Losing weight can definitely be a challenging and frustrating journey filled with many highs and lows. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’ve gained weight or don’t see any changes as soon as you’d like to see them; and that makes you abandon your fitness goals and go back to your old habits and lifestyle.

There are many different factors that can affect your weight loss journey and they can make losing weight difficult and discouraging for some people.

So in this post, I’m sharing practical tips on how to not get discouraged when you’re not getting the results you want from your diet and exercise.

How To Not Get Discouraged When Losing Weight

Remember your ‘why’

One of the best ways to not get discouraged when losing weight is your ‘why’. Remember why you started your weight loss program and journey - whether that’s a health reason, just physical appearance, whatever it is. Your main reasoning will help you pick yourself up when you start feeling discouraged, and it will help you keep going when you want to quit. No matter what weight loss goals you have or what your weight loss program looks like, the reason why you started will always be your motivation.

Set realistic goals

One of the best ways not to get discouraged is to not set yourself up for failure from the start.

If you set crazy, unrealistic goals, you probably won’t reach them and nor should you because losing crazy amounts of weight in a short period of time is never healthy (so you’re literally setting goals you can’t reach in a healthy way). So, set realistic goals, the ones you CAN reach in a healthy way.

Celebrate small wins

Celebrating small wins will definitely help you not get discouraged when you’re not losing as much weight as you’d like. For example, if your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight in a year, that goal will obviously not come quickly.

But since losing weight is a long process, you might get discouraged because you think you’re not making enough progress.

However, every small win is a win. Celebrate every pound, every half of a pound, every number of calories you burn through physical activity every day, and every day that you eat healthy or work out. It all counts, it all adds up, and it will all pay off at the end. So celebrate your small wins, and you’ll stay motivated.

Avoid comparisons

Another huge reason people get discouraged is comparing themselves with others and with other people’s journeys.

Other people are not you. Your body is not their body (even if you think you have similar body types).

For some people, success will come slower. For some, it will come faster. Some people will reach their goals without having to sacrifice much, and some people will really have to work hard to get there.

Not everyone will not get the same results at the same time because everyone’s body is different, and it’s just how it is.

If your friend and you have the same current weight and same weight goal, and they’re starting to see results faster than you, so what? You’ll still get the results, it doesn’t matter when your friend is getting them.

Their body is maybe burning more calories naturally which means they’re burning body fat faster, maybe they have a faster metabolism, maybe they can handle strength training easier than you if they worked out before, there can be so many factors you can’t change beyond just diet and exercise.

Just stick to your weight loss plan, stick to healthy eating, stick to working out, stick to drinking lots of water, and you will see results. Maybe slower than your friend, but you will see them, and that’s what matters.

The only journey that matters is your own, no one else’s.

There are many things you can’t change, so if your body functions a bit differently than theirs, there’s no point in comparing since it can’t be compared.

Change your routine

If you have gained weight and a routine isn’t working for you, try different routines. Try different types of physical activity or different types of meal plans. A change in routine with your diet and exercise might get you better results, which will help you stay motivated.

Numbers aren’t everything

We tend to focus on numbers all the time (from the number of calories you burn through physical activity to the numbers on the scale), but numbers aren’t everything. How you feel, how happy you are, how your health has improved - that’s more important than numbers. You can also start looking better as well, without noticing big changes on the scale. If you’re burning fat and gaining muscle mass your scale might not change, but your body will definitely change for the better.

So, stop stressing about the numbers all the time. Yes, it’s nice when you lose 5 pounds if you’ve been trying to, but even other changes are big wins.

Track your food

A way to stay on track with your weight loss goals is to track what food you eat. That way, if you change your diet, you can see what works better for you and what doesn’t.

Set small weekly/monthly goals

Set small weekly or monthly goals that aren’t just related to numbers on the scale. For example, set a goal to eat healthy 5 days a week at first. Set a goal to go to the gym 3 times per week for one whole month. Set a goal to start eating salads with every meal. Set a goal to drink more water. Set a goal to eat more fruits and vegetables in a week. Set a goal to make at least one healthy choice per day (different from the ones you already make daily). All of those small goals will help you reach your big goal, and you’ll feel much more motivated when you reach each of these small ones.

Get a weight loss buddy

Getting a weight loss buddy can help you stay on track, and it can also help you talk to them if you’re struggling. Chances are, they are too, and you can share experiences. Knowing you’re not in it alone can make it much less discouraging.

Know it’s a long game

Losing weight in a healthy way is definitely a long game. Especially since the goal should be to develop long-term healthy habits. So, don’t stress if you’re not seeing results instantly. In a year from now, you’ll be so glad you started, and you’ll be so glad you didn’t give up when you felt like giving up.

That’s one of the things that can keep you from getting discouraged - know that your future self will thank you for starting and sticking to it.

The results are coming.

In the process, there might even be some times that you’ve gained weight. Don’t give up or freak out when that happens. Just keep going. Losing weight is all about the number of calories you burn through physical activity. Maybe change your weight loss plan if you think you should, and you’ll get there.