Losing weight can be done, but it never seems to be easy. While the basic facts - eat less and exercise more - are pretty straight-forward, getting started can be rough. How can a person get motivated to get started? And perhaps even more important, how can you stay motivated to keep working at it even when the pounds are stubborn about coming off?

Sometimes a special event, like a wedding or a class reunion at which you expect to see people who you haven't seen in years, will motivate a person to start a weight loss program. This can help on the short term, but it isn't a lasting reason. If you manage to lose a few pounds this way, there's still a good chance you'll put them right back on after the event.

A severe method of motivation happens when you have a heart attack or other life-threatening health event. Such a trauma often motivates people to lose weight, but hopefully you can find your motivation before it goes that far. How can you motivate yourself to reach this goal that can make the entire rest of your life more comfortable and rewarding?

First of all, focus on the comfort and rewards losing weight promises to you. Take time to focus on how you would feel at your goal weight. How would you feel in your clothes? (Dare I ask how you would feel out of them?) How would your feet feel? Imagine feeling light and having a spring in your step. If you are a writer, write down your thoughts. Try to keep things positive, though.

Now list all the health problems that are exacerbated by overweight. Obesity is linked with a host of ailments, including diabetes, cancer, gall bladder trouble, and much more. Not only this, your legs are likely to feel the strain and develop varicose veins. You might even develop sleep apnea as the area around your lungs becomes more clogged with fat. Hiatal hernias are another real risk for the obese.

Another tip for motivating yourself to lose weight is to find a slogan you can live by. One reported by a successful loser was "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got." This reminds you that your life must be different if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Another motivating slogan is "No food tastes as good as being thin feels." Say this to yourself when you are tempted to eat something that will not build health.

Be patient with yourself as you go. If you flub up, you have the choice of giving up or dusting yourself off yet one more time and getting with your weight loss program. If you give it up, you will stay fat, barring some sort of unforeseen miracle. If you get back with the program, you might flub up again, but at least you are still in the running.

Finally, do it for yourself. While falling in love can take a few pounds off for a while, the high won't last and the pounds might come back on. Similarly, a guilt trip doesn't work very well. Get committed to a weight loss plan because you are worth taking care of!