you do it, the more satisfying the reward will be. Intrinsic motivation to lose weight, therefore, becomes more of a habit than anything else.
The second type of motivation to lose weight, extrinsic, comes from an outside source. This could be a paycheck boost, a new job, a trip to the gym, or a package of healthy food and exercise tips from a nutritionist or fitness trainer. These sources of extrinsic motivation usually don't last very long. The energy you get from these sources of "motivation" soon wears off. It's easier to stick with smaller, simpler, less threatening tasks like eating healthier or getting enough rest instead.
Intrinsic motivation to lose weight, on the other hand, stays with us longer. In many cases, this is a lifetime commitment. Think about it - if you eat junk food every day, that's going to nag at you for a long time. But when you make an effort to eat healthier or go to the gym and start working out, those little bits of food are suddenly very enjoyable. Intrinsic motivators like these tend to stick around much longer. For most people, this translates into long-term weight gain.
One of the reasons intrinsic motivation to lose weight lasts so long is that it's easier to make the journey back to the path to health once you've reached your goal. Just as eating healthy becomes part of your daily routine, so does exercising. You can't start running if you haven't been walking. Similarly, you can't start a diet if you haven't given up all of the foods you've been relying on for comfort. The weight will come off naturally as you follow through with the journey to healthier eating and better health.
Another aspect of the journey to weight loss motivation that helps keep those feelings of motivation strong is your friends and family. People who have walked the path to healthier eating and better health find it easier to talk about the changes they've made in their lives and easier to see the benefits of making those changes. You have support once you reach the end of the journey, and you don't need to try so hard to motivate yourself to come back for another go at your weight loss goals.
If you need additional help in the area of intrinsic motivation to lose weight, consider talking to a fitness trainer, or enlisting the help of a doctor or nutritionist in your quest. They'll be able to give you the resources and inspiration that you won't get from your own family or friends. These professionals have seen it all before, and they have solutions for dealing with the challenges you're likely to face along the way. It's a good idea to enlist their help because they know what you need in order to keep going. Once you're motivated on your own, it can be hard to get back on track.
You'll likely have some struggles while on the road to losing weight, but if you think about the long-term rewards, you will feel much more like yourself in the end. The road to better health isn't easy. However, once you reach your goal, you'll wonder how you were able to go through it all without eating unhealthy foods. Healthy eating and maintaining a regular exercise routine are important parts of achieving better physical health. Motivation is an important part of the journey, and once you're there, it will be easy to stick with your plan.
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