Weight Loss Motivation: 3 Mind Hacks to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight
Weight loss motivation: it’s what everyone is constantly searching for but very few people know where to find.
Maybe you can relate?
Maybe you know you should be working out several times per week but you’re having trouble finding the motivation to get to the gym?
Or maybe your workout motivation is there but you’re having difficulty getting your diet in check? You know what you need to do (eat more fruits, veggies, & protein and eat less processed junk) but you’re having a hard time actually doing it?
Sound familiar?
I’ve Got Good News
You can create weight loss motivation even if you’ve never had it your entire life.
I’m not kidding.
You can create weight loss motivation even if you’ve never had it your entire life.
See, motivation isn’t as black and white as some people would have you believe.
It’s not that you either “have it” or “you don’t.”
That isn’t how it works.
With the right strategies and tactics, you can legitimately create and increase weight loss motivation. And today that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do.
Having worked with hundreds of online fitness clients across the world, every day I’m asked for strategies to increase weight loss motivation, exercise motivation, and nutrition motivation.
Seriously. Every single day.
I recently got an e-mail from a reader in Atlanta asking the very same question which was actually the impetus for this article.
Here, take a look:
Does that sound familiar?
Maybe a bit like yourself or someone you know?
If it does then I’ve got good news for you.
You’re Normal!
You’re among the vast majority (I mean like 99.999999999%) of people who struggle with weight loss motivation and are constantly searching for ways to improve it.
And as long as you understand that – the fact that you are experiencing the exact same troubles as millions upon millions of people including your family, friends, co-workers, and even the confident looking guy sitting next to you on the subway – then you can begin to accept yourself and get ready to take on the challenges ahead.
I know that sounds cheesy but it’s true.
Throughout our time working together Kyle lost 55lbs.55lbs!
But what’s even more incredible than Kyle’s physical transformation was his positive mental shift. See, for a major portion of his life, Kyle was overweight. He wasn’t happy with how he looked and he knew it would create health concerns down the road…but for a long time he was held back by nerves and his own self-limiting beliefs.
One day Kyle decided to put all of that to an end.
He was ready to make a change.
And with the right strategies, Kyle was able to kick his self-limiting beliefs in the face and completely change his life for the better.
In Kyle’s own words….
“This is where I feel my journey of just losing weight ended and where my journey to be a new person started. I had approached this journey all wrong from the beginning, it wasn’t just a diet and new training program, it was a complete overhaul of my lifestyle.
As the weeks went by I lost more and more weight and, before I knew it, I had lost 30lbs. Not only that but I was getting comfortable with my new lifestyle and I was happy, truly happy for the first time in a long time. I was finally able to let go of some of those emotions that I had been hiding in my weight.
I remember the night that I stepped on the scale and saw 188lbs. I just broke down and started crying, all of this emotion that I had kept pent up inside me was finally able to be let go of. I sent Jordan a text message letting him know I had lost 40lbs and that I had broken down. He immediately called me and we talked for nearly an hour having a heart-to-heart conversation about how far I had come and what this all meant for me.
That was my moment of clarity, I realized for the first time I was finally the real me. I was able to be the person that I wanted to be for so long but was trapped by my weight and all my emotions that I had been afraid to feel.
That was the moment my life truly began.”
You Can Do It Too!
Kyle’s story isn’t isolated.
A product of exceptionally hard work coupled with a unique willingness to let go of his self-limiting sense of self, Kyle changed his life in a way that most people only dream.
But you can do it too.
I know you can. And I know without a shadow of a doubt.
How do I know?
Because I’ve seen countless others go through the exact same process, starting from a place of little-to-no confidence then rising to the occasion, realizing their goals, and completely transforming their minds, bodies, and lives.
Like my online coaching client, Lisa, for example.
And my online coaching client, Kelly.
And my online coaching client, Chris.
And my online coaching client, Mark.
And my online coaching client, Carly.
And countless others….
You Are Strong. You Are Capable.
You Are Motivated.1
You might not believe me (yet) but trust me when I say I’m telling you the truth and I’m not just blowing hot air outa my pie hole.
You really can do it. And by the end of today’s article you’re going to believe me.
Keep in mind, this is not an article explaining How to Create Your Own Training and Nutrition Program for Fat Loss (<–click here to learn how). Rather, this piece will give you a variety of perspectives to change your mindset and increase your motivation.
What Does Perspective Have to Do with Motivation?
Most people (coaches included) don’t realize this but your weight loss motivation is almost entirely influenced by your perspective and, specifically, what you perceive to be realistic.
Think about it like this: if you know anything about baseball, you know a batting average of 300 is pretty damn good, right? And that means, on average, you only arrive safely on base 3 out of every 10 at bats.
