How to Actually Stay Focused on Your Weight Loss Goals

The only thing worse than setting a goal and then not accomplishing it is setting a goal and then not accomplishing it because you lost focus on the journey—because you stopped trying. Don’t let something so silly and so fixable be the cause of you not accomplishing your weight loss goals.

Losing weight is more important than you may have thought when you made your goals in the first place. Your weight loss goals are, therefore, a lot more important than some of your other goals may be, and you might not even realize it.

Your weight directly affects your health. Being overweight can lead to a variety of health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Your health directly affects everything and anything you do in life. Having health problems such as diabetes and/or heart disease can lead to you missing out on things that you love, like rollerblading, going on a hike, going up the stairs to get to your favorite store, or simply going for a walk with a friend.

I know that if I couldn’t do such things, I would be far less happy than I am right now. As someone who has transitioned into always staying focused on my fitness goals—going to the gym and eating healthy on a regular basis—I am the happiest I’ve ever been.

Don’t let your life be negatively affected by not staying focused on your weight loss goals. Instead, crush those weight loss goals. Prove everyone who doubts you wrong. Make yourself the happiest you’ve ever been. Continue reading to find out how to do that. Learn how to actually stay focused on your weight loss goals and become a happier, healthier, more driven you.

Keep track of your progress.

Keeping track of your progress might be the most essential thing for you to do in order to stay focused on those weight loss goals of yours. You can get creative in doing so, but my go-to way of tracking this progress is by taking photos.

When I look back at the photos I took of myself in my bikini years ago, I smile. In that picture, I see a girl who was unhappy with her body. That makes me smile because of how far I’ve come. As I look at the most recent photo I’ve taken of myself in the same bikini, I see a girl who has more muscle, less fat, and is much happier with her body.

Looking at the difference between old photos and recent photos of your body is the ultimate motivation. It helps you remember how far you’ve come—it’s sort of a pat on the back for all of the hard work you’ve done and will continue to do.

Set goals.

Setting goals for yourself is the biggest self-motivator. Think up some goals. You can think up some that you know you can reach (so that your confidence is boosted), but most of them should be ones that really challenge you (so that you’re that much more proud of yourself when you reach them). Write those goals down so that they’re tangible and something you can check off when you’ve accomplished them. It really strengthens the feeling of reward when you can physically check it off.

I, myself like to write them down on a scrap piece of paper and then carry that piece of paper around with me–I just slide it into my purse. That way, I have a constant reminder of my goals and am always constantly working to reach them.

When I get to the gym, before I even put my earphones in to start working out, I take out that piece of paper, read over the exercise goals that I set for myself. I end up pushing myself ten times harder during my work out than I would have if I hadn’t read them.

I do the same thing when I go grocery shopping and also when I go out to eat. Before I go into the grocery store, I read over the nutritional goals I set myself. This helps me to only purchase the food items that will help me reach those goals. Similarly, before I go out to eat, I read them over. This helps me to order a meal that will further my progress toward reaching my goals.

Focus on your health, not the scale.

People often focus on the number that’s on the scale during their weight loss journey. Not only is this an inaccurate way of looking at your progress, but it also slows down your progress. As you continuously work out, you continuously build muscle. Since muscle is heavy, gaining it can make you gain weight.

This type of weight gain is the good kind of weight gain during your fitness journey. If you’re gaining muscle, you’re most likely losing fat, which will make you feel and look better. The scale is a way of measuring weight, not health, so don’t draw so much attention to it! If you refrain from caring so much about that pesky number on that even peskier scale, you’re sure to stay more focused and more driven on your fitness journey.

Track your exercise.

It’s important to track your exercise—write it down in a notebook, jot it down on the Notes app on your phone, log it on your Fitbit or Apple Watch app. It doesn’t matter how you track it. What matters is just that you do track it.

Doing so helps you to notice not only your accomplishments, but also your weaknesses, which helps keep your ultimate goals in focus. For me, they are equally important. When I look at my successes, I get fired up and I feel proud of myself. This helps me to continue to push myself just as hard during all of my workouts. When I look at my weak points (maybe I couldn’t finish that seven mile run, or maybe I couldn’t get in that last set of bicep curls) I sometimes get angry at first.

I get angry at myself for not pushing myself just a little bit harder. Then, I realize that anger does nothing for me and my weight loss journey. So, I then turn that anger into motivation, and I use it during my next workout, and the one after that, and the one after that. Before I know it, I not only finish that seven mile run, I run eight miles. Before I know it, I not only get in that last set of bicep curls, but I add an extra set of tricep dips to the workout.

Another benefit of tracking your exercise is that it keeps you stay aware of how many calories you’re burning and it helps you to adjust to your diet accordingly. Which, again, helps you keep your eye on that end prize of losing weight. You shouldn’t restrict yourself from foods that your body might actually need—just make sure that the calories you do eat are healthy ones!

Learn More

Check out our 30 Delicious Low-Calorie Dinners for Weight Loss for those lower calorie days!

Now, you know how to stay focused on those weight loss goals of yours, so get out there and achieve them! While you’re at it, make sure to check out our Facebook page, follow us on Pinterest, and subscribe to our newsletter for more delicious recipes and healthy lifestyle tips!

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