Motivation

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I have come across many discussions lately about weight loss. It is that time of year! Everyone wants to look good in their bathing suit - or at least not have little kids running away scared! I have noticed a common theme among many of the posts - and even one post where someone flat out said it. The biggest problem with losing weight isn’t the eating healthier or the exercising. The hardest part is getting motivated to actually do those things! Of course we all want to be healthier. Of course we all want to look good. But that doesn’t seem to be enough to get you in gear to get going! I began trying to lose some weight at the beginning of this year. I wanted to lose a total of 34 pounds. That number is intimidating! How the heck was I ever going to lose that much? That number seemed impossible. Then, I took it one step at a time. I had a vacation planned for 6 weeks later. I wanted to lose 9 pounds by that vacation. I hit that goal! Then I came back from vacation and lost most of my motivation! Thankfully, some of my habits stuck with me and I didn’t gain any of the weight back. But it wasn’t enough. I still wanted to lose another 25 pounds! I struggled for a little while to find something to motivate me. I have once again found it! My husband graduates on July 11. I have a really cute brown sundress that I bought 5 years ago. I want to wear that and look good in it! So I set myself another goal. I want to be down another 10 pounds. So far I have lost 2.5 of those pounds. That means only 7.5 pounds to go! I can do that number. But don’t talk to me about 25 pounds - that number still seems out of reach! To motivate yourself, know what your ultimate goal is, but set some short term goals as well. They feel far more achievable! I am aiming for 7.5 pounds over the next 2 months. Even if I fall short and only lose 5 more pounds, that is ok. I will still be on my way. I will just set another goal from there. How do you motivate yourself? What kind of goals do you set for weight loss? Have you ever tried setting short term goals or smaller goals before?