“I want it bad enough to change.”
To achieve what you want in life, you must set goals. Goals are different from desires. A desire is a strong feeling of wanting something or wishing something would happen. For example, wanting to go from a size 16 to a size 10 dress for your sister’s wedding next month is a desire.
On the other hand, a goal is an intention that is followed by a plan of action. No weight loss program will work until you set a goal for success. Goals provide focus, prevent procrastination, and allow you to measure progress. Achieving a goal is something only you can accomplish. No one can achieve a goal for you because it is solely within your control.
Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals will help you stay on track by providing guidance and structure. The acronym S.M.A.R.T stands for:
S—Specific
Your goal must be very specific. I recommend that you start with a small weight loss goal like losing 5, 10, or 15 pounds rather than a large goal of losing 50 pounds. You can always reset the goal once you’ve achieved your small goal.
Example: “I plan to lose 10 pounds.”
M—Measurable
To track you progress, your goals must be measurable. What gets measured gets managed.
Example: “I plan to lose 10 pounds. To reach my goals, I will weigh myself daily on the scale and write it in my journal or enter it in my Fitbit app.”
A—Attainable
Take a few minutes to reflect on your weight loss history. How many times have you tried to lose weight over the past few years? How many pounds have you lost and regained?
So, if you’ve never lost more than 10 pounds and kept it off, setting a goal for losing 40 pounds is unrealistic. I recommend that you set a series of small goals. Once you lose the first 10 pounds, reset your goal to lose 10 more.
Example: “I plan to lose 10 pounds. To reach my goals, I will weigh myself daily and write it in my journal or enter it in my Fitbit app. Once I lose 10 pounds, I will re-evaluate my successes and challenges and set a new goal of 10 more pounds for continued weight loss.”
R—Relevant
Your weight loss goal needs to be connected to your life and the things that matter most to you. Understand why you want to lose weight. It is OK if you just want to look great, but you should also try and connect it to some other deeper issues such as improving your health and how you relate to others. Do you want to be a good role model to your children? Do you want to prevent or reverse a health condition? Defining how losing weight is relevant to your life will keep you motivated when you’re tempted to quit.
Example: “I plan to lose 10 pounds. To reach my goals, I will weigh myself daily and write it in my journal or enter it in my Fitbit app. Once I lose 10 pounds, I will re-evaluate my successes and challenges and set a new goal of 10 more pounds for continued weight loss. Losing weight is important to me because it will help to lower my high blood pressure. It will also help me to be a great role model to my kids.”
T—Time
You must set a reasonable amount of time to reach your goal. Health professionals recommend a safe weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week. Weight loss needs to be slow and steady. Remember, you’re trying to change your lifestyle, not just lose weight.
Example: “I plan to lose 10 pounds in the next 2 months. To reach my goals, I will weigh myself daily and write it in my journal or enter it in my Fitbit app. Once I lose 10 pounds, I will re-evaluate my successes and challenges and set a new goal of 10 more pounds for continued weight loss. Losing weight is important to me because it will help to lower my high blood pressure. It will also help me to be a great role model to my kids.”
I will show you how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals to change your eating habits and increase your physical activity in future posts. In the meantime, go ahead and set your S.M.A.R.T. goal for your weight management journey.
Reflection
- List the diseases or health conditions (e.g. obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease) that run in both sides of your family. How likely are you to develop one or more of these?
- List 5 reasons why you want to be at a healthy weight.
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