Weight Loss Motivation - 10 Tips for Sustainability

Weight loss motivation is the bane of all dieter's lives. It comes and goes like the wind. For many of us, keeping hold of it is like trying to control the elements themselves - impossible. That is until you realise that a dieting mindset is the route cause of your loss of motivation!

You may also be hooked into the belief that somewhere there is a 'quick fix' that will see you shed your excess pounds quickly and easily. Worse still you may even believe that it is your fault when the diets don't work. Therefore to create a successful change that leads to healthy eating habits we need to update our mindset to one that motivates.

Think about it for a moment. What is it that a dieting mindset generates the most of? Negativity - a constant focus on food that is labelled by us as 'bad'; the feeling of failure when our motivation and will power wane; the emotions of guilt, shame and self-loathing and of course the constant nagging feeling that we are 'Not Good Enough'. Negativity cannot sustain motivation in the long-term, only positive attitudes and beliefs can do that.

So let me ask you a question, "When did you ever buy a product or service (except for a diet related one) and blame yourself when it did not work?" That's what we have been doing for decades. It really is time to focus on the truth (from over 3 decades of research) that prove diets don't work, for most people, as a long-term solution to weight issues.

The truth is that diets are the cause of much of our weight gain (dieters are 3 times more likely to become obese) and our loss of motivation. Not convinced? Since when did negative thoughts or feelings ever motivate us to do anything? How can we possibly feel motivated in the long-term when we believe it is our fault we can't lose weight and that we are just 'Not Good Enough'?

The answer is you can't sustain motivation based on the foundations of negative belief systems, thoughts and feelings. So where does our motivation truly come from? The reality is that it comes from life and mindset changes that have their basis in the one thing that keeps us happy, joyful and motivated - self-love.

So what are the ten top tips for changing your mindset to one that motivates us to lose weight permanently?

1. Believe that you are perfectly normal and not a failure;

2. Banish guilt and shame from your life - they only lead to more comfort eating;

3. Slowly start to find ways of loving your body image as it is - you can still love it but want to change it. This way when you lose weight you will keep on loving your body and feeding it with the fuel it really needs.

4. Acknowledge that food restricting brings with it craving, binging and overeating - make all food good whilst considering the frequency with which you eat them;

5. Learn the habits with food that people who have never needed to diet use - how to replace comfort eating with comfort loving;

6. Start to eat 'consciously' in touch with your satiety levels and how foods make you feel physically and emotionally;

7. Train yourself to eat smaller portions of more healthily balanced foods - cut down not out;

8. Tell yourself that all food is good and then carefully think about what you really want to eat that is loving and caring for your body;

9. Increase the 'happiness hormones' in your body by taking regular exercise that is fun and enjoyable - you will never stick at it otherwise.

10. Exchange the battle with life and food with a search for loving experiences and actions that 'Feed Your Soul'. The more you fill yourself with love, the less stressed you are and the less you need food as a comforter.

It really is possible to lose weight permanently and find the weight you were born to be when you change a predominantly negative mindset for a positive one. How do I know? Well, I personally have lost over 5 stone and kept it off for several years.

Chrissie Webber is a published author, business coach and leadership trainer. As Managing Director of Life-Shapers Ltd she is developing her online weight-loss motivation company http://www.lifeshapers.co.uk into a franchise of Life Shapers Weight Management Coaches.

Her track record in the area of weight management is firstly a personal one. Following a lifetime of weight issues - at her heaviest, over 21 stone and a massive size 30 - she has personal experience of diets and their devastating effect on size and psyche.

With a background in nursing, psychology and business coaching, coupled with a lifetime of dieting, she developed and successfully used a series of models and tools that enhance weight loss motivation. Now over 5 dress sizes smaller and having sustained her weight loss for several years she has written a book about her motivational journey. Weight Loss, Life Gain - A Motivational Journey to Permanent Weight Loss was published in January 2008 by Accent Press.

Her Blog http://www.chrissiewebber.co.uk and free monthly eZine now offer support to others.