But what if you don’t know much about baseball and you assume getting 7 hits out of every 10 at bats is just “pretty good?”
Well, if you were playing with those expectations and had a batting average of 300, it wouldn’t take long before you gave up and quit because you thought “you weren’t doing well enough” when, in reality, you were crushing it.
See where I’m going with this?
Perspective affects your weight loss motivation in the exact same way.
For example:
What if you think you aren’t losing weight quickly enough when you’re actually doing great?
Or
What if you think you should have reached your goal a long time ago but your time-frame is actually ahead of schedule?
Or
What if you think you screwed everything up over the weekend but it really wasn’t a setback at all?
These are some of the worlds most common “weight loss motivation murderers” and I see them massacre peoples progress every single day.
With that in mind, in today’s article I’m going to change your perspective and increase your motivation.
Drawing from years of experience coaching hundreds of online fitness clients, I’m going to give you the 3 most important mind hacks to change your perspective, increase your weight loss motivation, and help you build the body you’ve always wanted.
Weight Loss Motivation: 3 Mind Hacks to Help You Stay Motivated to Lose Weight
1. F*CK The Scale (Sort of)
Have you ever started a new diet or exercise program, done really well for a couple weeks, hopped on the scale excited to see a huge weight drop, then found out it barely even budged so you said “fuck it” and quit?
No, no, I’m not psychic.
You’re just normal. And I’ve worked with hundreds of people just like you who have the exact same troubles, many of which stem from the scale.
Weight Loss Motivation and The Scale
Some coaches say weighing yourself is pointless, destructive, and a complete waste of time.
They’re wrong.
Weighing yourself can actually be very helpful, especially considering research consistently finds people who regularly weigh themselves are better at maintaining a healthy body weight.
That being said, the scale can create problems if you aren’t fluent in “scale language.”
WTF is “Scale Language?”
Think of it like this: let’s say you speak a little Spanish but nothing to brag about. You understand some phrases here and there, can hold your own in the grocery store, and can find a bathroom before it turns into a code brown emergency situation…but you couldn’t make it through a full conversation without completely misunderstanding some really important discussion points.
Pretty big problem, right?
Well, that’s what most people do when they step on the scale.
They know how to read the number but they have zero clue how to interpret it.
They aren’t fluent in “scale” so even if it told them, “Hey, this is great progress, keep it up!” they probably heard, “You’re still fat and not making any progress,” so they just say “fuck it” and quit.
Scale Language 101
Scale language is very easy to learn.
It’s not like most languages where you need to study masculine and feminine words, past/present/future tenses, conjugation rules, and a massive list of vocabulary words.
With scale language you just need to understand a few key principles.
I covered most of these principles in my massively popular article, 10 Things You NEED to Know Before You Step on the Scale (<–click me) so if you want an in-depth overview definitely read that after you’re finished with this piece.
In the meantime, there are a couple important principles I didn’t cover in that article which I want to discuss with you below.
Scale Language Principle #1
You Will NOT Lose Weight Every Day (Or Week)
Have you heard an average weight loss of 1lb per week is great progress?
It’s true.
An average weight loss of 1lb per week is phenomenal.
But the problem with the “1lb per week rule” is most people think if they don’t lose a minimum of 1lb per week, every week, they aren’t making progress.
Even worse, lot’s of people expect to see downward movement on the scale every single day.
That’s called setting yourself up for failure.
The Scale Will NOT Go Down Every Day Or Even Every Week
It just won’t.
The scale will fluctuate up and down, day in and day out no matter how “good” you are with your diet and exercise.
And expecting it to drop every day (or even every week) is the fastest way to drive yourself bonkers, lose your motivation, and eventually quit.
So, when working with my 1-on-1 online coaching clients, instead of looking at their day-to-day fluctuations (which mean zilch) I measure their progress every 2-weeks.
In other words, my clients weigh themselves every morning. But rather than analyze their daily fluctuations against one another, I review their progress every 14-days.
I made the chart below to show you what I mean.
See how Monday of Week 1 (A) and Monday of Week 3 (A) correspond with each other just like Monday of Week 2 (B) and Monday of Week 4 (B)?
These corresponding days (about 14-days apart) signify appropriate times to compare measurements.
Generally speaking, every 14-days I’d like to see a downward trend on the scale. It won’t be linear (and you shouldn’t expect it to be) but, by and large, your weight should be trending downward at about .5lb – 1lb per week.
Keep in mind, there will be weeks where your weight doesn’t move at all. Literally 1-2 weeks where it won’t budge. That’s totally normal and 100% expected.
So review your measurements every 14-days but determine your progress at the end of every month by calculating your average weight loss. If your average loss over the course of each month is between 2-4lbs (or more) then your plan is working.
