11 Steps to Lose Weight Easily: Staying Motivated and Maintaining Your Diet

Last Updated on February 9, 2023 by Lori Geurin

Wondering how to stay motivated to lose weight? Well, this blog post is for you. It will give you the motivation and how-to to keep your diet on track. You’ll learn how to discipline yourself so it’s easier to stick with a plan that helps you lose weight easily. This article will also teach how to improve your self-control when it comes to food so that even if you’re stressed or too busy, you can still manage healthy eating habits. Read on!

Have you been struggling to lose weight?

If so, then you’re in the right place! We’ve compiled 11 steps that will help you stay motivated and maintain your diet. These tips are easy to implement and can be done in a short amount of time each day.

They’ll also make it easier for you to stick with your diet even if life gets hectic or stressful. You deserve the best!

It doesn’t matter how much money or time you have – these tips will work for anyone who wants to lose weight easily and maintain their progress long-term. So what are you waiting for? Read on!

Start implementing these 11 steps today!

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HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TO LOSE WEIGHT: 11 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES

1. Set a goal weight for yourself.

It’s easy to stay motivated if you know how you want your weight to be. Visualize how it will feel when you achieve that goal and keep the image in mind every time temptations arise.

Make sure your target weight is realistic, though – don’t set a number too low or high for yourself because this may make it more difficult

Watch this video for more info on how to stay motivated to lose weight.

2. Decide to eat healthy foods and avoid junk food.

“Clean eating” is a great way to stay motivated because you know what’s going into your body. You’ll feel much better about how healthy you’re being every day, which can help make weight loss easier and more sustainable in the long term.

Plus, it will be easier to avoid junk food if you never have it in the house.

Temptations are always easier to fight when they’re not right in front of you!

Make sure your home is stocked with healthy, whole foods and cut out any junk food so that it’s less tempting later on down the road.

Want more info? Get our 25 weight loss tips blog post.

HOW TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF SO IT’S EASIER TO STICK WITH YOUR PLAN

Discipline gives you tools to stay motivated, but it’s also how you maintain your weight loss. If discipline becomes a habit then you’ll be more likely to stick with the plan that helps you lose weight easily and healthy-long term!

Here are some of our tips for having self control with food:

• Eat at the same time every day. It may be easier to maintain your weight if you eat dinner at a certain time, or breakfast in the morning before work for example.
• Reduce how often you’re eating out and how much alcohol is flowing through your body. Eating foods that are prepared by someone else can make it difficult to control how much you’re eating. Plus, alcohol can make it more difficult to stick with a weight loss plan because of how easy it is to drink too many calories in one go and how tempting drinking may be when you’re stressed or don’t have time for the gym.
• Set boundaries around how often you’ll eat out. This will make it more difficult for you to overeat.
• Planning how much food will be in your house can help make weight loss easier and maintain the progress long-term. It’s hard to eat healthy if there are tempting foods all around!

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONTROL WITH FOOD (EVEN WHEN LIFE IS STRESSFUL OR YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME)

• Don’t skip breakfast (unless you’re intermittent fasting, which is awesome too)! You need fuel to start your day and this can make it easier for you not to overeat. Plus, skipping out on a meal could leave you feeling hangry which may lead to bad decision making when it comes to how much food you’re eating throughout the day.
• Eat slowly so that it’s easier for your brain to know how much you’re eating.
• Understand how your body handles weight loss. Some people’s metabolism slows down when they lose weight, but others find that their metabolism speeds up. Everyone is different. (Find out how to boost your metabolism.)
• Don’t beat yourself up if you make mistakes! Everyone makes mistakes and it’s okay even if you’re not perfect.
• It’s important to make sure you eat healthy and in moderation. You don’t want to be starving all day long, but you also can’t binge for a week straight and expect it not to catch up with how your body is handling weight loss.
• Keep track of what you’re eating so that if there are parts of the day where you overeat or make poor decisions about how much food you consume, you can make sure you’re more mindful of how much food is in your body.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand so that if hunger strikes and you don’t have time to prepare a meal, you won’t be tempted by unhealthy alternatives. This will help keep weight off long-term!

