How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight During a Crisis

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When suddenly your world gets turned upside down, it can be difficult to find the strength and motivation to stick with your bariatric journey. Believe me, I know what it’s like to suddenly have your world flipped upside down and not know what to do or where to turn. But, I also learned that giving up isn’t an option. Rather, I used that time to get focused on my goals, create stability in my life and begin creating a life I loved. I learned how not only to continue with my bariatric journey but also how to help others and create a much-needed routine. When life is chaotic and uncertain, creating stability in your life will help you stay motivated to lose weight with bariatric surgery.

Life Isn’t a Fairytale

Choosing to have bariatric surgery isn’t easy. Completing all of your weight loss surgery requirements isn’t easy either. Even when things in life are going pretty well, it’s still not easy to get through the bariatric journey. However, when your whole world gets turned upside down, and you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, it gets even harder. Life isn’t a fairytale. We can’t predict the bad things that are going to happen, but you can be certain that they will happen from time to time.

Many people have experienced this firsthand when COVID-19 swept the world. Suddenly, people couldn’t go to their jobs, sports and events were canceled, schools closed, and everyone was afraid of getting sick. It’s like everything you knew about life was flipped upside down, and many people struggled with how to cope with it.

What you need to know is that life is going to happen. They call it Murphy’s Law – Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Dave Ramsey frequently says that you need to start with a baby emergency fund of $1,000 because you never know when Murphy is going to move in and take up residence. Now, that can be in the form of a car breakdown, a global pandemic, an unexpected house repair, a divorce, a lawsuit or any number of bad things. It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, but when and what’s going to happen. What you need to learn during these times is to adjust and never give up.

When Murphy Moved In

As many people dealt with the global pandemic of COVID-19 and having their entire lives turned upside down, not much changed for me. My full-time job at a hospital was considered essential, so I still worked my day job. I still worked on my business in the evenings and continued my workouts. I now did them at home instead of the gym, but I continued with my normal routines. The only major turn in my world was the inability to see my boyfriend on the weekend, and the increased risk of me catching COVID-19 at my job.

Yet, I couldn’t figure out why everyone who suddenly found themselves at home was complaining. Heck, I’d love time off from my job to catch up with my family, work on my business and get some quiet time to myself. When suddenly, it hit me. These people had Murphy move in and didn’t know how to cope.

A Personal Pandemic

You see, in 2018, Murphy moved into my life and settled in quite comfortably, and I didn’t know how to cope. My year started with diagnoses of exercise-induced asthma, polycystic ovarian syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea and metabolic disease in January and February. Then, in March, my then-husband confessed to his immoral and illegal activities. I decided to leave him because of these actions. In April, I moved out of our apartment and back home with my parents for some stability in my life. During May, I filed for divorce and started dealing with the financial mess I found myself in. In June, I had my bariatric surgery.

Things calmed down for a little bit, but then in October, I found out I was going to be permanently laid-off from my full-time warehouse job by the end of the year. Our warehouse would be closing. I dealt with the stress of completing the remainder of the work while also job searching and interviewing for new jobs. All the while still dealing with the emotional effects of a divorce, move, weight loss and medical conditions.

How to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight

So when a global pandemic hit the world and everyone started freaking out, I was able to mostly keep my cool because I have already been through a personal pandemic. Lucky for you, I’m ready to provide you with the tips you need to survive and come out on top. My personal pandemic in 2018 taught me a lot about life, but also how to stay motivated to lose weight during a time of crisis. Now, I am so honored and excited to share these tips with you. These are the same things I did during my 2018 personal pandemic to continue to lose weight and stay motivated in my bariatric journey.

1. It’s OK to Grieve

When you find your life isn’t what it used to be, know that it’s OK to grieve. It’s OK to feel hurt and cry. Your life isn’t the same, and in a way, your old life is dead. You are suddenly forced to live a new life that you didn’t necessarily choose. It’s normal to feel upset. It’s normal to not know what to do. I want to permit you to cry. Sit in the bathroom and lock the door if you have to do it, but know that it’s OK. Allow yourself to feel whatever it is your feeling about the situation you are in.

When Murphy moves in, it’s never pleasant. Being kind to yourself and allowing yourself to grieve what happened will give you the resolve to figure out what to do next in your life. Grieve as often as you need to during this journey. Let it out. Bottling it up will only cause damage later. Having a good cry and grieving your old life will allow you to find the strength you need to continue on your bariatric journey.

2. Remember Your Why

The next thing you should do to stay motivated to lose weight during a crisis is to remember your why. Why did you want to lose weight and pursue bariatric surgery in the first place? I want you to write it down. Make it a piece of art and hang it in your home. Why is losing weight so important to you? Remember the health benefits of losing weight, how you want to be there to see your kids grow up, how you want to be able to play with them and not be tired. Write down as many reasons why you want bariatric surgery to work and read them every single day. It will help you stay motivated to lose weight during this time.

