How To Create Practical Effective Weight Loss Goals

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I often get the lift of an eyebrow when I ask people if they’ve got a clear vision of their weight loss goals. Weight loss goals?#&!…of course, I need to lose weight, can’t you see that!

Yes, I know you want to lose weight but that’s all too vague because we can all say and think those things but unless we take the time to set some practical strategies then we’ll probably end up down the same road year after year.

Here are 7 steps you can use to set practical and effective goals to help you reach success.

1. Get out your paper and pen

Maybe I’m a bit old fashioned here but I love writing things on paper, especially life goals. There’s something great about writing things with your own hand, a way of connecting your physical self to your wants and desires. That may sound a bit mystical but if you’ve never actually been through this process I suggest you try it so you can see for yourself how powerful it really is.

2. Set a clear goal
Don’t be vague, be 100% clear on where you’re headed and why. This can be broken into two parts.

• 1. Write down exactly how much weight you want to lose – that’s the easy part.

• 2. Work out your reason why – sometimes not so easy. You need a compelling reason that is going to provide motivation and inspiration to give you the drive and purpose to stick with the goal.

Here are a few examples from clients of mine:

• ‘to be a healthy role model for my kids and be able to play with them without getting puffed and tired’
• ‘my health is so bad right now, I need to heal myself from ..xyz..condition’
• ‘I am getting married and want to look the best I can in my wedding dress’

We all have different reasons for wanting or needing change in our lives so you need to identify your reason and draw on that when you feel like giving up.

3. Write up a plan
This is definitely one of the areas where the more detail you put into it the better. Plan, plan, and do more planning. The more detail you involve, the less chance you have to go astray.

If your goal is to lose 10 or 20 or 50 kilos or pounds, how exactly are you going to do it?

Unfortunately there is no magic pill and it’s not going to happen overnight so you need to chunk it down into smaller steps and work out what actions you are going to take to get there otherwise you’ll probably wake up tomorrow and just resume your usual pattern of behaviour.

So here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• What is a realistic timeframe for achieving your goal?
• What will your weekly target and aim be?
• What are you going to eat?
• Where will you start?
• Will you be cooking yourself or recruit the help of others around you?
• Do you need to plan meal alternatives for other family members?
• How will you stay organised with food so you don’t get off track?
• How will you manage your time?
• What exercise will you do?
• How often will you do it?
• What time of day will you do it?

Sure, it does take time to work through the planning process but a well set plan gives you clear direction and gives you no excuse for failure so it’s well worth the effort.

4. Make a daily task list

Making a daily task list is chunking your plan down into even smaller chunks. This is when it may help to have a daily diary or use your smart phone and set your task list into action. I still use paper and before going to bed each night I’ll list all my ‘to dos’ in a list. It’s a great sense of achievement to cross things off throughout the day and always makes me feel like I’m achieving a lot.

 

You get to the end of the day and most of the time things get done. If not, they simply get carried over to the next day. It’s a great way to convince the mind that you’re productive and successful. And the important things such as exercise, family time, eating well and cooking are the first to get slotted in.

Try it, it really works

5. Prepare for obstacles
Obstacles will come our way; it’s a natural part of life. But instead of waiting for them to happen and getting off track, take time to think about the kind of things that have put you off in the past and ways to overcome them. For example, if staying motivated is an issue for you, how might you deal with that? You could join a weight loss support group or perhaps recruit a friend? You could keep things interesting with a variety of exercises. You could keep a daily journal, read great books about mindset and so forth. Or if reaching for the sugary treats is an issue, you could have alternative snacks prepared for those situations. Or you could take a supplement like gymnema sylvestre or chromium to help with the sugar cravings.

Whatever the obstacles may be, take the time to plan a few strategies to deal with them so you can guarantee your success.

6. Reflect and re-evaluate

One of the best things about preparing a written plan is that you can revisit your goal. Setting the goal is a practical strategy in itself because it gives you a chance to reflect on where you are, where you want to go, how far you’ve come, and areas that may need some improvement as you go along. The goal setting process is a learning tool that helps you to move forward, a way to re-evaluate things without judgement and reward yourself for achievements in your journey.

7. Put yourself as the highest priority

Remember: this is your life and you deserve the very best out of it. If you want to lose weight and find inner happiness, you CAN do it! Set your weight loss goals, put yourself as the very highest priority and then take the necessary action every day to ensure YOU make it happen

Need a workbook to make it easier?

I’ve put together a Weight Loss Goal Setting Workbook for you. It has all of these important points and some other things you can think about to help write up a practical and effective strategy. It’s FREE so just fill in your details below to grab a copy

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