How can I get motivated to lose weight?

Becoming motivated to lose weight can be difficult, especially if you have tried to lose weight before and have struggled or regained the weight. The following are some tips to get you motivated:

• Finding inspiration -- Think about what fits your thoughts about beginning a weight loss plan. Do you feel that the costs of making a change outweigh the benefits of weight loss? What if you consider that being overweight can cause serious health problems, including diabetes and heart disease? Studies have shown that losing weight by eating right and exercising can help prevent or delay these health problems. Losing weight can also reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke if you already have diabetes.

Your weight affects your lifestyle as well as your health. Ask yourself how being overweight or obese has affected your life. Does being overweight prevent you from doing things that you want to do or could do if you lost weight? Losing weight will help you look and feel better, and give you more energy to do the things you enjoy.

• Taking action -- Once you are ready to take action, you are more likely to succeed if you develop a plan and set realistic goals. Your weight loss goals need to be specific and attainable. This means that they specifically outline what you intend to achieve and are well within your reach to accomplish. For example, a goal of "walk more" is a good idea, but it is not specific. A goal of "run ten miles a day" is specific, but not may not be attainable. A goal of "walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week" is not only specific, it is attainable.

• Rewards -- Rewarding yourself for sticking to your weight loss program is an effective way to keep yourself motivated. Rewards need to be meaningful and realistic. Focus on giving yourself a reward for each step along the way. For example, reward yourself after sticking to the first week on your diet and exercise regimen by buying a new music CD or going to the movies. Bigger rewards, such as buying tickets to a concert or treating yourself to a vacation or a weekend trip, can be saved for reaching long-term goals.

Everyone has reasons why they aim to lose weight. It's important to be conscious of what those reasons are. In general, the desire to lose weight is comprised of both a want and a need. Early on, people are motivated because they feel the need to lose weight. Perhaps they feel physically uncomfortable, but they can't always identify their true motivations up front. That's why it's important to take time to assess why you need and want to lose weight. I tell clients to make a list of the reasons why you need to lose weight versus why you want to lose weight. An example of the difference is that you need oxygen, while you want a million dollars. When you need something -- like oxygen -- you'll do anything you can to get it. By creating the lists I've just described, you'll become conscious of your incentives and use them later on in the process of your weight loss.

Different reasons motivate different people: sometimes it's pleasure ("I want to fit into my skinny jeans") and sometimes it's fear ("If I don't lose this weight, I may become diabetic"). You have to decide what's most motivating for you personally. I also recommend being positive when you make this list, phrasing it something like, "Once I lose fifteen pounds, I will fit into that size 8 dress" versus "I can only shop in the fat store." In my experience, people commonly say, "I'm doing it for my health," which is actually very abstract, so instead, I ask them to detail how their weight creates a negative impact on their lives.

For people who are not exceptionally overweight, you may need to motivate yourself with other things, like fitting into your skinny jeans. Some people depend on external motivators, like a wedding. But that only lasts until the date comes and goes -- it's not a permanent motivator. So I suggest looking at the bigger picture and finding an internal motivator, like being able to walk longer distances, climbing stairs without huffing and puffing, and losing that extra fat around your gut that is increasing the likelihood of disease.

Once you have identified your motivators and created your list, keep it with you, in your wallet or purse. You can either read it as a mantra every day or carry it with you for moments when you feel weak and need a positive reminder of why you're doing what you're doing. When you feel down or uninspired, just look at the list!