Everyone is probably dreaming of a slim and athletic body or just to look and feel slimmer in their clothes. Although proper diet and exercise have been shown to be beneficial to health in many ways, weight loss success seems to be elusive. Reasons can range from a lack of willpower to stick to a diet, to a lack of determination to exercise, but one of the biggest reasons is low self-esteem and a lack of acceptance that results are possible, but long term with small and constant changes.

Drastic short-term weight loss is sometimes featured on TV shows and in magazines, but it’s more reasonable to accept that sensible weight loss programs have more modest goals and are based on self-esteem and positive body image.

No one except yourself can make you healthier or change your attitude. You may just need some extra support and some professional experience to become more confident in deciding what’s right for you. That support can come from family, friends, or the workplace. Workplace wellness programs make sense for companies, because the resources invested can be well rewarded: healthier, more united and productive employees, reduced health care costs, etc.

Positive influences, at your workplace or elsewhere, can make all the difference in your weight-loss efforts: If you feel good about your body, you tend to have high self-esteem. In today’s modern culture, youth and physical attractiveness are highly desired: women may feel pressure to be young and glamorous, while men may worry about beer belly, hair loss, or short stature.

Such concern over body image, especially for women, can start early and have serious consequences. A girl concerned about her weight can later lead to poor eating habits, which can eventually result in bone loss. While proper nutrition and regular exercise (cardio and resistance training) promote bone health along with many other benefits.

The three main areas essential to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are:

• What you will eat: food choices, cooking and preparation, and how you enjoy your meal;
• Physical activity: how much you move, what activities you choose to participate in, and how much intentional physical exercise you do;
• Attitude: how you deal with self-esteem issues and different psychological barriers.

Rapid weight loss is often unrealistic for most people. Healthy weight loss is generally estimated at no more than two pounds per week, indicating a slow and gradual process. Many people may underestimate celebrating small victories and reinforcing the progress of others. Caring people can give you the emotional stimulation and support you need to be successful.

In reality, true well-being can be the result of the interaction between multiple components: physical, emotional, environmental, spiritual, social, professional, etc.

Here are some key weight loss motivation ideas to improve your abilities to build a healthy body image and self-esteem:

• Be independent of what the scale may say. – Get rid of negative thoughts and subconscious prejudices. Learn to appreciate your efforts and appreciate even small improvements, feel good in your body and enjoy what you are doing “right now”, in the present time.
• Achieve peace and accept yourself as you are. – Establish acceptance of your body image in the present way. Self-acceptance allows you to channel your energy into real changes in behavior, instead of struggling with negative thoughts like: “I would, I could, I should.”
• Create a positive mental outlook. – The attitude, desire and conscious effort you put into a situation largely determines the outcome and furthermore affects whether you will expect good results or be put off by negative ones.
• Encourage yourself with positive self-talk. – Positive self-talk can reinforce qualities and abilities within you. Self-talk messages like “Never back down” or “Don’t give up” can affect your unconscious mind and can improve your confidence and determination, but you should think of a way to constantly remind yourself of those mottos.
• Try to stay away from comparisons. – Beauty (and body shape and image) is a multidimensional combination of a variety of aspects, qualities and attributes, and depends on an individual basis that is in a constant state of change. Recognize your unique personal expressions of beauty and monitor your own physical, mental and then visual progress.
• Build your self-confidence and trust yourself. – No matter how difficult it is, every time you attempt a task that is outside of your comfort zone and achieve even the slightest bit of success, you can experience a greater degree of confidence and inner satisfaction.
• Reward yourself for the missions you have completed – Allow and prepare positive incentives to keep you up to date with your weight loss progress, to recognize the effort you are putting into your body image program.
• Give yourself and others a compliment. – Recognize the positive result of their efforts for their personal well-being and give and receive compliments regularly.
• Share your interest and progress with others. – Sharing your healthy living goals with others can help you stay on track with your weight loss routine. Appreciate the benefits that supportive friends, family, and colleagues can bring to your life. Take time to be in regular contact with nature and the environment, which can help you relax and “recharge your batteries.”