These 7 Women Prove Its Possible to Make Weight Loss FUN

If you're trying to get in shape and lose some weight, you might find yourself stressing about calorie counting, meal prepping, and clocking in that time at the gym—but dropping pounds doesn't mean you have to be a stone-cold maniac about life on the weight-loss wagon.

Case in point: The blogger behind Run Eat Repeat writes that her goal weight is her current weight plus the weight of herself holding six puppies. A girl can dream, right? She seems to be in on the secret that laughing your way through losing weight can keep you motivated to stay after your goals—even when the going gets tough. Check out eight other ways women are staying upbeat on the way to reaching their goal weight:

“I lost a lot of weight by taking Zumba classes, but one thing that also helped was that I didn't stop dancing when class was over. At home, I competed in countless dance-offs with my four kids. I’d dance, and when they accepted my challenge, they’d have to come back with their own choreographed moves.”  —Daphne M.

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“When I’m trying to be mindful of my health but still want a glass of wine, I’ll joke with myself that vino totally counts as fruit. Cheers.” —Shelby M.

“I love doing barre classes with my super buff boyfriend. I have a subscription to one company’s online videos, so we get into workout clothes, clear some space in the living room, and get to it. Watching him do squats in second position or bend over a chair for seat work always cracks me up, and it makes him laugh, too. It actually motivates me to keep working out.” —Kim C.

“I'm a weight-loss coach, and I joke that I’m just trying to get down to the weight I lied about on my driver's license or just weigh less than my husband. My light-hearted attitude helped me lose and keep off 100 pounds.” —Jenn E-G

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“I lost about 30 pounds this past winter, and the thing that got me to the gym was Netflix. I only allowed myself to watch streaming shows if I was on the elliptical, treadmill, or the stair-climber. I decided my exercise plan would be to watch all the seasons of The Office—and I did! I watched about three episodes per workout session. It's such a funny show that I didn't even realize I was sweating like a pig. As a bonus, laughing so much during my Netflix workouts helped me remember to engage my core—seriously.” —Molly C.

“When I’m struggling through a workout, I talk to food in my head. It sounds weird, but thinking of the food I really want to eat after the workout and talking to it, like, ‘Ooh, sweet potato fries, I’m coming for you after these crunches’ motivates me to keep pushing through.” —Tessa N.

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“I like trying new fitness classes because they burn so many calories, but it can be embarrassing to be the only one who doesn’t know what she’s doing. So instead of letting it get to me, I make jokes to those around me when I’m absolutely lost during class. One time, when I couldn't follow the steps in a Zumba class, I was like, 'Clearly I missed my calling on Dancing with the Stars.' I try not to be too obnoxious about it, but it takes the pressure off and lets everyone else know that I’m trying and having fun with it.” —Julia P.

All gifs courtesy of giphy.com.

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