Make Sure You Do This One Thing Before You Begin Your Weight Loss Journey
Reviewed By Danielle Glesne, RDN, LD, CDCESBefore you change your nutrition, download a food-tracking app, join a gym, or start searching for the "best" weight-loss program, there's something more important you should do…
Figure out your why.
Losing weight isn't usually difficult because people don't know what to do. We have more nutrition and fitness information available to us than ever before.
The difficult part is doing the things required to lose weight consistently, especially when you're tired, busy, frustrated, traveling, celebrating, stressed, or simply not motivated.
That's why your reason for starting matters so much.
Ask Yourself: Why Do I Want to Lose Weight?
Don't settle for:
"Because I should."
Or:
"Because I don't like how I look."
Or even:
"Because my doctor told me to."
Those may be part of your motivation, but they're worth digging into.
Ask yourself:
What would losing weight allow me to do, experience, or become?
Maybe you want to feel more confident.
Maybe you want to keep up with your kids.
Maybe you want to play with your grandchildren someday.
Maybe you want to improve your health.
Maybe you want to feel better in your clothes.
Maybe you want to become stronger.
Maybe you want to be able to travel without feeling limited by your body.
Maybe you're tired of feeling tired.
Whatever your reason is, get specific.
Your "Why" Needs to Be Bigger Than Your "What"
Losing weight requires a series of actions.
You may need to eat fewer calories.
You may need to change your portions.
You may need to eat more protein and fiber.
You may need to strength train consistently.
You may need to increase your daily steps.
You may need to plan your meals.
You may need to say no sometimes.
You may need to make different choices when everyone around you is making different choices.
That's the what.
And sometimes the what is hard.
That's why this principle matters:
If your "why" is bigger than the "what" it takes to accomplish it, your "why" will get you through the "what."
When the reason you want something is compelling enough, you're more willing to tolerate the temporary discomfort required to achieve it.
The “Best” Reasons to Lose Weight
There isn't one universally correct reason to lose weight.
Your motivation is personal.
But some of the most meaningful reasons include:
1. Improve Your Health
Excess body fat can be associated with increased risk for a number of chronic health conditions.
For some people, losing weight can be part of improving blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, physical function, and overall health.
Wanting to become healthier is a legitimate reason to pursue weight loss.
2. Have More Energy
Maybe you're tired of feeling exhausted after ordinary activities.
You want more energy to work, exercise, play, travel, take care of your family, or simply enjoy your day.
Wanting to feel better in your own body is a perfectly reasonable goal.
3. Keep Up With Your Kids
Maybe your children are getting older and more active.
You want to run around with them.
Ride bikes.
Play sports.
Go hiking.
Get on the floor and play.
Or simply have the energy to participate instead of watching from the sidelines.
That can be a powerful why.
4. Be There for Your Family
Weight loss isn't necessarily about living longer just for the sake of living longer.
It can be about having more healthy years with the people you love.
You may want to be present for your children's milestones, walk your daughter down the aisle, meet your grandchildren, or grow old alongside your spouse.
Sometimes your why isn't about you alone.
5. Improve Your Physical Capabilities
Maybe your goal isn't simply a number on the scale.
Maybe you want to hike a mountain.
Run a 5K.
Play recreational sports.
Lift heavier weights.
Travel more comfortably.
Or simply move without feeling limited.
Weight loss can be one component of improving physical capability.
6. Feel More Confident
There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to feel better about your appearance.
You might want to feel more comfortable in your clothes, take family photos without avoiding the camera, or simply feel more confident when you look in the mirror.
Wanting to change your appearance doesn't make you vain.
You are allowed to have aesthetic goals.
7. Improve Your Relationship With Food
For some people, the goal isn't simply losing weight.
It's becoming more intentional about eating.
Learning to recognize hunger and fullness.
Eating more nutritious foods.
Breaking the cycle of overeating and restriction.
Developing habits that feel sustainable rather than constantly jumping from one diet to another.
Weight loss can sometimes be the outcome of building a healthier relationship with food.
8. Become a Better Example for Your Children
Your children are watching what you do.
That doesn't mean you need to pursue weight loss because you think you need to look a certain way for them.
But you may want to model behaviors like eating nutritious foods, exercising, taking care of yourself, and following through on commitments.
Your children learn a lot from what you consistently demonstrate.
9. Regain Confidence in Your Ability to Keep a Promise to Yourself
This one is underrated.
Maybe you've tried to lose weight before.
Maybe you've started and stopped more times than you can count.
Your goal may be bigger than losing 20 or 30 pounds.
It may be proving to yourself that you can make a commitment to yourself and follow through.
That can be incredibly powerful.
10. Live More of the Life You Want
Perhaps the most powerful why is simply this:
You want your body to be an asset rather than an obstacle to the life you want to live.
You want to travel.
You want to hike.
You want to play.
You want to participate.
You want to feel good.
You want to have the physical capacity to say yes to more opportunities.
Weight loss doesn't guarantee happiness or fulfillment.
But improving your health and physical capabilities can remove barriers that may otherwise keep you from doing things you value.
Your Why Doesn't Have to Be Perfect
You may have several reasons.
That's okay.
Maybe you want to lose weight because you want to improve your health and because you want to feel better in your clothes.
Maybe you want to be there for your kids and become more confident.
Maybe you want to lower your blood pressure and finally feel comfortable hiking with your friends.
You don't need to justify your why to anyone else.
It just needs to matter to you.
Write It Down
Don't keep your why in your head.
Write it down.
Put it somewhere you'll see it.
Your phone.
Your bathroom mirror.
Your journal.
Your refrigerator.
Then make it specific.
Instead of:
"I want to lose weight."
Try:
"I want to lose 30 pounds so I can have the energy to hike with my family, feel better physically, and reduce my risk of future health problems."
Now you have something meaningful to work toward.
And when motivation disappears—as it inevitably will—you can remind yourself why you started.
Your Why Won't Make the Journey Easy
It's important to be realistic.
Finding your why doesn't eliminate hunger.
It doesn't make meal preparation fun every night.
It doesn't make exercise effortless.
It doesn't prevent vacations, holidays, stressful days, restaurant meals, or setbacks.
Your why isn't supposed to make the journey easy.
It's supposed to make the difficulty worth it.
That's the difference.
The Bottom Line
Before you start your weight-loss journey, don't just decide what you're going to do.
Decide why you're willing to do it.
Because when the process becomes frustrating, mundane, inconvenient, or difficult, your motivation can't simply be "I want to lose weight."
It needs to be something deeper.
If your "why" is bigger than the "what" it takes to accomplish it, your "why" will get you through the "what."
Find your why.
Write it down.
And when the journey gets hard, remember what you're working toward—not just what you're being asked to give up.
If you’d like personalized guidance on what this means for you and your family, don’t hesitate to CONTACT US.
We’re here to help.