Find out how to lose weight eating normally, without depriving yourself of your favorite foods.

3. Exercise regularly.

It’s important to have a good fitness routine and schedule so that you can maintain your weight loss

Do exercises that target different muscle groups each day, as well as cardio exercise for how often you’ll be burning calories in the long run.

Put on cute workout clothes or wear a fun hair tie that motivates you to keep going! It’ll be easier to stay on track with how often you’re exercising.

Set a goal for how long and how many times per week you want to exercise. Consider using a workout tracker to stay accountable.

Set aside time in your day to work out, even if it’s only 15-20 minutes. It is also important to be mindful of how much movement you’re getting throughout the day. Fitness trackers, like a Fitbit or Apple Watch, are perfect for tracking your steps and activities.

Some people also find that having a personal trainer helps them stick with their goals and make progress faster.

Find Your Trainer (FYT) is a popular online training app you can do from home, at the gym, or anywhere.

4. Track what you eat.

Write down everything you eat in a food journal or on an app like MyFitnessPal.

Use a weekly meal planner to stay on track with your eating plan.

Writing down what you eat not only helps stay on top of how much food is going into your body but can make it easier to spot patterns where maybe you’re eating too much or too little at a certain time.

Be careful how you track what you eat. Don’t let yourself obsess over how much of a certain food is going into your body. Understand that there are different ways to be healthy and we’re all at different stages in our lives!

Tips For Tracking Your Meals

• When trying to lose weight, it’s important not only to exercise but also to monitor how much food is going into the body.
• When you monitor how much food is in your system, it makes weight loss easier by being mindful of how often you’re overeating, triggers, and how you feel.
• There are a lot of different ways to be healthy so don’t compare yourself! Understand what you want to achieve and how you can reach your goals.

5. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. 

It’s important to stay hydrated, but how much water you should drink varies. It depends on your age, weight and more.

If you’re not sure how much water is healthy for how big of a person you are, take a look at this guide to how much water you should drink a day.

Tips For Drinking Water:

• Drink water throughout the day.
• Drink a glass of water before or during meals to make sure you’re not hungry later on in the day and overeating. It can also help with how much food your body absorbs when it’s full.
• Make time for drinking water by putting reminders into different places so that you have more motivation to keep drinking water.
• Get a reusable bottle and refill it as needed. This Nayad Tumbler is my favorite! Use my coupon code: LORIG for 10% off your order.
• Drink some lemon water in the morning to help with how much water you’re drinking. You can also add some fruit to it for a delicious, refreshing beverage. (Check out the 20 healthiest fruits you can eat.)
• Drink water slowly throughout the day, not in big gulps.

6. Track your progress with photos and measurements.

It’s important to see how you’re doing over time so that your weight loss can be tracked. Keeping track of how much progress is being made will help with how motivated you feel!

Tips For Tracking Progress:

Try using an app like MyFitnessPal for tracking what foods are going into your body.

Take pictures from the front and side to see how much progress is being made.

Measure your weight, waist, hips, chest, and thighs in inches or centimeters. Measure how often you’re exercising too.

It’s important not only to track how much food goes into the body but also how many calories are burned through exercise over time.

Printable Weight Loss Tracker

Use a weight loss tracker to monitor your weight loss and keep you motivated.

7. Get some sleep!

Lack of sleep can cause weight gain because it affects your metabolism and hormones.

To lose weight, it’s important to get enough sleep at night.

Tips For Getting Better Sleep:

• Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, even on weekends!
• Listen to relaxing sleep music.
• Try to avoid anything with caffeine after dinner or before bed so you don’t have trouble sleeping.
• Do some meditation before bed to relax the body and prepare for a good night’s rest.
• Try sleeping in complete darkness with no light or wearing eye masks if you’re finding it hard to sleep at night!
• Consider how much time you spend on screens after dinner as well – tv, computer, phone etc. The blue light can make it difficult to sleep.
• Make sure your bedroom is cool and comfortable for sleeping.
• Use a weighted blanket if needed.
• Exercise regularly in order to feel more relaxed when you go to bed.

