How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight - Discover the Top Two Motivators Researchers Have Found

It is sometimes hard to stay motivated when trying to lose weight but the problem has a simple solution - feed off of the things that truly inspire you. Researchers have shed light on what does and does not motivate you to drop old behaviors and replace them with new.

What Does Not Effectively Motivate You?

Knowledge -- In the past it was thought that if you had sufficient information you would understand the need for change and do it, however research shows that knowing facts does not make you change. Most of us know the benefits of a good diet and the hazards that come from a bad one, yet it does not motivate us to change.

Fear Tactics -- Dr. Edward Miller from Johns Hopkins University followed heart patients after they had bypass surgery. He found that many of the patients could avoid repeat surgery - and prevent prematurely dying from their disease - by switching to a healthier lifestyle. Yet very few did. In fact, two years post-surgery, 90% had not changed at all.

Dr. Dean Ornish who studied this phenomenon in seriously ill heart patients said, "Doctors had been trying to motivate patients mainly with the fear of death, and that simply wasn't working. For a few weeks after a heart attack, patients were scared enough to do whatever their doctors said. But death was just too frightening to think about, so their denial would return, and they'd go back to their old ways."

What Does Motivate You?

The Promise of a Positive Result - Focusing on the joy of living proves to be a better motivator for change than fear. This involves being convinced that you can feel better, not just live longer, allowing you to enjoy the things that make life a joy to live, such as walking pain-free, enjoying social events, and being able to participate in fun activities.

Rapid Improvement - This is a powerful motivator and studies show that radical, sweeping and complete changes are often easier for people than small ones. Moderate changes can cause you to feel deprived because you are making restrictions, yet you aren't getting big enough changes to notice a difference in how you feel, or look.

Conclusion:

Motivation to stick to your diet will depend on how well you control your mindset. By staying focused on the many benefits you will get from losing weight you will find it easier to continue moving toward your goal. And motivation does not come from trying to learn more about dieting or eating healthy; motivation comes from taking action.

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