Written by Mia Davis
Goals are essential, no matter what you are trying to achieve. But when you’re working on losing weight, you get even more benefits from reaching your target. Still, it’s a lengthy process, and you will definitely hit a few bumps on the way. So to keep your spirits up and your motivation strong, you need the satisfaction of small victories.
It makes complete sense if you think about it. Everything we do comes with wins and failings in all shapes and intensities. It’s the same with losing weight; we need to learn to choose our battles and be happy about every little victory, even if it’s not always a piece of good news from the dreaded scale.
It’s just Basic Psychology
Finding reasons to stay positive and ways of encouraging yourself is pretty common sense. It’s also a conclusion psychologists have reached after an in-depth analysis of people’s usual behavior and reactions to everyday events.
According to specialists, minor milestones are essential in ensuring progress and keeping a person’s inner motivation high. Indeed, the article I read was about work milestones, but the principles perfectly apply to the struggle of losing weight. It’s all about effort and reward and reactions to particular outcomes.
This study established that even if we all have different motivations and perceptions, both when it comes to progress and drawbacks, there is always a close connection between progress and our inner life and emotions. And small wins are extremely powerful in boosting our internal motivation.
Ok, sounds good so far. But how exactly does that apply to my diet? What can I do to feel that I’m moving forward even when the scale stubbornly shows the same figures? It turns out, it’s all about looking at the bigger picture and noticing the additional benefits that come with eating healthy and staying active. Not every sign of progress goes on the weight chart.
So here they are, the small victories you may not even notice you are achieving because you’re too preoccupied with numbers.
15 Small Weightloss Victories that Matter More than You Realize
It’s all about moving forward but from a general perspective. Here are the non-scale victories that are already improving your life because you are nailing that healthy lifestyle:
- You are in a brighter mood
As you start making smart decisions and improving the way you eat and exercise, your stress level will slowly decrease, even if you may not be aware of it. You will get annoyed less, start enjoying simple pleasures more and get an overall feeling of well-being.
It’s a nice feeling to realize you are smiling more and not letting yourself get wound up from little things, like before.
2. You are becoming more efficient in your daily routine
Even if you have a crazy schedule, it will get easier to handle as your healthy choices progress. You will be amazed by the small changes once you start noticing them. From going up a set of stairs without losing your breath to gaining better work performance and handling all your errands without consuming all your energy and patience, these are all signs that your endurance is improving.
3. Your energy level is higher
Eating healthy and regularly helps you balance your blood sugar levels throughout the day. As a result, you won’t get those drops in energy at certain moments during the day as you did before. You will feel more energetic and efficient; no more afternoon lethargy, you won’t need countless cups of coffee to stay on top of things.
4. Bye-bye, joints pain!
Once you improve your lifestyle, your joints will feel the positive effects and won’t hurt as much as before. As you lose weight, you ease their pressure; even a few pounds matter. If you’re also moving more and staying active, your joints will be even more grateful, and your mobility will improve.
5. Your body starts to reshape
Your scale may show the same numbers, but you will start to notice small but essential differences in your body. You will look leaner and more defined, and you will slowly begin showing you have muscles after all.
These are subtle changes that may not be obvious to others, but they will matter to you. Seeing your cheekbones starting to show or your waistline and abdomen reshaping will boost your confidence and motivation, even if you still have a long way to go to reach your goal.
6. Memory and concentration are improved
These are additional benefits of making better meal choices, but the results are even more impressive if you also exercise regularly. You will be amazed by the difference you will see in your mental balance and accuracy. You will be more focused, coordinated, and your intellectual performance will be significantly improved.
No more forgetting your lunch on the kitchen counter or struggling to remember what you were supposed to get from the store.
7. You don’t have so many cravings anymore
This is one of the unexpected effects that I noticed myself. Sweets are usually my waist’s biggest enemies, and I expected cravings to be a huge challenge. But once I started to watch what I eat, I was surprised to see I didn’t miss sugar that badly. And when I decided to indulge in a treat, I was more selective and only chose a dessert that was worth cheating on the diet.
On that note, take a look at this as well – Is the Diet Version of Desserts Efficient for Weight Loss?
8. Even achieving a small fitness goal is rewarding
You shouldn’t expect high performance from your exercising, especially when your weight loss journey is only beginning. Still, even the smallest improvement in your physical condition matters. It’s a great feeling to see you handle your workouts better—even something like running for ten minutes without feeling like you’re about to die counts.
9. Improved digestion
Your digestive system will genuinely benefit from the menus you choose for losing weight, especially if you also add a bit of exercise to the mix. Things like constipation, indigestion, or bloating will be less frequent until you eventually get rid of them altogether.
10. Clothes look better on you
This is definitely one of the most satisfying results of your new and improved lifestyle. And it will happen even if the scale seems to disagree. Your weight may not change that much, but you can still lose inches and notice the improvement when trying your favorite pair of jeans.
11. Your sleep has improved
Constant snacking may give you momentary satisfaction, but it will also affect many aspects of your life, including your sleep. But once your eating habits improve and your pounds start melting away, you will sleep better and wake up rested and refreshed.
12. You don’t need as much medication
Many health issues that come with being overweight will gradually improve once you start making smarter choices in meals and exercising. Cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels are the usual problematic spots, along with digestion issues. So it will be amazing to discover you don’t have to keep taking so many pills every day.
13. Mental balance
This is a pretty important benefit, and you will be more than pleasantly surprised to discover it. It may not be an obvious change, but as your work to keep your weight under control, your mental balance will improve as well, little by little. Which is great because you will need all the strength you can get to stay motivated. Remember, this is a marathon; it will take a while, and you have to stay strong.
14. Your doctor is more pleased with your overall condition
Involving your doctor in your efforts to lose weight is crucial. Based on their assessment, you will know exactly where you start from and how significant your progress is. The best way to see the improvements is by doing regular check-ups and blood work. That will show you that your dangerous levels are going down and whether your body is getting all the necessary nutrients.
15. You don’t struggle with workouts anymore
The first workout is always brutal, and you will probably hate it. Everything will hurt, and you will be out of breath immediately. Actually, you will have more than just one torturing workout. But things will change. And realizing you can easily finish a workout that initially felt like a near-death experience is priceless.
Bonus reward
On top of all that, you get one more benefit: people will start to notice the changes. Indeed, your weightloss journey should be for you, not other people. Still, it’s a damn good feeling to have people noticing your results; it’s one more piece of proof that your hard efforts are paying off. And I’m not just talking about how your clothes fit you. They will also see your confidence, your relaxed attitude; even your posture will look different.
Own Every Step You Take
The truth is no one will know all the struggles you go through trying to lose weight. It’s a different kind of difficulty for each of us, so it’s a personal fight. On the bright side, you will also get your own little victories to help you keep going. So make sure you enjoy them to the maximum, even if it’s something nobody else will notice.
You know how hard you work for every little step forward, so make every small win matter. Be proud of all these improvements, and turn them into even stronger will power, to make sure you stay on track.