FIVE WAYS TO GET MOTIVATED TO LOSE WEIGHT

This is something I've been wanting to write for a while, and after reaching the point of "how the hell have I let myself get here" in terms of how I looked earlier this week, I decided to put together five ways to get motivated if, like me, you really want the scales to go down.

Many of us have been there where something just clicks in your head after you look in the mirror and decide enough is enough. That was me on Wednesday night. I've gone from buying a size 8 dress two years ago, to now buying a size 12. Of course, I understand that a size 12 isn't massive, but for me, having put a lot of weight on has knocked my confidence. I haven't put it on for any medical reason, I literally just like food and am a completely emotional eater. I'm happy = pass me the cake. I'm sad = pass me the cake. I'm bored = pass me the cake,

After a marathon trying-on session on Wednesday night which reduced me to tears, realising nothing fit anymore. my mentality of finally wanting to make a change fell into place. For those who have been in a similar situation, you'll know exactly what I mean. You can't lose weight or even begin to if you're not 100 per cent motivated to do so. 

With that said, I have decided to make some alterations to my everyday life so I can give myself the best possible chance of shedding 30lbs before I go to Las Vegas at the end of May. If you find yourself in a similar position then give these a go and see if they make any difference.

Take before and after photographs

I did this earlier today in the hallway and my god was it a shock to see myself from behind. I must apologise to everyone who's had to walk behind me for the past two years or so. I stood in a bikini, front on, side on and from the back, because I wanted to see muscle definition change in my stomach and see any change in cellulite. My target is set over a 15 week course so at Week 7 I'm going to take some halfway point pictures and see what the difference is. Hopefully this will spur me on to work that little bit harder at the gym. 

Look for Fitspo

When I'm feeling like motivation could be slipping, I look to Pinterest and see what kind of Fitspo (fitness inspiration) I can see. I even have my own board where I pin fitness workouts, bikini bods which I admire (Kim K and Beyonce are both perfect inspiration for my body shape) and tasty but healthy recipes. Pinterest is a fantastic source of inspiration and motivation when it comes to losing weight. As is Instagram, which has so many #beforeandafter weight loss pictures to scroll through. I would love to some day make mine public to inspire someone else. Another great way to stay on track is to put a picture of your dream body, or even an inspirational quote, as your screensaver on your phone. I imagine you look at that more times you do anything else so make it something you want to work towards. You could also create a mood board for home if you wanted to go old school and envision what your body would look like after you tweak it a little with healthy eating and going to the gym. Give positive energy out to the universe and you shall get it back. 

Find exercise which works for you

I know that going to the gym after work is never going to happen. I finish the day at the office and know that, not only do I have two cats to feed, but I also have prints to design and blog posts to write. So my gym kit is just not going to make its way out of my car boot. I do know, however, that if I set my alarm an hour earlier I can easily pop to the gym on my way to work and get it done first thing. I find working out really boring if I'm honest, so classes work well for me and my gym (Virgin Active if you were wondering) holds classes from 6.00am onwards, across Spin, Body Attack and Body Pump. The time goes really quickly and it's fun to do - I'd much rather someone tell me to cycle harder to music than me sat in the gym alone on the bike counting down the minutes.

Make alterations, not changes

I've always found that when I go on a strict diet, I fail within the first week (OK, first day), so what I've learnt works best for me is finding alternatives to my favourite things instead of denying myself completely. Take my morning hot chocolate I'd get from Megabucks whilst driving to work. That added up to 300 calories before I'd even arrived to the office. But instead of cutting it out of my diet completely, I now get Aldi's hot chocolate sachets at 40 cals each and have that with my breakfast at my desk. I also swapped any oils and butters for Fry Light, learnt how to cook quick tasty meals (quick being the operative word) and if I want a chocolate bar on an evening - which I usually do, let's face it - I'll buy one Chomp or Curly Wurly on the way home so I can enjoy that, knowing there isn't another four in the fridge calling out my name. Believe me, if they're in the fridge then I'm eating them. 

Make smaller goals

To look and think, right I need to lose four stone, is overwhelming and will probably send you right to the cookie jar if you slip up. But if you broke that down and thought, OK this month I'd like to lose 7lbs, that doesn't seem so bad. Setting the bar too high means you will feel like you've failed if you don't achieve what you wanted to. For me, I know I have 15 weeks from this week to lose 30lbs, which when broken down means I am looking for 2lbs per week. If some weeks I lose 3lbs then fantastic, if some weeks I lose 1/2lb then it's still all fine because I'm working to a smaller goal, week by week, rather than a huge mountain ahead of me. 

If you are trying to lose weight and are struggling then I hope that at least one of these points has been helpful to you. I'll let you know how I get on over the next couple of weeks or so, and be sure to follow me over on Instagram and Pinterest, where I document a lot of my food choices and body inspiration.