8. Create a grocery list and stick to it when shopping for food.

A grocery list will help with how much food you’re eating and how to resist unhealthy food.

It’s important not to go to the store hungry because it’ll be more likely to crave foods that are less healthy. Make sure your groceries are as close to what you planned for instead of picking up things on a whim too.

Tips For Creating A Weekly Grocery List:

It is important to be able to plan your meals ahead of time in order to stay on target with your meal plan. Create a grocery list with all the foods you need for that week’s meals.

If you’re not sure how much to buy, it’s better too much than too little.

Choose healthy foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein sources.

Try planning out at least three meals for the week to help with how often you’re eating and how hungry you feel.

Print out a weekly meal planner to help you keep track of everything.

Check out these healthy recipes:

• Roasted Chicken Tacos
• Maple Dijon Pork Tenderloin
• Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
• Vegan Lasagna
• Easy Samosa (for the Indian food lover)

You can find more healthy recipes on our blog.

What should you take when grocery shopping?

• A list with what you need for the week
• Cash or card to pay at checkout
• Healthy snacks like apples, almonds and/or protein powder smoothies
• Water bottle so that water is available when needed.

Some other tips:

• Don’t shop hungry because it’s more likely you’ll buy unhealthy food.
• Don’t shop too late in the day because we often make healthier choices when we’re well-rested.
• Bring a friend so that motivation is easier to maintain!

9. Reward yourself with something small when you reach milestones.

Reward yourself with something small, like a new dress, pedicure, or necklace.

This will help you stay motivated to keep going!

Here are a few more ideas…

• Buy a ticket to an event.
• Take someone out for dinner.
• Buy some flowers and plant them in the garden outside.
• Buy a new pair of walking shoes or a painting to hang on the wall.

There are so many options that could work! As long as it makes sense for your budget and style then go ahead and treat yourself.

10. Stay positive!

Remember why losing weight is important to you.

Think about how it will help you lead a healthier lifestyle and how much better you’ll feel!

Make sure to stay positive even when the going gets rough.

Tips For Keeping Your Motivation High:

• Write down your reasons for wanting to lose weight. Keep them somewhere visible so that they’re always in front of you.
• Keep yourself motivated by writing down how you will feel once the weight comes off. Make a list of what will change when you get healthier. You might be able to do more things or spend more time with friends.
• Read motivational books or quotes. Check out these 40 quotes about inner beauty and strength.
• Make sure you’re setting attainable goals that are in line with how much weight you want to lose.
• Don’t set a goal of losing 40 pounds if it’s not realistic for your lifestyle or weight loss plan. Be mindful and be reasonable about how quickly you’ll reach the desired weight.
• Find someone who is also working on their health goals and keep each other motivated.
• Reward yourself when you reach your milestones!
• Try writing a letter to someone as motivation for how much better life will be once you’re healthy or go out with friends who are supportive of your goals.
• Remember why losing weight is important to you – how it will help make more time in the day, how it will improve your self-esteem.
• Sign up for a fitness class or weight loss competition to keep yourself accountable.
• Find ways to stay positive even when the going gets tough. Remember why you started this journey and how good it feels when you’re successful with sticking to your weight loss plan.
• Believe in yourself, that this is possible for you, because it totally is. I believe in you 100%!

11. Be social.

Maintain friendships with people who are supportive of your goals rather than those who aren’t.

You might also consider joining a weight loss challenge or competition with friends.

Once you start making weight loss a habit, it will be much easier to stay motivated.

The more friends who are supportive of your goals and the healthier lifestyle changes that you’re making, the better off you’ll be!

Do things with people who make healthy living seem fun rather than difficult. They can help remind you how good life is and how much more fun it can be when you’re healthier!

Summary: How To Stay Motivated To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

I hope this blog post has helped you get motivated to lose weight and be successful!

There are lots of ways to stay motivated. If you want to find a successful weight loss plan, you need to ask yourself what motivates you the most.

So, what motivates you? Let’s hear it in the comments below! Keep up with your progress and stay motivated by telling me how you’re doing.

And don’t forget to share this article with friends who are trying to lose weight too! We know that being able to see others succeed is a big part of staying on track. You can do this – I believe in you!