How to Get Motivated to Lose Weight (and Stay Motivated)
By Paul Butler · Online Coach & Personal TrainerMotivation to lose weight has a short shelf life. Roughly the same as the bag of salad you bought on Sunday with the very best of intentions.
So how do you get motivated to lose weight, and stay that way? Stop relying on the burst you feel at the start. Find a reason that is genuinely yours, set goals for what you do rather than what the scales say, track one simple thing, and get someone else involved. Those keep working once the early excitement has worn off.
Why do I lose motivation to lose weight so quickly?
Usually because you are judging your effort by the scales, and the scales are unreliable week to week. Water, salt, hormones and what is still in your gut can hide a good week completely. When effort and reward stop lining up, motivation drains away. Often the reason was borrowed too: a wedding, a photo, someone else's comment.
The kind of motivation matters more than the amount
A group of researchers who study motivation and weight control made a point that I think gets missed. They argue weight loss programmes have focused on how much motivation people have, and paid too little attention to what kind it is. In their view, doing it because you feel you should, or because someone told you to, is the kind that fades. Doing it for reasons you genuinely own is the kind that lasts.
"...if individuals fully endorse weight loss-related behavioral goals and feel not just competent but also autonomous about reaching them, as suggested by self-determination theory, their efforts are more likely to result in long-lasting behavior change."
That is a review and the authors' suggestion, not a single trial with a neat number at the end. But the principle is sound, and it matches the idea behind how to get motivated to exercise: you need a reason that is still there on a wet Tuesday.
"My doctor said I should" is a reason. "I want to get up off the floor without making a noise" is a better one, because it is yours.
Set goals for what you do, not what the scales do
A number on the scales by a certain date is an outcome you can only partly control. What you eat and how much you move, you can control today. So turn every outcome goal into a behaviour you can tick off.
| The outcome goal | The behaviour version | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Lose two stone by summer | Protein at every meal, five days a week | You can win this week, not just in six months |
| Drop a dress or trouser size | Two strength sessions a week | Keeps your muscle while you lose fat |
| Stop snacking every evening | A proper lunch and a planned mid-afternoon snack | Most evening hunger is built earlier in the day |
| Get fitter | A twenty minute walk every lunchtime | Easy to measure, hard to argue with |
Do the behaviours consistently and the outcome follows, usually more slowly than you would like. How quickly you can realistically lose a stone is worth reading before you set any date at all.
Track one thing
A review of 22 studies on self-monitoring, meaning keeping track of what you eat, how much you move or what you weigh, found it was consistently linked with more weight loss. The authors are honest that the evidence is weak, because most studies relied on people reporting their own behaviour and the samples were mostly white women (Burke, Wang and Sevick, 2011). Even so, the link kept showing up.
You don't need to track everything from day one. Pick one thing: your food, your steps or your weight. Macros aren't a punishment. They are just information, and how to stick to a calorie deficit covers how to use them without it taking over your life.
Do it with someone
In a trial of 166 adults, people who signed up alone and got a standard weight loss programme were compared with people who signed up with friends or family and got extra support.
Of those who joined alone, 76% finished the programme and 24% kept all of their weight off over the following six months. Of those who joined with friends and support, 95% finished and 66% kept it all off (Wing and Jeffery, 1999). The support came from friends and family, not a professional. It works whoever it comes from.
So tell someone what you are doing. Better still, do it with them.
When motivation isn't the real problem
Sometimes "I can't get motivated" is really low mood. If you have lost interest in most things, not just your weight, please speak to your GP. If eating feels out of your control, Beat can help, and you don't need a diagnosis to contact them. If you are struggling to cope, Samaritans are on 116 123, any time of day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get motivated to lose weight again after giving up?
Start smaller than last time, not bigger. Pick one behaviour from the table above and do only that for two weeks. The urge to make up for lost time is what turns a restart into another crash diet. And don't wait for Monday, because there is nothing special about Monday.
Should I weigh myself every day?
Daily or weekly can both work, as long as you look at the trend over a few weeks rather than any single day. In a large registry of people who have kept weight off for years, regular weighing was one of the common habits, though those people volunteered to be studied. If daily weighing wrecks your mood, weigh weekly.
Do rewards help with weight loss motivation?
They can, if the reward doesn't undo the work. Rewarding a good week with a takeaway sends a confusing message. Reward the behaviour instead: new trainers after eight weeks of two sessions a week, or a massage once you have tracked your food for a month.
What if I'm doing everything right and nothing is changing?
Give it at least three or four weeks before deciding, and measure your waist as well as your weight. If nothing has moved after that, something in the numbers is usually off, and why you might not be losing weight in a calorie deficit covers the usual culprits.
DM me MACROS on Instagram @paulbutler.coach and I will send you your calorie and protein targets, worked out for your size and your week rather than pulled off a chart.
If you want someone in your corner every week, see how online coaching works. Rather just talk it through? Book a free 15-minute call.
This is general information, not medical advice. If low mood is behind it, speak to your GP. If eating feels out of your control, Beat can help, and Samaritans can be reached on 116 123, 24 hours a day.
More honest guides on fat loss, nutrition and training
The 2012 Teixeira et al. review of motivation and weight control, the 2011 Burke, Wang and Sevick review of self-monitoring and the 1999 Wing and Jeffery social support trial are linked in the text. Images from Pexels (free to use): Yaroslav Shuraev, Spencer Stone, Mart Production.
