Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
Weight loss motivation tips and FREE fitness appsOnce my weight was as high as 230 pounds. I didn’t feel well, and I certainly didn’t have the confidence to be talking to anyone about weight loss and fitness. Since then, I’ve lost more than 45 pounds. I used exercise and healthy eating, of course, but when I started losing weight, I also used free apps and motivational methods. I think that in our modern times we have a great advantage with all the tools, information, and communication we can access and use.
In particular, I like three of them:
Accountability: When I first started, I used an anonymous blog and logged my food, exercise, and thoughts every day. It was a way to help me stay focused and feel a level of accountability. Last year, I very publicly shared my week to week weight loss success with my SavingsAngel fans. Regardless of how you do it, don’t be too stubborn or embarrassed to have someone know about your new goals. If you can tell at least one other person about your goals, your success level will increase exponentially.
Free fitness apps: Available on multiple platforms, some of my favorite free fitness apps are…
Lose It! – Described as being “designed with one goal”, to help “you lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. No magic pills, no crazy diets – just a simple, easy-to-use program that helps you stay in your calorie budget”.
My Fitness Pal – Has a food section where you can see what others are eating, track your daily calories, and get inspiration for healthy choices. It has an exercise section for ideas and to gauge the number of calories burned. It also has numerous apps to help with specific fitness and weight loss goals, such as:
Map My Run or Map My Walk – built-in GPS records your distance and even suggests local routes.
Endomondo Sports Tracker – tracks duration, distance, calories burned, and more.
Sworkit – Circuit Training – guides you through no gym, no equipment workouts in strength training, cardio, yoga, or stretching.
Encouragement: Five things I’ve found to be true, and that have helped me along my personal journey…my weight loss motivation tips:
#1 – To safely and effectively lose weight and get healthy, you need to create a calorie deficit. To do so, find a diet plan you can live with; and some way to move your body that you enjoy and will continue doing long term.
A savings tip on finding what you enjoy for exercise – Try before you buy!
Don't run out and buy a bunch of equipment or programs just to try something for the first time. Instead, take advantage of the free offers most fitness centers and calorie-burning classes are happy to give out. Try various forms of exercise, then decide to buy or not to buy. Same goes for any change in diet. Try a small sampling, to see if you even like it, before buying a bunch of products or an entire cart full of special groceries.
#2 – Don’t feel like you have to do what others are doing – whether for a diet plan and for exercise. What you find fun to do, or are willing to give up, others might not have the least interest in. That’s okay. This is about YOU – not them. Just be sure that any plan you decide to follow is balanced, healthy and safe.
# 3 – Experts recommend a slow and steady approach of about 1-2 pounds lost a week, so don’t get discouraged if your loss isn’t fast. Weight lost fast usually just comes back later anyway. Also, measure yourself on DAY 1 – so you can check inch loss. Sometimes your efforts won’t show up on the scale, but they will show up on the measuring tape.
#4 – Avoid the temptation to weigh yourself every day. When you first start, this is hard. You naturally want to know how you’re doing. But you can actually end up discouraging yourself because weight will fluctuate daily, even while you're losing. What you’ve eaten, fluid retention, hormones, time of day, and more can make it different. Instead, stick to once a week; or, if you really can’t stand it – twice a week.
#5 – Use the first week to 10 days of weight loss as a motivator, never a measuring stick. Almost any diet where you lower your calories or change the way you eat will result in some weight loss within the first week to 10 days. That’s why companies can guarantee you’ll “lose weight within your first week or your money back”. As long as you follow the program, you will lose some weight right away. This can make for an exciting start, but be discouraging later when the weight loss slows down. Just be ready for the change in week 2, and you’ll be in a better frame of mind.
