Weight loss success comes easily to some people but for many this is a constant struggle. People who struggle to lose weight try many different diets and methods. Some will lose weight but often put this weight back on. Others will struggle to lose just a few pounds and eventually give up.

If this sounds like you, then you want to know the secret ingredients to losing weight and keeping it off. There is no magical pill or an over the counter super drug or food. The secret is not any special recipe or low calorie, low carbohydrate meal plans. In fact, the really successful people use methods that have nothing to do with food, exercise or pills. Don’t get me wrong, to be successful at losing weight you have to be worried about your foods and you have to get active. But you need more for weight loss success.

To really succeed at weight loss the key ingredients are motivation, commitment and knowledge.

Weight Loss Success through Weight Loss Motivation

Staying motivated is critical to losing weight and keeping it off. Finding the right motivation can be the difference between losing weight and giving up. Motivation is needed for many aspects of life and is a great method for achieving goals. Motivation is all about getting inspired to do something, so look for ways you can inspire yourself to lose weight. Here are a few weight loss motivation tips to help you get excited about losing weight.

Use a study buddy. What I mean is find a friend that becomes your motivation to stay on track with your eating healthy and exercises. When you attack a big challenge with a partner in crime you are more likely to achieve the results you want. Remember that people will lose weight at different rates so don’t get discouraged if your buddy loses faster than you. Your diet buddy will be your sounding board and your shoulder to cry on when you get frustrated and discouraged. Their role is to lift your spirits with positive feedback and criticism.

Want it and then track it. Tracking your progress can be a great motivator. Be careful though as there will be times when you hit a plateau. If you are not seeing pounds lost you could still be losing inches. So track not only your pounds but measure your success other ways like how your clothes fit, body fat percent or even how much more energy you have. Plateaus are common and if you stick with it, you too will get passed these humps and start to lose weight once again.

Lastly use rewards to stay motivated. Treat yourself (with something other than food) when you reach a milestone. This could be five pounds, a few inches or what ever you determine as the goals. Make the goals small and measurable (not one big goal) so that you can continue to reward yourself along the way.

Committing to Weight Loss Success

This may seem like an odd statement. After all, if you didn’t want to lose weight why would you be reading this article? Well saying you want something and really committing to it are two different things. Saying something is easy, committing to it is where the hard work starts. So commit to your weight loss success by writing it down. This helps solidify your resolve to reach your goal.

Review what you wrote each time you feel you are straining from reaching your goal. Don’t just write down that you want to lose weight, but plan it out. What will you eat? How often will you exercise? How long will it take? These are all questions you want to answer and plan it out. Write down recipes, meals, exercise schedule, etc. Not only does writing it down help you plan for your weight loss but helps to stay committed and motivated to lose weight.

Knowledge for Weight Loss Success

Many people jump right in to the newest fad diet or weight loss plan without really understanding what they need. Weight loss success needs to be personalized. After all, each person’s calorie needs, exercise capabilities and food choices are different. You must first understand these elements completely if you are going to plan out a successful weight loss program for you.

Losing weight is simple in terms of a formula. You must consume fewer calories than you burn. That’s the simple formula. Although the formula is simple you need to have all the components in order to figure out your exact numbers. First you need to know how many calories you burn in a day without adding exercise. This is known as your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Your BMR is determined by using your height and weight, gender and age and activity level.

Once you have this information you need to plan for your calorie deficit. You create a deficit by either eating fewer calories, adding exercise or a combination of both. So the next bit of information or knowledge you need is related to exercise calories and calories in foods. You can find this valuable information on the net using the many free, online weight loss and exercise calculators.

Once you have all the knowledge you need, the commitment made and your motivation revved up, you will succeed at weight loss.