Starting a new diet such as the keto diet is an exciting time. Finally deciding to lose weight and get healthy is a big step, and even though it may seem overwhelming at times, it’s crucial to implement ways not to give up. Of course, support from family and friends is essential, but don’t solely rely on people to get you through the process. Strength to stay on the keto diet (a low carb, high fat diet) must come from within. The Body Reboot book outlines what the keto diet is all about and why this diet, in particular, may make losing weight more attainable. One example is that eating fat as opposed to sugar creates a satiating effect, making it easier to lose weight. Here are some ways to stay motivated to lose weight and follow through with goals.

Figure Out Why You Want to Lose Weight

If you’ve ever heard someone talk about how a person can’t lose weight unless they want to, that’s actually a very valid statement. The reason why is because friends and family can tell a person over and over again they need to lose weight because their health depends on it, but until they make the decision to take control of their health it’s a mute point. Healthline offers valid suggestions about weight loss and how to follow through with goals.

Clearly define all the reasons you want to lose weight and write them down. This will help you stay committed and motivated to reach your weight loss goals.

Try to read through them daily and use them as a reminder when tempted to stray from your weight loss plans.

Your reasons could include preventing diabetes, keeping up with grandchildren, looking your best for an event, improving your self-confidence or fitting into a certain pair of jeans.

Many people start losing weight because their doctor suggested it, but research shows that people are more successful if their weight loss motivation comes from within.

Start a Food Journal

Women’s Health provides a clever way to stay on target to lose weight while on the keto diet, and it has everything to do with a food journal. You can use the journal to write down the carb amount of some of your favorite foods or to keep track of how you’re feeling and what you can improve. Use it to motivate yourself and set goals and remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place.

Creating a game plan can be overwhelming, especially if you have no idea where you're starting. Enter, food journaling. Tracking your intake can make you feel more in control of your eating habits, and in turn, motivated to make small changes to your current diet. “Because you're making small modifications to your current behaviors, as opposed to trying to adhere to a new diet altogether, many find it more sustainable, as well as educational,” says San Diego-based culinary dietitian Nancy Snyder, R.D. In time, you'll have proof of the legit progress you're making, which can help you stay motivated over the long haul.

Just make sure you approach the process with an opportunistic mindset for setting goals, not as a forced recalling of “good” and “bad” behavior, says Snyder. That will make you lose sight of the big picture.

Make Exercise Fun

Independent provides a great idea to make exercise fun. That means it shouldn’t be a chore. Whether you’ve been meaning to try a yoga class or go on more hikes, make exercise something you can enjoy as opposed to dread. Exercise will help you get into ketosis more quickly, which is what you need when transitioning from burning glucose to ketones, or fat.

Jared Haas, a geographic information systems coordinator, believes finding an exercise that's fun matters most, because you'll be more likely to incorporate it into your weekly routine.

“If you hate running, don’t run. It doesn’t matter that running has been proven to aid in weight loss,” Haas writes. “If you hate it that much, you’re not going to stick with it. If you’re not going to stick with it, it’s not going to yield permanent results.”

Moreover, working out with friends or in a group can be motivational, making exercise less of a chore and more of an enjoyable pastime after work or between errands.

Set Process Goals

When beginning the keto diet, it’s important to set goals. Your goals should be attainable but still stretch yourself to go beyond. Goals can be simple or more defined; figure out a system that works for you and stick with it, as Healthline suggests.

Many people trying to lose weight only set outcome goals, or goals they want to accomplish at the end.

Typically, an outcome goal will be your final target weight.

However, focusing only on outcome goals can derail your motivation. They can often feel too distant and leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Instead, you should set process goals, or what actions you're going to take to reach your desired outcome. An example of a process goal is exercising four times a week.

A study in 126 overweight women participating in a weight loss program found those who were process focused were more likely to lose weight and less likely to deviate from their diets, compared to those who focused on weight loss outcomes alone.

Consider setting SMART goals to set strong goals. SMART stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-based

Implement Willpower But Also be Realistic

Staying dedicated to your diet is one thing, but Comfort Pit reminds us that it’s also essential to implement other ways to remain dedicated to your diet. Check out one of the author’s examples below that’s a fantastic idea on how to pave the way to weight loss success.

Although some willpower is essential for any diet or fitness regime, it should not be the sole motivator.

In order to truly get the most out of your weight loss efforts, you should try and jump over the whole need for willpower.

For example, if all your loved ones were going to get killed if you didn’t lose weight, I’m guessing you wouldn’t need any willpower…

…Now, that’s an extreme example but there are other ways of bypassing our reliance on willpower.

Here’s my favourite:

Make a public commitment
There is a growing body of evidence showing that people who make a public commitment (tell their friends and family) are much more likely to follow through with their goals.

Keep Track of Your Progress

Another way to stay excited about your weight loss journey is by keeping track of your progress. As you journal how far you’ve come you’ll stay more motivated to press on until you reach your goals. Total Wellbeing Diet explains:

When it comes to weight loss success stories, everyone loves the before and after shots. You can clearly see where that person started, and what they look like now they’ve reached their goal. But do you think it would be as satisfactory to see progress shots each and every day?

When you’re losing weight, it can be tempting to step on the scales every day. You want some validation that what you’re doing is indeed, working. This can be the worst thing you can do, though. Instead of measuring the ups and downs of daily weigh-ins, give yourself time to see some actual progress. Weigh in weekly and see how far you’ve come.

Say Goodbye to Sugary Drinks

The keto diet means cutting out sugar, and that includes sugary drinks. Luckily there are sweeteners and other ways to enjoy your drinks like green tea. And remember, even though Fox News mentions it’s vital to cut out sugar doesn’t mean you can’t come up with ways to enjoy something sweet, such as the occasional keto-friendly dark chocolate or keto dessert.

Stop drinking liquid calories in general. This is a huge area for cutting calories. Liquid calories usually come from added sugars that we simply do not need in our diets. Researchers have found that people who drink more sugary drinks actually have a higher risk of belly fat, weight gain, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and gout.

Instead of soda or even fruit juice, sick still or sparkling water. Unsweetened black, green, white or oolong teas are also great choices.

Forgive Yourself and Let Go

It’s important to forgive yourself, especially if you end up “cheating” or don’t reach all of your keto diet goals. Total Wellbeing Diet blog says to remember to take one day at a time, and as we mentioned above, be realistic about your goals. It may take some time to lose weight and that’s okay. Stay on course and everything should fall into place.

Weight loss is a journey. Corny, but true. You can’t expect that journey to always be a smooth one. There will be bumps along the way, where sometimes you feel like you are going backwards instead of forwards.

When it comes time for your weekly weigh-in and you don’t lose as much as you’d hoped for, don’t beat yourself up about it. Think about what you can do differently next week. Take it on as a challenge instead of a failure. Similarly, if you lapse in your diet or exercise regime, that doesn’t mean the whole week is a write-off. Don’t use it as an excuse to chuck in the towel. Forgive yourself – and move on.

At the time of writing this post, we're currently giving away free copies of the Body Reboot book because it's our mission to increase awareness and to help people lose weight and get healthy! If you help us cover the cost of shipping, we’ll send a copy to your door FREE. Go over to this page to see if there are any copies left.

Sources: Healthline, Women’s Health, Fox News, The Independent, Comfort Pit, Total Wellbeing Diet