Even if you’re ready for a dramatic life change, maintaining your weight loss motivation can be a challenge. If you follow a number of rules, however, you’ll find renewed motivation as you move toward your goals. We’ll discuss four of them below.

Keeping track — You must be aware of your personal numbers if you intend to be successful in your weight loss efforts. Knowing your weight is essential but don’t be obsessive over this. Jumping on the scale once is week is more than enough.

It is also important that you know your measurements. Be as precise as possible and record the measurements for your upper arms, hips, chest, waist, and thighs. Repeat this process every 2-4 weeks and compare your results. A loss of even a fraction of an inch is something to celebrate!

Keep a journal — The next rule for weight loss motivation, and perhaps the most important one, is to keep a journal. Record your weight, your measurements, when and what you eat, and your daily activity.

Use the journal to record interesting weight loss facts that you come across. Record your emotions during the weight loss process. The journal enables you to discover patterns in your behavior and offers encouragement when your motivation wanes.

Research it — One of the most helpful rules for weight loss motivation is to do your research! Read books about dieting and browse the Internet for appropriate websites. Learn the food pyramid guidelines and be able to recognize proper portion sizes.

Start recording interesting weight loss, exercise, and dieting facts in your journal to keep them accessible. Reading a new twist on something you already know can be very motivating.

Know your outcome — Finally, weight loss motivation requires you to have a vision. You must be able to “see” yourself the way you’d like to be. Spend a little time each day meditating or reflecting on how you would like to reinvent yourself.

Visualize the smallest details. This is not about saying, “I want to lose 20 pounds.” This is about visualizing the journey to that goal. What will it take to get there?

If you follow these four simple rules your motivation will remain high throughout your journey. You will have a system in place to fall back on when you feel weak. You will notice and celebrate your small successes and understand that they accumulate into a huge payoff!

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