Finding motivation when managing your weight

One of the biggest enemies you’ll encounter during your weight loss journey is stress.

If you feel overwhelmed because of work, money worries, or problems at home, you’re more likely to give into temptation and eat high-calorie food and alcohol and dropping your exercise regime. The problem is these kinds of unhealthy habits can actually end up making stress worse.

It’s not always easy to avoid stress, but there are resources available to help you through difficult times, why not start with our stress relieving techniques or if you need further support visit the MIND site for some useful tips.

It’s much easier to stay motivated on your weight loss journey if you can see concrete proof of the progress you’re making. This doesn’t just mean weighing yourself although this can help, especially if you have a set of digital scales. It also means keeping track of improvements you’ve made with exercise and checking in with your mental health and mood. A fitness tracker, like a Fitbit can help you track your activity, sleep and more.

Having said that, monitoring your lifestyle too closely can become restrictive and punishing. Healthy weight loss shouldn’t be about counting every single calorie or consistently pushing yourself to exercise longer and harder. Instead it should be about making sustainable changes that you can carry forward on a long-term basis.

No matter how well you take to your new diet and exercise regime, progress won’t always be linear. There will be days where you overeat, weeks where you don’t lose weight, and exercise sessions that feel like you’re back to square one. The good news is: that’s normal!

Rather than stopping at the first hurdle, look to the future and remind yourself that if you keep going, you will end up making progress.

You should never feel embarrassed about trying to lose weight, so make sure you communicate with your friends and family about your goals. You might find another person to go on the journey with you!

Alternatively, a weight management support group can be a really great way to stay motivated and positive, and to get plenty of advice and guidance about sustainable weight loss. Find your nearest weight loss support group here.

When it comes to weight loss, you should never say never. Don’t try and rule out entire foods or restaurants just because they’re unhealthy – instead, get into the habit of enjoying your favourites in moderation.

Another aspect to being realistic is accepting that your body has its limits. Don’t aim for a massive weight loss goal or expect to run your first marathon within six months of taking up exercise. You’ll just be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Lots of people struggle to lose weight, even after changing their diet and taking up exercise. The good news is, there are some treatments available for people who find it more challenging than others.

At LloydsPharmacy we stock a range of pharmacy treatments that can help with weight management. We also offer a medicated weight loss service to people with a BMI over 30, or a BMI over 27 and a health condition related to their weight.