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If losing weight is your main “why” then you may find that your habits are short-lived.

When weight loss is the goal, exercise and eating often become punishments.

Weight-loss obsession breeds unsustainable habits.

Trade the scale for alternative measures of success like better energy and mood.

Losing weight often seems like the right motivation for getting to the gym, but in the long run, your dieting efforts may be destroying your drive. The reason so many give up on their New Year’s Resolutions come February often isn’t about willpower, but more about their “why.”

When your “why” is weight loss, then the second the scale doesn’t budge, it’s tempting to throw in the towel on new self-care patterns. Instead, focus on the internal rewards of new health-supporting habits like strength, joy, energy, and improved mental health.

Shift your “why” to how the new behavior makes you feel, and you may experience the long-term consistency you’ve dreamed of.

Here are five signs your motivation may be hindered by your desire to lose weight:

1. You engage in exercise you hate.

When weight loss is a driving motivator, many people select forms of movement that are miserable.

That usually works for a few weeks. Then all of a sudden it’s easy to find yourself saying “yes” to competing interests.

If you find yourself saying, “I just don’t have the motivation to work out today,” then it’s a great sign that you don’t enjoy what you have planned, and it’s time to find a new activity.

We tend to gravitate........

© Psychology Today