How to Get Excited About Weight Loss

Success is always a reason to celebrate: Get excited about weight loss

Congratulations! You are on a weight loss program, weighing yourself every day and you have finally succeeded in losing weight. That is fantastic!

Making the decision to lose weight is never an easy one. Many people strive for weight loss and find that no matter what they attempt to do to lose weight, those excess pounds come back on and so, achieving any degree of success in weight loss is a reason to celebrate.

Success is always a reason to celebrate.

"But how can I celebrate and not gain my weight back?"

Weight loss in itself is not sufficient, as what needs to go hand in hand with weight loss is weight management. Weight management techniques allow room for celebration, but celebration in a way that the excess pounds do not return. It is only common sense. Why waste time doing something, only to have to do it all over again? That would appear to be an exercise in futility.

The anticipation of a celebration is a reason to get excited. But, this kind of a celebration must operate on the basic principle of ‘reward yourself rightly, when you achieve success’. It is not a reward and punishment kind of a celebration.

Rewards can consist of many things like the following:

I will buy a new outfit for myself, when I have lost 10 pounds.

Buying a sharp, new outfit will make you feel good and look smart.

I will spend the evening at my favorite place, with a supportive friend, when I have lost 20 pounds.

Looking good and feeling smart, will be an excellent incentive for an evening out. Wearing that new outfit will make you feel good enough so that you probably will not over indulge, because you know that if you do, that outfit will not fit you much longer. You will be encouraged to eat and drink in a way that maintains your weight helps you to drop more pounds. Having a supportive friend will give you encouragement. You might find that you have a weight loss and management buddy for life.

I will go for a trip or a vacation, some place I have always wanted to go, when I have lost 30 pounds. I 

may go by myself or with someone who I know is going to be proud of me and happy for me.

Getting beyond that first time out as a reward, gives you added incentive to continue. You know that if you can do this one night out successfully, you can do a trip or vacation successfully, also. It is always a challenge to try something like this alone, but if that seems too difficult, why not take someone else along?

It is up to you to decide what appropriate rewards will be, as no one can determine your rewards for you. If you designate the rewards, you are going to be more inclined to obtain them, than if someone else takes that responsibility for you. None of your rewards need to be food or drink rewards, although you might want to include them at times.

"But, what if I don't succeed?"

Here are things you can do, if you are not succeeding.

Have a physical examination:

There is the possibility of not succeeding when you are attempting to lose weight. If you are doing all of the things you know you should, in order to lose weight and nothing is happening, consider going to your doctor for a complete physical. Discuss the problem with him or her. There may be medical concerns that need to be addressed. Find out what your ideal weight should be. It may be of benefit to you to keep track of everything you are eating and take that with you when you see your physician.

Increase your exercise

Increasing your exercise can be a major factor in weight loss and weight management. Even if you do reduce caloric intake, but do not have exercise on a regular basis, your weight may not drop or it may drop slowly. You may need to change the kind of exercise that you are doing. Have you ever engaged in dance exercise? That is fun.

Increase your fluids

Increase the amount of water you are drinking. Water is important for weight loss and management. Normally, a person should drink about eight glasses of water per day. Some people retain a lot of the water that they drink and thus, it is a good idea to keep a record of your fluid intake and output, to see if you are retaining liquid. You may need to include foods in your diet that will help you get rid of fluid. Two of these are cucumber slices and celery sticks.

Get back on track

Not succeeding is not a reason to celebrate. It is a reason to get back on track and needs to be taken seriously. Instead of giving up and reverting to old behavior patterns, immediately get back to the weight loss or weight management program you started. Do not get discouraged.

Double check your portion size

Take a serious look at what you are eating and how large your portion size is, when you eat. Most people tend to overload their plates, so instead of using a large plate, use a smaller plate. Gradually cut back further on your portion size. Find out how large a suitable portion for a person of your height and weight should be and let that be the amount that you consume at one sitting. Find a smaller cup too, like a teacup instead of a huge mug.

Don't clean your plate!

Most of us have been taught to clean our plates. Guess what. You are on a weight loss and management program, of your own volition. You do not have to clean your plate. If you eat until you feel full and then, stop eating, you will more than likely find that you gain better control of your weight. You might want to eat more, but your body is telling you that you do not need to eat any more, so listen to your body. Stop eating when your body tells you that it is full. Save the rest for later.

Find rewards that excite you!

More about rewards. When you make a list of possible rewards, find ones that excite you. For example, buy some tickets to a concert, make a long distance call to someone you love or get a book that you have wanted to read forever and a day, from the library. How about sending your self some flowers or meeting someone new? Maybe buy a brand new scale with the money that you save.

Find specific rewards that encourage you to be more physically active, because if you increase your activity level, you will lose more weight. Try out a new bicycle or invest in some new runners. How about buying smaller designer jeans or a brand new, jogging suit? Purchase a different bathing suit, one that is more flattering to your new figure than your old bathing suit? Getting a dog to walk everyday, might be beneficial to you, in more ways than one.

Making a new dress that is one size smaller will help you to think positively. Try doing other things that help you to look more attractive, like getting a new hairdo, having a facial, going to a health spa, joining a gym or visiting a tanning salon. 

Don't burden yourself with guilt.

Guilt and punishment are not on the agenda for weight loss and management. If you carry guilt around with you, it will only weigh you down, so give it all to God and don't take it back. There is no need to punish yourself, even though you might feel that is what you deserve. Punishment only brings on more pain.

Find more appropriate rewards

With respect to appropriate rewards, don't reward yourself with sweets or high caloric foods, because they are going to increase the problem and not cause it to disappear. If you need to have something sweet, have one candy instead of a whole bag of candy or one chocolate, instead of the whole box. Do the same thing with cookies and cake. Eat one cookie, instead of a dozen or one small portion of cake, instead of a huge piece. Have ice cream, but watch the portion size. Find lower calorie ice cream or frozen yogurt. It is good,

Buy only healthy snacks!

Buy the kinds of snacks that do not cause you to gain weight. Things like fruit, popcorn, nuts, crackers and cheese and veggies make great snacks. When you eat these, make sure that you chew them well. Enjoy every single bite.

In time, you may learn not to put anything in your cupboard for snacks, that is not healthy food. If you absolutely have to have a snack, make a point of walking a mile to the store to get it. By the time you get back home, you will have walked two miles. Treat yourself daily to fresh air and exercise. You will be glad that you did. Be good to yourself.

While there are dozens of other ways that you can reward yourself for your mini-successes, the ultimate goal is to succeed. That is something to get excited about. What will you do to celebrate that? 

Determine your reward and then go for it.