Guest Column: Motivation for weight loss

By Jennifer Moore

It’s 2013 and this is the year that you are really, really, really going to get healthy, lose weight and exercise, right?

Let’s begin with a short story. Once there was a man who had a large lawn. Children would come to play on this man’s lawn to have fun. The man was annoyed by this and decided to do something about it. So, strangely enough, he paid them a dollar to come and play on his lawn. The children took the money happily and came the next day. On the following day, the man told the children that he did not have enough money to pay them a dollar and gave them 50 cents. On the third day, the man only offered the children a nickel to play. The children were upset and told the man that they would not play on his lawn for such a cheap reward.

What happened? The children played happily on his lawn for free, but now they quit playing, even though they were offered a reward. It just so happens that this is the same reason that so many people fail at diet and exercise.

Twelve years ago I began dieting and exercising as a means to an end — I was fat and wanted to be skinny. I wanted to fit into certain clothes, be confident, look good, and be happy. And since my wishing for the weight to magically disappear was not working, I joined a gym and started counting calories. I was miserable. I lost a lot of weight, but I always felt like I was missing out on certain foods and my workouts were boring and monotonous. When I had children I gave up. I am a busy mom, but I have learned that that was not the real reason. The real reason was my motivation.

Motivation can be defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behavior. When we set out to get healthy, we are often motivated by factors outside ourselves. My husband and I see this with clients all the time. Someone comes in to get ready for a special event; their doctor told them to lose weight; they want to please someone else, or they want to be a certain number on the scale. These external motivators drive them to work hard initially and make some great progress, yet they are never satisfied with the result and eventually quit. Why?

When the children in the story were offered a reward, they were excited and motivated to come back and play; however, the reward turned the play into a chore and eventually the activity did not seem worth it. The same can be true for exercise. When the focus is the end result (reward), you do not appreciate the journey itself and eventually quit, whether you make it to your result or not. The process is viewed as a chore — something that has to be done — and the small accomplishments are overlooked.

About a year after my second child was born I realized that I needed something for me. I joined a gym, and with my children safely in the babysitting room I enjoyed myself in fitness classes. I started noticing positive changes in my daily life. I had more energy with the kids, was sleeping better and was happy again. I began to see exercise as therapy for my mind and body instead of a weight-loss tool and I wanted more. I branched out of group classes and into the weight room, and my self-confidence soared. My enjoyment of exercise led me to nutrition. The more I read, the more interested I became and the healthier my family and I ate. Creating healthy meals with all the foods our bodies thrive on became a challenge and a thrill. Why?

If we go back to our story, the children played on the man’s lawn for fun. The motivation to play on the lawn came from the enjoyment of it. When we find the reason inside ourselves to get healthy, our motivation is more powerful. We enjoy the process, we focus on the small positive changes, and we stick with it because we want to. Although outside motivators are a jumpstart to get moving, if we do not find the motivation inside ourselves we will never feel satisfied and probably stop.

It has been five years since I joined the gym with my kids and I am still exercising, eating a healthy non-processed food diet (more on that another time), and I am two sizes smaller than I was before children! Once I let go of the need to achieve a certain result, I was able to enjoy diet and exercise — and you can too.

If you have made a resolution to get healthy in 2013, do not be one of the many who will give up. Follow these tips and help discover your internal motivation.

* Why do you want to get healthy? (Answer honestly)

* How much do you value getting healthy? If your answer is not at least a 7 out of 10, then you probably need to re-evaluate why you want to get healthy.

* What are your goals? Set small, realistic goals that celebrate the process not the result.

* Do exercise that you actually enjoy. If you do not like to run, do not start a running program because a magazine told you to.

* Take ownership of your diet and exercise program. Work with a professional on creating a program that is enjoyable for you.

* Always push yourself and challenge your body, but do not subject yourself to extreme, unrealistic expectations.

* Try not to compare yourself with others. Focus on yourself and your own accomplishments.

* Realize that it is okay if you have not met your goal yet.

Jennifer Moore is a certified fitness and sports nutritionist and co-owner of Moore Power and Fitness with her husband, Jeff.

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