Trying to lose weight is hard. Everyone who has tried to lose weight would know how mentally straining it is to lose weight. For most guys who have tried to lose weight, the entire experience is as far from fun as you can imagine.
Nobody goes into a weight loss program thinking – yeah, that should be fun! To lose weight, you must figure out a way to go against your lifestyle and have the discipline to not give in to the temptation – and there’s more uncomfortable than willingly changing the lifestyle you’ve had for years.
I’ve had the same struggles that most guys do when they are first trying to lose weight. I was 30 years old when my doctor gave me the unfortunate news that my health would be in serious trouble if I don’t get my weight down. I was more than 100lbs overweight, I had back and knee problems, and to top that off, I’m pre-diabetic.
The whole ordeal shocked me back into reality, and I knew I had to get things done. My whole weight loss journey was challenging, but with a few things, I was able to make my whole ordeal fun. In this article, I’ll share things I used to change the way I think about weight loss.
Weight management apps
Do you know why weight management apps are so effective in helping people lose weight? It’s because it changes your perspective about weight loss. Weight loss apps help you track your progress, and even with just that, you’d be able to change your mindset about weight loss. For most of us, the end goal is what stresses us out. Many guys approach weight-loss thinking “I have to lose xxx pounds in xx months!”, instead of “hey, I burned xxx calories today!”. For me, it felt great to know that I’m making progress no matter what, and on days when I give in to temptation, the app makes me feel accountable, knowing that progress is easy, as long as you’re consistent.
Gamify your workouts
Here’s a really fun way to get you into fitness. The idea of “gamifying” is to turn something into a game and make it fun instead of a routine. There was an app that I played, where I needed to physically run as if I was chased by zombies. The whole thing distracted me from thinking that I needed to run to burn calories, and it turned it into a fun game that made me forget that what I’m doing is for my fitness.
Bring your buddies
Friends make everything better, including fitness! If you have a friend who’s also trying to lose weight, or if you have an athletic buddy who always goes to the gym, try and convince them to work out with you. Instead of you thinking that you’re working out to lose weight, you could think about it as if you’re just hanging out with your friends. A simple change in perspective helps a lot to train your brain into thinking that you’re not drastically changing anything in your life.
Video game workouts
This is where I really had a lot of fun. During days when I can’t go to the gym to work out, I put on console games that track my movement. Back then, I played games on Nintendo Wii, then moved to Kinect. These games will have you sweating without you noticing. There are a lot of activities that will help you burn a lot of calories. The best part of it is knowing that you’re not just working out, you’re also playing!
Sex!
Is there anything more fun than sex? Having sex for 10 minutes is the equivalent of a 30-minute run. That’s how many calories you burn, and you won’t even notice it. Sex is a full workout, not just for you, but also for your partner. Every time we had sex was like hitting my daily run quota. Let me tell you – I made the most out of every opportunity I got, and my girlfriend and I just got closer because of it.
Conclusion
Losing weight can be fun. You only need the right mindset to get things done. If you’re not great at setting goals, just stick with getting a workout done every day. The key is to distract yourself from the big picture at first and use your end goal as motivation as you get closer to it.