Scale Language Principle #2
A Good Day of Dieting Does NOT Mean You’ll Lose Weight the Next Day
During the first week of my online nutrition coaching program, one of the most common e-mails I get looks something like this:
“Hey Jordan,I don’t know what’s happening but this isn’t working. I’ve been perfect with my numbers for the last 2-days and the scale hasn’t dropped at all. I even ate less than you told me to yesterday and I still haven’t lost any weight. What’s going on?“
My response usually goes something like this:
“Hey!I know you’re frustrated but don’t worry. This is 100% normal. Remember on our conference call when I told you the scale will fluctuate and you won’t lose weight every day? This is exactly what I was talking about. The scale is totally unpredictable and will fluctuate for seemingly inexplicable reasons (even if you’ve been perfect for a week straight). Sometimes it’ll go down and other times it wont budge at all for 1-2 weeks at a time. That’s just how the scale works.I’m keeping track of your daily weigh-ins, though, and watching for the downward trend so, trust me, if something doesn’t look right I’ll make the change for you.“
Never Forget…
Just because you have a great day (or week) of dieting doesn’t mean you’re going to lose weight. That’s just not how your body (or the scale) works. And expecting it to work differently will eat at you, slowly but surely wringing out every last drop of your motivation until you call it quits.
But if you take every weigh-in in stride and recognize stalling in weight loss is just your scales way of saying “hey, this is working so don’t stop!” you’ll be able to roll with the punches, increase your motivation, and succeed in the long-term. Scale Language Principle #3
F*CK The Scale (Sort Of)
You and I both know the scale could say 827lbs but if you look sexy as hell you aren’t gonna care right?
Right.
The Scale is a Great Tool. Nothing More.
Most people who use the scale successfully use it as a way to increase their weight loss motivation. If they know they’re going to step on the scale in the morning they’ll be less likely to go crazy eating and drinking too much the night before.
In other words, the scale acts as a source of accountability.
But the scale is not the end-all be-all of weight loss.
Far from it.
There are numerous ways to track your progress accurately, like:
- Take weekly body measurements and watch for a downward trend every 2-weeks.
- Take progress pictures every 2-weeks and look for noticeable differences every 4-weeks.
- Keep track of how your clothes feel and whether or not they’re getting looser.
Using all of these methods combined is better than any one of them alone.
But if you decide to use the scale I want you to remember it can be deceiving and just because it doesn’t go down every day (or week) doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress.
2. It’s Impossible to Screw Up Your Diet
I’m not joking.
And this isn’t a trick.
It’s literally impossible to screw up your diet.
Before you “x” out and reckon me a fraudulent charlatan, I understand you’re probably thinking “this guy’s an idiot because I can come up with 957 ways to mess up my diet in the next 19-minutes.”
But hear me out because what I’m about to share with you is the worlds most powerful mindset hack that will instantly improve your weight loss motivation.
You Can’t Screw Up Your Diet
Why?
Well, let me tell you a quick story. A story about one of my long-term online coaching clients, Marie, who loved working out and eating right but no matter how hard she tried Marie couldn’t get her body to look the way she wanted.
Early in her 40’s and newly “fitness-obsessed,” Marie was at a loss. She trained day-in and day-out and worked relentlessly on her nutrition but her body wasn’t cooperating.
She wasn’t losing belly fat quickly enough, her glutes weren’t taking shape the way she wanted, and worst of all she kept screwing up her diet.
Well, at least she thought she was screwing up her diet.
At that point Marie was at a standstill and, after being referred to me by one of her close friends and a former client of mine, she applied to my online nutrition coaching program with the explicit goal of “looking great naked.”
I knew Marie and I were going to get along very well.
After sifting through her application and deciding to take her on as a client, Marie and I started working together and I quickly noticed a pattern. A pattern with which you might be very familiar.
Monday through Thursday Marie was on point with her diet. No slip-ups, blunders, mistakes, oversights, miscalculations, or bloopers.
Marie’s nutrition was perfect.
Alas, following Thursday, Friday must come and, like countless others, Marie’s Friday nutrition wasn’t as “on point” as she’d like.
While she recognized it was far from terrible, she often found herself indulging in foods she wouldn’t normally eat and sometimes going slightly over her calorie allotment for the day.
This is where things went south.
As soon as Marie ate something “bad” or slightly went over her calorie guidelines she felt like she completely screwed up.
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Since, by her logic, she already “screwed up” it didn’t matter what she did next. So Marie would regularly find herself just saying “fuck it” and digging into whatever she could find laying around the house.
Once that happened she figured the entire weekend was shot so she might as well eat however much she wanted of whatever she wanted.
