"Willpower is the element that drives us to achieve our goals," said William James. And yet, many people will still have you believe that you need to use some kind of special effort, "willpower" or "intuition" to lose weight. But, is this true? Can YOU really "willpower" to lose weight? The real truth is that you don't have to exert any "willpower", AND you can lose weight without it...
The first thing we need to look at is that there is no ONE motivation to lose weight. You see, motivation doesn't work like a battery...it's charged-up when you want it, then plugged-down when you don't have enough! (Just for an example, let's say you are thinking about dieting. The next time you think about dieting, your mind wanders to some other subject. This isn't your mind working at 100% efficiency - your mind is just switching from one thought to another.)
So, what is the common sense answer to this? We would say that dieters should be encouraged to make the most of their diet by using all the tools (or resources) they can to help them with weight loss. In other words, the dieter needs to find the most-likely (and successful) tool(s) to help them lose weight quickly. Does this include dieting alone, or does it also mean using exercise and/or supplements? (Is weight loss important to you, but you also need to keep fit?) Do you need motivation to get motivated, or do you already have (or think you have) all the motivation you need?
Dieters need motivation to get started losing weight, or to maintain a healthy weight over the long-term. Is this something you have long-term plans about? If not, then you are most likely "thinking in the moment" and "losing weight" is only a "long-term goal" for you. As long as you have a goal - whatever that goal might be - you can find and use any tool or resource to help you reach that goal. You don't have to try everything at once. In fact, you should never try anything at all if you are not prepared for at least some trial and error before getting to the "tried and true" method(s) that will work.
For someone who does have long-term plans about dieting and exercise, it might mean looking into more than one diet and/or exercise plan to take action. Different diets will work differently for different people, but some diets may actually work for you, but will it be easy for you to stick with for the rest of your life? For example, some diet plans involve cutting out carbohydrates all together, while others require you to do more of the food you eat. There are also those that take a "calorie shifting" approach. Basically, you alternate calories so that you are burning more of the calories you take in and less of the calories you burn through exercise.
Motivation to lose weight is also increased when you consider that many fad diets are not effective long-term. Some experts claim that many popular crash diet programs are actually not worth the paper they're printed on. People need to be informed that these diets only lead to a quick and temporary weight loss, and many of the fad diets promoted today are not healthy and do not provide a good dietary or nutritional balance for long-term weight loss. They usually have a low rate of success and some "dangers" associated with them that people need to be made aware of.
A great source of motivation to lose weight comes from knowing that you can look forward to feeling good about yourself once you reach your goal. Feeling good about yourself is a major factor in helping you lose excess weight. Not only will you feel good about yourself but you'll have more motivation to continue your diet plan once you've reached your desired weight! The best diet plan offers plenty of "reward" for you to feel good once you've reached your goal!
Other common motivational sources for weight loss include your friends and family. Sometimes just having these folks to talk to will help lift your spirits when you feel a little discouraged about your weight. You may even find motivation to lose weight from your co-workers if they have similar goals as you. Motivation to lose weight comes in many forms; however, the above mentioned are among the most common types. Regardless of the type of motivation you use, it's important that you make it a daily habit. This way, you'll be motivated to lose weight and stay motivated throughout your weight loss journey.
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