Why is it so Hard to Find the Motivation to Lose Weight?

It is hard to find the motivation to lose weight, because losing weight is a bit of hassle. You know you have to do something about your weight if you can no longer fit into your clothes and you're worried about the impact your weight is having on your health. However, you also know what you need to do to lose weight and it isn't always easy to commit yourself to change. To lose weight you obviously have to modify your eating and exercise habits, but this can be a challenge, especially when you have other things going on in your life.

Indeed, it is tempting to just keep putting off dealing with your weight. You tell yourself that you're only a few pounds overweight and that it doesn't really bother you when you know, in actual fact, if you don't do anything the situation is only going to get worse. You realise that if you don't deal with your weight soon you may well keep piling on the pounds, which is definitely what you don't want. It is clearly better to deal with your weight when you're only carrying an extra 10 or 20 pounds compared to an extra 50 or 60 pounds.

The trouble is that even when you do decide to tackle your weight, you can't give all your energy over to it. You still have to go to school or to work, to look after the kids, meet up with friends, keep the house tidy and cook for you and your family. This can make it difficult to concentrate on what you need to do to lose weight. Even though you are aware of what action you have to take, trying to lose weight can leave you feeling hungry and as though you don't have much energy. This can obviously interfere with other areas in your life.

If you're constantly hungry and tired you may snap at friends and relatives and it can be difficult to concentrate on your work. When you know this is what you're going to feel like, it is bound to be hard to motivate yourself to lose weight. You have to take time out of your day to plan meals and to exercise and you don't even feel that much better for it. In the long run you can appreciate the benefits of being lighter, but when you're in the process of losing weight you can find yourself obsessing about food and weight, which may leave you feeling down.

Unsurprisingly, then, finding the motivation to lose weight can be extremely hard, as losing weight itself is hard. You have to make changes to your daily routine in order to lose weight and no matter how much support you have it is all down to you. You may well have had some experience of yo-yo dieting, which already puts you in a negative frame of mind. If you think you're going to fail to keep the weight off, it certainly becomes more likely and finding the motivation and staying motivated to lose weight becomes virtually impossible.