What is the secret of motivation to lose weight? Where does it come from and why can it seemingly disappear in an instant, for no apparent reason?

Most of us who embark on this mission to improve our health and fitness have at some point experienced a joy of motivation, a fire that has been lit under our butts, propelling us from the couch to the gym/backyard/park. / whatever. I view those moments with immense gratitude, because without them there is every chance that nothing would have changed.

If he still has to do that move himself, I wish I could tell him how to get the ball rolling, but I can’t. Each and every person will have a different ‘thrust’ moment – your motivator will be somewhat different depending on your lifestyle and circumstances. For me, I still remember how incredibly awful I felt the morning after I ate an entire tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, circa February 2012. Photos, a friend’s comment, facing a seemingly easy physical task that suddenly turns out to be impossible because you’re so misfit they all show up regularly in the anecdotal archive of what first motivated someone to change their life.

As fast as it comes, it can easily disappear, and that’s the sad truth. Most of us have probably experienced this sudden disappearing act, and somewhat discouraged have turned to Google or books, looking for a “list of ways to stay motivated” or “strategies to increase motivation”, desperately searching for that ” magic bullet” that will keep away from the cookie tin. Michelle Bridges, arguably Australia’s most famous personal trainer, argues that this magic wand doesn’t exist. In a Mamamia article, she is very real about the fact that she doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise. She doesn’t wake up every morning full of energy to go for a run or lift weights. The excitement of raising the fist is saved for the cameras, it seems. She says, “just do it,” and stops looking for motivation. Exercise and healthy food choices should be so ingrained in her lifestyle, like brushing her teeth or taking a shower, that it becomes automatic. Don’t think, just do.

I agree with Michelle to a great extent, however, I maintain that you can and will enjoy exercise when you push yourself past the pain barrier. Endorphins from exercise are powerful. They have kept me off antidepressants for periods of my life that might have otherwise overwhelmed me.

My Tips for Weight Loss Motivation

While I agree with Michelle’s philosophy of incorporating exercise into your daily routine as automatically as possible, on days when that’s not enough, some strategies you can use to motivate yourself include:

1. Ask yourself how you will feel in an hour when the job is done. You never regret exercising, but you will almost always regret NOT doing it.

2. Images. Have a few on hand, whether it’s of you in the “bad times,” before-and-after photos of other people who have had huge success, or a photo of someone doing something you wish you could do, like rock out. climb or do pull-ups or chase your child through a park. Whatever works. Vision boards, while the idea may sound a bit hackneyed, are powerful things.

3. Sometimes I describe myself in the third person. “Gen is fit and he is strong. He lifts and throws things and walks miles through mud. He can run and jump and hop.” So I tell myself that even though he’s only done one of those things once, I’ve done it, so it’s already true. He lives as if your vision is already reality and your goal has already been achieved.

4. Motivational sayings may work for some people. One of my favorites is “nothing tastes as good as feeling skinny.” I think this may have been the old Weight Watchers catchphrase (any copyright infringement here is purely accidental – *gulp*), but it works for me (sometimes). Although chocolate cake may taste amazing out of this world, walking down the street and feeling my flat and toned stomach under my shirt is priceless. I often put my hand on my waist, only to marvel again at the fact that I DO have a waist, when for so long this was just a dream. Feeling light, energetic, fit, strong, confident: these things are immeasurable.

And even more tips…

Speaking of measurements, two more suggestions include:

5. Take regular measurements. I advise waist and hips mainly for women. Of course, you can also do your upper arm, chest, and thigh, but you’ll likely build muscle here and don’t want to get discouraged. Of course, you can also weigh yourself, but the scale fluctuates a lot and gaining muscle weight is normal, so again, you don’t want to give yourself any reason to feel discouraged. Measurements can be powerful. I’ve had weeks where it feels like a lost cause and I think I’ll never get to where I want to be, only to pull out the tape measure and see that despite feeling like I haven’t made any progress, I’ve lost an inch off my waist (eg ). Remember that the key is progress, not perfection.

6. If motivation wears off for days or weeks, maybe consider revisiting your goals. Take a close look at them and make a strong decision as to whether they are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. If you have said “I want to have an attractive body within a year”, is that a smart goal? Of course not. What is a ‘hot body’ anyway? Why one year? How will you know when you’re there? The sad truth is that most of us who have known what it is like to be overweight and out of shape will have a permanently distorted self-perception and may never really believe that we are ‘there’. Instead, you could say to yourself “I want to be able to do 10 real push-ups in 3 months” (by real I mean toes, not knees, and chest as close to the ground as you can get). The next goal is: I want to do 5 push-ups with one arm in 12 months. These are just examples, of course, chosen because of my own personal obsession with humble push-ups!

If all else fails, you’ve tried every motivational strategy in the book and still don’t feel more inspired, it’s time for a vacation. Don’t sit on your butt eating cake for a week, as I’ve been known to do, but have a good morning with mostly healthy food, as much incidental exercise as you can, read all your favorite books, and just Relax. Know that you weren’t overweight or out of shape overnight, and you won’t gain the weight back if you allow yourself a few days break. Chances are high that you are physically and mentally exhausted, and the constant thinking and obsessing over your goals has made you lose your mind for the time being. I know how that feels and have experienced it many times! Try to trust yourself and your body that the seed of good habits has been well planted, and a few days of rest will be enough for that mysterious motivation to begin to return. There’s a good chance you miss exercise, and I find that just a couple of days of eating like I used to in the old days (large servings of carb-rich foods) makes me crave a salad again. True story!