There are two subtypes of extrinsic motivation: Guilt Avoidance and People Pleasing. The experience with Dad provided extrinsic motivation to avoid feeling humiliated, and the experience with Mom motivated me to people-please and win more of her approval, as well as the external rewards she provided clothing when I did.

Both gave me a nitro-boost in weight-loss motivation. But both also had only a temporary impact since they were both coming from outside myself. Intrinsic motivation is much more successful in accomplishing consistent, long-term weight loss because it comes from inside you, not a reliance on outside accountability.

Intrinsically motivated individuals look at maintaining their physical health as a continuous lifestyle habit and understand that permanent results take time. They focus more on progress vs. a time-sensitive, designated goal. They allow themselves to enjoy every step of the way, even when the journey becomes arduous.

How do you cultivate and enhance intrinsic motivation? In short, in order to muster enough intrinsic motivation to lose weight permanently, a person must feel confident in their ability to succeed, believe they have independently chosen their dietary rules without too much outside influence, and ideally have a sense of belonging with people who support them in their goal.

Taken together, cultivating these three feelings can produce a change in identity that carries you beyond the initial weight loss goal. Not all types of support are effective, however. The perception of autonomy is a critical part of the pathway to success. Therefore, forms of support that require dependency, accountability, sponsorship, etc.

may sometimes do more harm than good by generating a reliance on external motivation. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , explained the difference to me during a call in which our organizations were trading consultations.

Social fitness sites like Strava or Daily Mile are good examples. Plus, intrinsic motivation not only applies to the dietary aspects of weight loss, exercise counts too. Silva et al.

In other words, if you can get yourself to enjoy moving, some of that feeling will likely spill over and increase your motivation to stick to your diet too! Unfortunately, the converse is also true: Feeling incompetent to actually lose weight, perceiving oneself to be trapped into compliance with a diet imposed by others, and feeling isolated from a supportive community of the type described above leads much less frequently to permanent results.

It can also produce a reduction in mood, fitness, and self-esteem , as well as a higher likelihood of unhealthy coping behavior. In a study, newly diagnosed individuals were significantly more likely to adopt healthier habits, including those which would lead to weight loss.

Moreover, witnessing the negative effects of obesity, diabetes, and other weight-related conditions in close relatives can also serve as ample cause to become weight conscious. For example, Cheskin and Donze found obese patients were most willing to change their attitude and health habits when a recent family event such as a heart attack or stroke reinforced the need to be more cautious In other words, most people know health is a personal issue influenced by personal choices.

Health concerns and the will to avoid an early death thereby become self-motivating, intrinsic forms of motivation regardless of whether they occur in the individual themselves or their loved ones.

You do this by consciously cultivating personal meaning behind your weight loss goals wherever you can find it, and by staying focused on the process vs. the quantifiable goal. Teixeria et al. By participating in various types of physical activities, all three psychological needs are met: The need for relatedness and community support is achieved through active participation amongst teammates and competing with like-minded others.

Finally, the need for competence is achieved by building new skills and becoming proficient in the activity through practice. When you choose a fun activity for your exercise you usually get support from others, a sense of autonomy from mastering the challenges, and competence from building new skills.

Researchers have also found looking at your exercise as a fun activity helps control both how much AND how healthy you eat! Bottom line? Use whatever it takes to get started, but then try to make weight loss and the associated physical activity fun.

Then it becomes much easier to adopt it as a permanent way of life, and suddenly maintaining a healthy weight becomes less of a challenge. There are two major categories of weight loss motivation — extrinsic vs.

intrinsic, or motivation from without vs. motivation from within. Motivation from outside yourself can give you a big boost to kick your weight loss routine into gear, but in and of itself it rarely carries you to the goal or helps maintain weight loss after you reach a goal.

See here please for more practical tips and tricks to lose weight and stop overeating. Cheskin, Lawrence J. Durayappah-Harrison, Adoree. Georgiadis, Manolis M, et al. Keenan, Patricia S. Meyer, Andrea H. Ryan, Richard M. Silva, Marlene N.

Teixeira, Pedro J. Teixeira, Pedro J, et al. Werle, Carolina O. The Framing of Physical Activity Biases Subsequent Snacking. Williams, Geoffrey C. Wu, T.

Klapow, Ph. Most people see a drop in motivation as a signal of failure, but it's not," he says. If you notice that your weight-loss motivation is waning, give yourself a break for one to three days, says Klapow. Power through an "off" day and keep seeing results with these expert tips for staying motivated through weight loss.

Set a reasonable goal: Count on losing just 10 percent of your weight within six months, and focus on keeping it off for more than a year. But be careful about relying solely on figures. Instead, focus on behaviors you wish to change: to reduce your daily fat intake to below 35 percent, or to cut out your afternoon soda or vending-machine snack.

