Losing weight can be an extremely difficult and often frustrating experience – especially if you are impatient about seeing results. Soon your motivation begins to waver and suddenly you find that you’re back to your old size. However, with a few tips – courtesy of wellness and fitness writer Evan Campbell – you can sort out your wellbeing once and for all and see those pounds slowly melt away.
1. Picture It: Campbell advises, ‘If you were once the proud owner of six-pack abs but are now on your way to looking like Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, stop the madness by digging up some photos of yourself (and your former abs) and display them in as many spots as possible, such as at your desk, or in your kitchen. The point of this exercise is to make you so nostalgic for how you once looked and felt about yourself, that you will work toward feeling this way once more. But be forewarned, the first few weeks of seeing yourself in your glory might make you depressed and cause the opposite effect: discouragement. However, once you get over feeling sorry for yourself, the anger will set in and you’ll be on your way.’
2. Get Your Favourite Jeans Out:Campbell recommends, ‘Resurrect your former favourite pair of jeans that you haven’t been able to fit into for months (or years) and hang them somewhere that will force you to see them every day, like your bedroom or bathroom door. They will serve as a constant reminder of how you used to look and of the fact that your current weight is unacceptable.’
3. Plan Ahead: ‘If you’re dead set on regaining your 34-inch waist, go to your favourite clothing store and buy yourself a kick-ass power suit, a stylish fitted shirt and slim trousers, or that belt you’ve been eyeing for a while in a size 34,’ says Campbell. ‘The fact that you invested in these stylish new threads, but can’t wear them, may just upset you enough to start losing weight.’
4. Keep a Log:Campbell comments, ‘So you fell off the wagon and ate that big bowl of ice cream or didn’t go to the gym for five days straight. Get a piece of paper and a pen and write down what you did, why you are now royally pissed off at yourself and what you plan on doing in the immediate future to fix it. Friends often can’t relate to personal weight problems, so a log is a good outlet for your frustration and allows you to come up with concrete solutions.’
5. Get a Workout Buddy: ‘You may have a friend who’s a gym rat and can provide you with all the motivation you need to make your dreams of weight loss a reality,’ notes Campbell. ‘Set up a regular training schedule with this person. The fact that you have someone waiting for you at the gym (and who’s fit, no less) will ensure that you don’t blow it off. Furthermore, as gym buddies you can spot each other.’
6. Hire a Trainer: ‘If you have the money, hire a trainer and pay him in advance,’ Campbell urges. ‘Not only will a trainer get you to show up at the gym and push you to your limit, the often substantial cost of hiring one may just be enough motivation to stick to the programme and lose weight.’
7. Look into Health Risks:Campbell warns, ‘If you are more than 25 pounds overweight, you are not only putting your looks on the line, you are also potentially sabotaging your health. So if the size of your clothes is not motivation enough to lose weight, look into the health hazards you are putting yourself at risk for by being overweight, such as diabetes and heart attack. This fear may just get you to shed those pounds faster than you know – especially if you get a physical and a warning from your doctor.’
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