7 ways to stick to your weight loss goals

Want to live a healthier life but don’t think you’re disciplined enough to stick to a diet to achieve that goal? Don’t despair. Self-discipline can be learned… With the help of these seven healthy steps, your weight loss goals will soon be a reality.

To learn self-discipline, it’s important to develop the ability to work towards a healthy goal until it is achieved. To master this approach, these inspirational strategies, along with healthy eating , will keep your weight loss plan on track.

Formulate a mission statement

Ask yourself what you want to accomplish with your diet, health and body. Is it tone up a little or are you wanting to run a marathon? The answers will help you formulate your mission statement. One example might be: “My goal is to reach a healthy weight and feel confident with my body.”

Develop role models

One excellent strategy for learning how to reach your weight loss goals is to model your behaviour after a successful achiever — someone you know and admire who now has a healthier life, or an impressive celebrity who lost weight . While you don’t have to follow that person’s exact goals and philosophy, you can match certain elements of their strategy for success that make sense for you and your diet.

Develop an action plan

First, isolate any unhealthy behaviours that keep you from reaching your weight loss goal, then ask yourself how you would act if you had already reached your ideal weight. For example, if you normally stay at the office later than everyone else, you’re probably too tired to go to the gym when you finally do leave. So think about how you might leave the office earlier, in time to get to that 6pm class. Are there meetings you can get out of? Is there work you can delegate? Or can you motivate yourself to exercise at lunch instead?

Visualise your goals

Self-disciplined people form images of themselves achieving their goal. As silly as it sounds, visualising the new healthy you helps the brain convert images into reality. If weight loss is your goal, imagine yourself looking and feeling fantastic in your new skinny wardrobe or looking your best at the beach — you’ll find it much easier to stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan with this image in mind.

Search for pleasure as you pursue your goal

Many people find delight, excitement and intense involvement in working towards a healthy goal. Even if the idea of the diet and exercise needed to achieve your goal may not seem instantly gratifying, the overall feeling of accomplishment will be well worth it in the end, so hang in there. Don’t stress about any occasional diet slip ups or if it feels like you’re not losing weight at all  at first – it takes time to reach a goal.

Section up your life

People who achieve weight loss goals have a remarkable capacity to divide up the various spheres of their lives to stay focused on what they are doing at the moment. You can make continual improvements to your diet and healthy meal options, for instance, while other aspects of your goal — like stress reduction — may require other strategies. Set aside some time to think about how your can take control of your life and implement these improvements.

Stop making excuses

If you want to reach your weight loss goal, concentrate your energies on healthy accomplishments and diet successes rather than on concocting reasons for what you haven’t done. To avoid this behaviour, write down all the reasons why you are unable to achieve your goal, like all your excuses not to exercise then write down ways you might overcome them. So what if you don’t have the money right now to purchase new workout clothes? Exercise in a t-shirt and shorts.

By following these seven supportive steps you can achieve your goal weight and maintain the healthy life and diet you want. You’ll also be able to join the ranks of people who can say, ‘I set a goal for myself and achieved it.’ And who knows… you might even become a weight loss role model for someone else!