3. Forgive Yourself

When Murphy moves into your world, it’s easy to get off track. Perhaps you eat something you shouldn’t, or you skip a workout. The best thing you can do for yourself during this time is to be forgiving. Don’t beat yourself up for eating a piece of cake or watching Netflix instead of doing a workout. You are going through a trying time right now, and beating yourself up for not being perfect isn’t going to accomplish anything. It’s just going to make things worse for you mentally. Instead, forgive yourself. Recognize that you could have done better and resolve to do better next time. One bad day doesn’t mean you give up entirely. Instead, start again with your next meal or workout. You can do this. Focus on what you can control, and not what you can’t control.

4. Surround Yourself with Positivity

One of the best things I did for myself during my life pandemic of 2018 was surrounded myself by only positive sayings and people. For anyone who was giving me a hard time about bariatric surgery, I simply stopped talking to them. I had enough negativity going on in my life, that I didn’t need any more naysayers. I hung motivating quotes on my wall so I could read them every day. Every morning, I listed to a playlist filled with motivating songs. My playlist included:

• Katy Perry – Roar
• Rachel Platten – Fight Song
• Carrie Underwood ft. Ludacris – The Champion
• Jack’s Mannequin – Swim
• Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
• Eminem – Lose Yourself

These songs eventually became the words that echoed in my head throughout the day. When I felt weak, I’d remind myself that I am a champion. I thought about the people trying to hold me down, I remember that I’ll get up, and I’ve had enough. When I thought about giving up, I’d remind myself that I only get one chance at life, and I’m going to make it count. Keeping myself surrounded by positive quotes helped keep me motivated to lose weight with bariatric surgery.

5. Keep a List of Your Victories

When you are feeling low on motivation, it’s also a good idea to look back on what you’ve accomplished. To stay motivated to lose weight, write down all the victories you have. Remember all the weight you’ve lost so far, the jeans that you can now fit into, being able to sit more comfortably in your car, needing fewer medications to control your obesity-related medical conditions. Keep a list of these victories in your life and review them often. This list will keep you motivated to lose weight because you’ll want to keep adding items to it.

6. Exercise

Keeping an exercise routine when your world is turned upside down is so important. You need to create stability in your life when your world is chaotic and keeping an exercise routine is one way to do that. Don’t pressure yourself to do too much, but rather, keep it easy and consistent. You are aiming for consistency in all of your habits during a time of crisis. Exercise is going to help you ease your frustrations and negative energy. It’s going to release endorphins to help you feel better. You’ll stay motivated to lose weight during a crisis by exercising regularly and enjoying the physical and mental benefits it provides.

7. Create Routines

When life is uncontrollable and everything seems to be happening to you, the best thing you can do is focus on what you can control. Creating routines in your life is going to help you feel in control. If you suddenly find yourself home with your kids all day, create a schedule of learning, playing, and spending time together. Develop a routine to get what needs to be accomplished done every day, but also allowing yourself some time to relax. You’ll soon develop a new normal and will learn to better manage the ever-changing world by sticking to your routines. Having consistent routines in regards to my food, exercise and sleep patterns has made an enormous difference in my life, business and weight loss. Be flexible, but stick to a routine to help you feel in control of your life.

8. Reward Yourself

Through all of this crisis, don’t forget to reward yourself. You are holding it together when the whole world is falling apart. Treat yourself to an at-home spa day. Buy a new book on Amazon. Spend time playing games with your family. Watch that movie you’ve been wanting to see on Netflix. Do whatever you want to do to reward yourself at this time with non-food rewards. To stay motivated to lose weight, you need to regularly treat yourself with some motivating rewards for your efforts. Maybe every time you lose 10 pounds, you get to buy a new outfit. Or if you workout four days this week, you get to dress up and do an at-home photo shoot. Do whatever it is that feels good to you for all the time and energy you’re putting in to lose weight.

9. Take Progress Pictures

Taking progress pictures during your weight loss journey is one of the best ways to stay motivated. Whenever you’re feeling down, you need to remember how far you have come. Take pictures of your front, side and back to watch the transformation of your body. Let me tell you how excited I was to take my monthly progress photos when I started my journey. I could see huge differences in my body in just a few weeks. These pictures kept me motivated to keep going because I couldn’t wait to see how my body changed. Taking pictures regularly establishes a routine you so desperately need and keeps you motivated to lose weight.

Staying Motivated During a Crisis

Even when life happens and the future is uncertain, you can stay motivated to lose weight with bariatric surgery. You will come out of this situation stronger and better than before. You’ll have the skills necessary to fight the big challenges before you and have confidence that you can conquer it. Follow the tips I’ve outlined in this post, and you can continue to stay motivated to lose weight even when everything else is uncertain. When life is chaotic and you’re not sure what’s going to happen next, creating stability in your life with these nine tips will help you stay motivated to lose weight.

If this article gave you some great ideas to incorporate into your life, just imagine what other amazing strategies I have for you! Share this post on social media by clicking one of the sharing buttons, and don’t forget to join my email list! You’ll be the first to get updates, access to my new products and lots of tips, inspiration and motivation to help in your bariatric surgery journey. Just for joining, I’ll send you a free Bariatric Beginner’s Guide to get you started, as well as some other pretty awesome goodies to keep you motivated. Join today!

In Summary

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