Tip to visualise your weight loss

[Sandra Piddock]

When you have a large amount of weight to lose, it's going to take a long time, and you will get frustrated and demoralised along the way. One way to energise your weight loss campaign is to have a visible reminder of just how much weight you've lost.

When I lost over 50lbs some years ago, I bought bags of non-perishable foods such as flour, pasta, rice, sugar and oatmeal to equal the weight I was losing. At the end of each month, I'd calculate my weight loss and buy the goods. I kept the stash in a separate cupboard, and every time I got demoralised or needed motivation, I looked at the pile of bags and reminded myself that I used to carry that around with me all day, every day. It always served to get me back on track again, and it's a simple motivational tool which costs very little, as once you reach goal weight you can eat the evidence!

[UmiNoor]

I once watched an episode of Oprah where Oprah brought in to the studio meat equivalent to the weight lost by an audience and you can see how much weight the woman had been carrying around her before she lost it. It's a good visual motivator to remind you to not put on the weight you've lost. Great tip, Sandra.

[AnonaMoss]

I agree with this. A great way to visualize weightloss is to surround yourself with the person you want to be. Keep a folder on your desktop with your ideal body. Tape pictures in the closet or even on the fridge. You need to always be aware of your goal so you never forget. Affirmations are also a great idea. Every day say something like " Every single day takes a little of my weight away."

[Sandra Piddock]

I agree with this. A great way to visualize weightloss is to surround yourself with the person you want to be. Keep a folder on your desktop with your ideal body. Tape pictures in the closet or even on the fridge. You need to always be aware of your goal so you never forget. Affirmations are also a great idea. Every day say something like " Every single day takes a little of my weight away."

I'ts a good idea to take pictures as you go, and hold on to the 'Before' pictures, despite the temptation to destroy them all. Keeping your photos in a desktop folder where you can look at them when your morale needs a boost is also a good idea. However, I don't think it would be such a dramatic reminder as a pile of meat on 'Oprah,' or a stash of dry goods in your pantry, although it may be more practical for those who don't have the storage space or the money to build up a 'weight loss stash.'

Here's another fun visualisation tool. Get a big sheet of cardboard, place it on the floor, then lie on it, stretch your arms back over your head and get somebody to draw around the outline of your torso with chalk - just like they do at homicide scenes, except we're not doing the whole body. Go over the outline with permanent marker, then put the cardboard away for three months. Now position yourself inside the outline, and get a new chalk line. If you've stuck to your healthy eating plan, there should be a significant difference. This will only work for people with a lot of weight to lose, but those are the people who need the most motivation.

[SaifAlGad]

"...demoralised along the way."

I found that part kind of funny. Anyway I think some great ways to visualize your weightloss is visualize where you want to be and how you want to look.
I like to keep an imaginary Self Help CD replaying over and over in my mind. I actually get on the treadmill and just get into a weird kind of workout trance, in which nothing
really matters but the road a head. Reading on the treadmill helps somewhat, but only when looking at Magazines. Regular hardback books don't really fit in the book holders that
sit atop of the treadmills.

[Tony222]

Yes, of course keeping an eye on our daily weight loss progress is a good tool to keep ourselves motivated for getting the desired results. We should estimate our daily calories intake and burn out. It will keep us motivated that is main and most important part of the weight loss journey.