Watch My Weight Loss

How to stay motivated

When it comes to weight loss, the rules are really simple. Eat right and exercise. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? I think the thing that the majority of people struggle with is motivation.

I too have had, and continue to have, occasional struggles with motivation. Sometimes it’s just for a day or two, other times it could last months. I’d like to share some of the things that I have found to help when I am finding it hard to stay focused on exercising and eating properly.

If you find that you are having trouble staying consistent with exercising:

Find someone to work out with. Whether you are going to the gym with them, or going for runs or walks together, it really helps to have someone to go with. When you make a plan to meet them every other day at a certain time, you are much less likely to skip out on your workout. It really helps to be accountable to someone. I started working out with a friend at the gym and the first couple of days, I REALLY didn’t feel like exercising. I had so many other things to do, but I didn’t want to let them down. Now I really look forward to working out with them.

If you are struggling with eating healthy:

Exercise regularly! I know for myself, if I work out in the morning I am much less likely to cheat during the day. I can’t stand the thought of undoing that hard work that I did by eating junk.

Plan a cheat day once per week. “Once per week” is not written in stone, but I certainly wouldn’t do it more frequently than that. Sometimes I will go 2 weeks without a cheat day. Sometimes I’ll just have a cheat meal instead of a whole day. When I get a craving during the week for pizza or a donut or something, just knowing that I can have a treat on Saturday helps me to stay on the right track. As long as you keep it reasonable, it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself once per week, but it’s important not to go overboard and just pig out all day.

The last two tips apply to both eating right and exercising. Sign up for an event. Whether it’s a 5k, half marathon, or a triathlon, sign up for something that is within your capability, but that you will still have to work to achieve. Last summer, I signed up for and completed my first olympic distance triathlon. I have never been so consistent with exercising and eating right as I was for the 6 months leading up to that event. I also got down to my lowest weight in 10 years, and I was feeling great. This summer I have signed up for a couple of 10K’s, a half marathon, and I’m looking to do another triathlon. I find that these things really help me to stay focused.  They give me a reason to be consistent. When you have a goal to work toward, it is much easier to stick to your weight loss plan.

Track your progress. Nothing is more motivating than seeing results. Measure your progress often enough that it keeps you motivated, but not so often that you get discouraged. For example, I find that weekly measurements work well for me. Daily, on the other hand, would be counter productive because you are very unlikely to see any progress from one day to the next.

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How to Calculate Body Fat

Image by this_is_not_dan via Flickr

When we are working toward a weight loss goal, it is important to keep track of our progress to see if what we are doing is working. The scale is one indicator, but it is not always the best or most accurate one as body weight can fluctuate from day to day and can even differ significantly from morning to evening. I find that one of the best ways to keep track of progress is by calculating my body fat percentage.

The most accurate way to measure your body fat is to have it done for you at a professional facility with a process called hydrostatic body fat testing. You are basically dunked in a tank of water and weighed under water. Those who have a higher percentage of body fat will weigh less under water because fat weighs less than lean muscle tissue. There is a little more to it than just that, but we won’t go into too many details about it here. You are probably thinking, “So I have to go in and pay to get my body fat tested on a regular basis?” Fortunately, no. This method is considered the Gold Standard of body fat testing, but there are methods you can use at home that will give you fairly accurate numbers.

In my opinion, the best way to calculate your body fat percentage at home is to get a set of calipers like the ones sold by Accumeasure. They cost around $10. The simplest way to use them is to measure the thickness of your skinfold in an area called the suprailliac (located approximately an inch above the hip bone). You pinch about an inch of skin (and fat) between your thumb and forefinger, and use the calipers to measure the thickness. You then take this number and use their chart to determine your body fat %.

Another method with the calipers requires you to measure 3 more areas in addition to your suprailliac. Some feel that this may be even more accurate than just the single measurement, but I have always found it very difficult to get a good skinfold pinch from the top front of my leg. This method also requires someone to help you measure the skinfold on your tricep area (just try doing it yourself – impossible). You enter these measurements into a body fat calculator and it will provide you with your percentage. You can find the details on this method here.

One final method is to purchase a scale that also measures your body composition. There are a number of different ones available, some better than others. These are probably not the most accurate method of finding out what your true body fat percentage is because they rely on sending a tiny electrical pulse through your body (don’t worry, you don’t feel a thing). Since electricity travels faster through water, if you are more hydrated, your body fat percentage will appear lower than if you are dehydrated. If you stay consistently hydrated, I feel that these can provide you with a trend over time, even if the actual numbers aren’t perfectly accurate.

I personally use both the skinfold method and the body composition monitor. I watch both and as long as the numbers are trending downward, I am happy. I think that it is a good idea to get your body fat professional tested occasionally just to see where you really are, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

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