Visualizing Your Goals

When trying to lose weight, having the right motivations is important, but it’s equally important to be reminded of those motivations throughout the process. Losing weight is hard and it can be easy to forget what got you started. Creating some sort of visual reminder is a great way to stay motivated and focus on your goals.

           

One thing I like to do is to cover my mirror with post-it notes. I wrote down things I wanted to accomplish with my weight loss on post-it notes and then covered my bedroom mirror with them. One of my notes says, “To look AWESOME in my bridesmaids dress!” Another one says, “To not get winded when walking up stairs.” I also wrote down things that I need to remember; things like, “The food will always be there. You don’t HAVE to eat it today!” or “If you eat it, TRACK IT!” I see those notes every morning when I get dressed and every night before I go to bed.  I know it sounds cheesy, but those notes have kept me focused and motivated.

Think about what you want to accomplish with your weight loss. Do you want to run a 5k? Play with your kids without getting tired? Maybe you want that little black dress to fit again? Whatever it is that you’d like to see happen, write it down! I promise, when you’re having a hard time, seeing those visual reminders will give you the boost you need.

           

Another visual reminder that has really kept me motivated is my weight loss jars. I saw a friend of mine make these and I also saw the idea on Pinterest. Here’s how it works: take two jars or vases and label them with stickers. One jar will be your “Pounds To Lose” jar and the other will be your “Pounds Lost” jar. Fill the “Pounds To Lose” jar with glass rocks. Each rock represents one pound, so fill the jar with the number of pounds you’d like to lose. As you lose weight, move the rocks to the “Pounds Lost” jar.

           

When I made my jars, I actually couldn’t find jars or vases that were the right size. They were all too big. I wanted to see a full jar of rocks become empty, and seeing a huge vase only half full just wasn’t as inspiring. I finally did find plastic tumblers from Target. They were the perfect size and pretty cheap. I found stickers in a fun font from Michael’s. Since the tumblers I bought were small, I couldn’t fit the words “Pounds To Lose” or “Pounds Lost” on them, so I shortened it to “To Lose” and “Lost.” I absolutely love my weight loss jars and I love seeing the “Lost” jar fill up as the “To Lose” jar becomes emptier.

Here’s a picture of my weight loss jars right after I made them (I had already lost 16 lbs when I made them):

Here’s a picture of my jars now:

I told you, seeing that progress is so satisfying!