7 motivational tips to follow the diet (and lose weight)

Finding motivation to start a diet or embark on a weight loss process is not always easy. However, there are some simple strategies that can increase stimulation and help you stay focused.

The most important thing is to always remember to respect yourself and understand that each person has their own rhythm. The main objective of any diet should be to find a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.

Feeling motivated and happy with the new lifestyle is the most important thing to ensure that you stick to the diet for longer and obtain lasting results, avoiding the accordion effect.

Here are 7 simple tips that help you stay motivated:

1. Define the reason for losing weight

It’s common to want to lose weight to please others, like your friends or boyfriend, but many studies show that diets have better results when the motivation comes from within. For this reason it is important to set goals according to your desires: it could be fitting into a pair of jeans or looking stunning at an event, for example.

After thinking about your motivations, it is important to write them down on paper, so that you can look at them every day, staying focused.

2. Believe that you are capable

Often when starting a diet, it is common to have a defeated mindset, maintaining the idea that it will be just another failed attempt at a weight loss diet. This pessimistic thinking makes the brain predisposed to accept defeat more easily, and as a result, the dedication needed to achieve victory ends up being reduced.

Therefore, believing in your ability to achieve victories is important to remain stimulated and persistent, increasing the effort dedicated to that achievement.

3. Write down everything you eat

It’s important to write down everything you eat because we often escape our diet without having any idea. Studies show that keeping a food diary increases the chances of losing weight or maintaining weight and that it is a factor in motivation and success.

But don’t forget to write down everything you eat, including snacks and diet breaks. It may also be interesting to point out emotions on different days, to be able to identify whether changes in emotions are related to the days when you eat more, for example. You can keep the diary on paper or use a cell phone application.

4. Set real goals and deadlines

Setting small objectives within real deadlines is important to assess, along the way, whether the effort is being made in the right way or whether more dedication is needed, in addition to serving as milestones to celebrate small achievements.

Setting goals such as losing 3 kg in 1 month or going to the gym at least 3 times a week are examples of small goals with real deadlines that can be achieved, unlike goals such as losing 10 kg in 1 month or having a body like of a famous actress.

5. Find someone to accompany you

At this point, the more people you partner with, the better. It could be a friend who goes to the same gym or a family member who also needs to take daily walks.

Having company encourages compliance with the new healthy routine and reduces the frequency of abandoning training and diet.

In addition to friends and family, it is also important to try to create friendships at the gym so that training is more enjoyable and motivated, or participate in group activities, such as team sports or group classes.

6. Seek help from professionals

Seeking help from professionals such as a nutritionist and physical educator is important to receive specialized guidance that suits your lifestyle habits and goals.

These professionals will help to set realistic goals for each case and show the best path to follow, in addition to being an important source of help, knowledge and encouragement.

7. Don’t “kick the bucket” when you make a mistake

View the diet as a process of change, and not as an obligation that must be 100% fulfilled at all times. Overeating a meal or missing the gym for a few days are not reasons to abandon the process and give up on your goal, as the important thing is to maintain a healthy cycle and a routine that is respected, at least, most of the time.

When you fail, simply return to your normal routine soon after and move on. However, if failure episodes recur frequently, talk to a professional to seek help or use strategies such as writing down the days and moments of failure, to be more aware of the frequency and moments in which they occur most.