A good motivation might help you lose a few kilos and then fall back into habits. A great motivation will change your perspective on food and health forever.

The common reasons are:

Health: live a healthier lifestyle for a longer period of time as well as minimizing the risks of developing potentially life-threatening illnesses

Appearance: get ready for “beach season” or fit better into society

Dating: your confidence is enhanced and other people might find you more attractive

Mood: you feel better physically and mentally, loving yourself more

Fitness: physical activity is easier when you are leaner and you have more energy throughout the day

External vs Internal Motivations

External motivations — looking better for the sake of other people liking you— tend to be weaker than internal ones. An exception might be doing it for your kids, but that’s about it. Everything also falls under “insecurity”.

Do it for you.

And if other people appreciate it, all the better!

Other examples of external motivations:

You want to fit into a group that doesn’t accept you as you are now

To look better in beach pictures on Instagram

Join a sports group with your coworkers

Stick With the Diet

You know the theory and you might even stick with it for a few days. But the hard part is keeping it for long-term. Sometimes your strongest motivation is not enough.

What can you do in those situations?

Here are two simple hacks:

#1 Design Your Environment

Remove unhealthy food by hiding them from view in the back of a high cupboard. Stock your fridge with vegetables, lean meat, and water.

Don’t buy soft drinks or sweets. Out of sight, out of mind. Eating healthier starts at the supermarket.

If you want to automate healthier eating, buy a subscription of fresh, seasonal produce delivered to your door each week

Waiters and what other people ordered can pressure you into eating more than you otherwise might, such as appetizers, drinks or dessert. Make your decision before the waiter comes and order before others.

If you can, an even better option is to look at the restaurant menu online and make your decision in advance. Since portions in restaurants tend to be larger, order one main course and split or ask for a to-go box right away and stash a portion before you start.

#2 Design Your Defaults

Remove from the house food that isn’t on your diet or you know is unhealthy

Buy items from the outer edges of the grocery store. Healthy, wholesome foods are on the perimeter. Junk and processed foods tend to live in the aisles

Trick your brain into eating less per meal by using smaller plates and bowls

Plan your meals in advance so you always know what to eat each day. Use Sundays to cook for the entire week and freeze excess food

Do not keep alcohol at home. If you want to drink, you’ll have to go outside and buy it

Have a bottle next to your bed so you get in the habit of drinking water immediately after waking up

Keep another bottle at your desk throughout the day and fill with it cold water to energize your brain

Only have water at home. Ban everything else, especially juice and soda. Drink a glass of water before meals. It will also make you less hungry

Always order water when eating out, instead of soda. Bonus points

Weigh Yourself Every Day

Consistency is the key to develop habits and change behavior.

This is where a simple productivity hack by Jerry Seinfeld comes in handy. Seinfeld wanted to become a better comedian. So he decided to write new jokes every day. He was consistent with it. To help him motivate, he used a simple technique.

Here’s how it works:

Find Your One Thing: we want to lose weight, so that’s going to be our thing

Put Up a Calendar: hang a huge annual calendar at your workspace, office or home. If you prefer digital, use a spreadsheet

Mark the Days: put a big X across each day when you devote time to working on your one thing. This creates a chain of X’s showing your progress. Focus on growing your chain longer and longer

Keep the Chain Going: your only job is NOT to break the chain.

Blood sugar has a direct impact on your weight as it affects how hungry and how energetic you are (if you have energy you’re much more likely to exercise!)

If your blood sugar is balanced you are less likely to have a disproportionally large appetite, and your body will be more apt to use fat (energy) rather than storing it.

While debate about its effectiveness drags on, more and more preliminary studies are coming out showing that cinnamon can help manage blood sugar levels, so why not whip up a spicy cinnamon tea?

You will need…

-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

-1 cinnamon stick

-8 ounces of fresh water

Also Read:

Cucumber diet to lose weight and 15 days diet