Also, consider setting non-weight-related goals, such as entering a 5K race. The pounds you'll automatically lose in the process will seem like a bonus — and may even act as a little weight-loss encouragement.

Create your own plan so it will fit into the way you live. In theory, you need to cut out only calories a day to lose 15 pounds in a year, so start small to have a better chance at maintaining your weight loss motivation.

Stettner, Ph. Think about the foods you can — and can't — live without, then try to build your plan around them. If you're a born snacker, divide your daily calories into six or seven mini meals so you always feel like you're having a nibble. Whatever you do, don't give up your favorite foods.

You'll inevitably feel deprived, which will only make your cravings stronger — and your willpower weaker. Any successful venture requires a plan that describes its mission and specifics on how to achieve it — without one, you have no idea where you're starting, where you're going, or how you'll get there, says Jenn Walters, a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Fit Bottomed Girls.

Start by listing all the reasons you can think of for slimming down — in other words, define your weight-loss motivation on paper. Once you've determined exactly what you want to achieve and your deadline, work backward to create a monthly plan of action with realistic and specific goals for losing weight such as committing to healthy snacking.

If you're struggling to stick with your weight-loss motivation, practice integrity in other areas of your life, suggests Andre Farnell , a certified strength and conditioning coach and owner of Better Body Expert.

Pay off your debts, make good on your promises to friends, family, or co-workers, and take Marie Kondo's advice and clean out your closet ,. Practice sticking with promises or commitments you've made in other areas of your life in order to strengthen your own subconscious belief that you are able to uphold the promise to lose weight that you've made to yourself, says Farnell.

Pinning and posting pictures of super models may seem like good weight-loss motivation, but according to research, it's more likely to hurt your progress.

Scientists in the Netherlands divided women who wanted to lose weight into two groups: the first group was given a food journal with photos of thin models on the cover and interior pages, and the second group was given a journal with a neutral logo image on the front.

While the neutral group lost weight, those given the journals sprinkled with supermodel images gained weight. Instead of comparing yourself to unrealistic fashion models, stay inspired by posting images of you at your healthiest for a serious dose of weight-loss inspiration.

Too often we get frustrated by focusing on a specific number on the scale, or even a task we must do to reach our goal such as working out , which is a pretty quick way to zap your zest, says Simon Rego, Ph.

Concentrate on your mood after you've eaten a healthy meal or how you feel after a great workout — weight-loss motivation doesn't always have to come before an activity, says Rego.

Instead of waiting until you've reached the big finish line to reward yourself for weight loss, focus on small goals and give yourself rewards along the way.

It can be something simple like taking yourself for a pedicure once you've reached your first goal. At the halfway point, plan something amazing such as a day at the spa, suggests Susan Bartell, Psy. You'll be less likely to throw in the towel when things get tough if you have interim rewards in place.

Putting a special piece of your wardrobe on display is a great daily weight-loss inspiration. Pick something you'll look forward to wearing and hang it close to your mirror. Since it's an item you already own or plan to wear, it's much less likely to be an unrealistic goal when compared to say, that photo of Gisele Bündchen and will help spike your motivation to keep hitting the gym.

When it comes to losing weight, partnering up with a friend or a team can help you stay motivated. According to a study published in the journal Obesity , the social influence of team-based weight-loss competitions can help you lose up to 20 percent more weight than you would if you did it alone.

Even more interesting is that team captains shed more weight than team members, which the researchers explain is likely due to their position and involvement in the group competition.

According to the Mayo Clinic , having a friend who will take a walk or cook healthy meals with you can make it easier stay accountable and achieve your goals. Take it one step further by getting your family involved — play tag with the kids and hit the gym with your partner on weekends.

If you're really going to stay motivated to lose weight, the first thing you need to do is determine what actually motivates you, says Anne Dranitsaris, Ph. For example, if you're inspired by your family, focus on how exercising will help you remain active in your children's lives well into your old age, she says.

If you can redirect that healthy weight-loss motivation into a new action, your goal will automatically seem more compelling and achievable. Consider turning to a dietitian or nutritionist for expert guidance on determining the right balance of healthy foods that are right for you.

If your struggle to get motivated is triggering feelings of depression, anxiety, or insecurity, you may want to contact a therapist for help. The scale can be a helpful tool for measuring your progress, but many people get in the habit of weighing themselves too often.

Instead, Nichols recommends stepping on the scale once a week — or even every two weeks — to better track your progress. And in the meantime, paying attention to non-scale victories which can provide some serious inspiration.

You know what they say: A picture is worth a thousand words.