This led to a long, uncomfortable, and mentally draining weekend defined by “guilty eating.” Logically, Marie knew it would be smarter to get back on track but emotionally she couldn’t help herself from continuing to eat because she felt like she’d already screwed up.
Maybe you can relate?
I know I can. It’s one of the most common patterns among dieters and, years ago, I went through the exact same struggle.
Fortunately, there’s a fix.
A simple strategic mind hack that will eliminate your guilty feelings and keep you on track all week long, 52-weeks per year.
It’s simply knowing…
You Can’t Screw Up Your Diet
If you know and believe this to be true your weight loss motivation will never fail you again.
Why?
Think about it like this: let’s say you go out with a group of friends on a Friday night, toss back a couple beers, one too many slices of pizza, and a hefty portion of mint chocolate chip ice cream (because that’s the best flavor and anyone who says otherwise has messed up taste buds).
After all is said and done, you get back home around 2am and realize you not only have pizza sauce caked all over your new shoes (how the hell did that happen?) but you also blew past your calorie guidelines by about 2000.
From here you have two mindset options:
Mindset Option A: You screwed up. Big time. You went way over your calories and completely ruined your progress. At this point you might as well just finish off the family size box of Captain Crunch and spend the rest of the weekend eating whatever you want because you already messed up.
Mindset Option B: Who cares? You went out with your friends, had fun, went over your calorie guidelines, and it was totally worth it. You were great all week, saw fantastic progress, and you’ll get right back on track the next morning. No big deal whatsoever because you know as long as you get right back on track you’ll keep losing weight.
Which mindset do you think is going to help you lose weight faster and keep it off in the long-run?
Exactly.
Mindset Option B is your key to increasing weight loss motivation and keeping it for the rest of your life.
You’re Always Just One Meal Away
From Getting Right Back on Track
Allowing yourself to think you screwed up your diet is an excuse.
It’s an excuse to continue eating like crap and avoid getting back on track. Because it’s much easier to convince yourself you’re a failure than it is to believe you can and will succeed.
So from here on out the choice is yours.
You know you can’t screw up your diet. You really can’t. I don’t care if you go on a bender eating pizza, ice cream, beer, raw cookie dough, donuts, twinkies, doritos, cheetos, or all of ’em put together.
You didn’t screw up!
The only way to screw up your diet is to not get back on track. Because as long as you get right back on track at the next meal, you’ll continue making progress and be one giant leap closer to building the body you’ve always wanted.1
3. Think of Fat Loss Like Growing Your Bank Account
When you first open your bank account you start with nothing.
It’s not fun to look at and certainly isn’t impressive.
But you’re ready to start investing time and effort in order to make and save more money.
Days, weeks and months go by as you slowly add cash into your account. You logically know progress is being made but sometimes you get scared and upset because you don’t see your bank account growing as quickly as you’d like.
Plus, you can’t go out and spend money on a whole lot of extra stuff “just for fun” because you know that’s only going to drain your account and set your progress back even further.
So, for a while, you just keep your head down, work hard, and focus on achieving one goal: building your bank account.
Then, one day and seemingly out of nowhere, you look at your bank statement and feel a sense of pride. You’ve saved up a lot of cash and finally have a decent amount of wiggle room so you can go out and buy things “just because” without worrying about draining your entire account in one fell swoop.
Plus, over the years you’ve developed numerous systems to get more money back into your bank account on a consistent basis so, even if you spend a lot, you know you’ll have more coming right in.
See where I’m going with this?
Fat loss works in the same way.
At first it’s tough. Daunting, even.
You’re putting in an extraordinary amount of time and effort and making small – seemingly insignificant – progress.
You’re making sacrifices – eating differently than your friends, carefully monitoring your calorie intake, and putting in a huge amount of work day-in and day-out.
Eventually, however, it all becomes less stressful.
You’ve achieved a healthy body weight, developed new and successful habits, and have learned how to indulge without going overboard like you used to.
Best of all, you know the system!
You’ve learned the tricks of the trade and know exactly what you need to do in order to lose fat so, even if you “slip up” for a day or two, you are confident and able to get right back on track.
Knowing This is a HUGE Advantage
I’m not going to sugar coat anything.
Fat loss isn’t easy.
The concepts and strategies are simple.
But not easy.
And anyone who says otherwise is either ignorant, trying to sell you something, or both.
Probably both.
That being said, knowing that fat loss is similar to growing your bank account is a huge advantage.
While it doesn’t make the process any easier, having that knowledge in the back of your mind can act as a source of motivation to keep you pushing forward even, or especially, when all you want to do is quit.
So When In Doubt…
Remember fat loss is like growing your bank account.
In the moment it can feel scary, daunting, and like a never-ending task.
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