Relying on motivation alone to lose weight won’t be very effective.
For years, a 37-year-old woman from Norway tried to lose weight by not eating enough, only to end up overeating, which caused the weight to come back and even gain it back.
By learning about calories, eating more protein, and starting strength training, she was able to break that cycle and lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way.
But Kirkland told Business Insider that during her weight loss process, she realized she wasn’t always motivated to stick to her new, healthier lifestyle.
Knowing motivation alone wouldn’t be enough, Kirkland simply kept going, striving for consistency over perfection.
Her journey reflects a shift in attitudes about weight loss, as fewer people blame themselves for their inability to stick to unrealistic and unhealthy fad diets. This comes amid the rise of a buzzy new weight-loss drug known as GLP-1, which also dispels the myth that obese people simply have weak willpower.
Maria Kirkeland at the beginning of her weight loss journey this summer. Mary Kirkland
“Motivation is overrated”
Kirkeland said she never felt hungry during the two years she lost the weight, but her motivation still fluctuated.
“Motivation is overrated. You can’t be motivated every day. It’s impossible,” she said.
In aiming for long-term lifestyle changes, Kirkeland found it’s better to pursue consistency over the long term.
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Jordan Syatt, a personal trainer and fat loss coach, previously told BI that waiting to feel motivated to start exercising and eating healthily is a mistake.
Instead, he tells people to just motivate themselves to get started, and then once they take that action and start seeing results, they’ll probably feel motivated to keep going.
The more you motivate yourself to push yourself when you don’t feel like it, the more likely a routine like going to the gym will become as habitual as brushing your teeth, says Siat.
Enjoy the process
For Kirkland, it was also important not to rush the weight loss process and enjoy it, which helped her keep going when she didn’t feel like it.
“If you’re miserable, you’re not going to keep doing it. It’s not going to work. You have to enjoy the process in some way,” she said. “Some days are harder than others, but that’s why you need to be consistent. Even if you don’t feel like it, just keep going.”
Many nutrition experts recommend adopting an 80/20 approach to maintaining a healthy diet. That means instead of trying to eliminate all of your favorite foods, you should eat only 20% of your favorite foods and make up the rest with nutritious foods.
