How to help you set smart weight loss goals to lose weight.
It can be difficult to stay motivated if you are not losing weight.
Motivation is fickle. You can look in the mirror and see that you need to do something to start exercising to achieve a healthy weight and then begin an exercise program.
However, after a week of hard work, you feel that it is too much work to stay on track, so you give up.
Does this sound like you? If so, keep reading because I am going to share one of the most powerful ways to stay motivated to lose weight running.
Are you ready to set good goals and track weight loss?
The key thing is to remember your WHY!
- Why are you going to the gym?
- Why do you want to lose weight?
- Why does it mean so much to lose weight?
- How will it impact your life?
- What problems is the weight causing you
- How will you feel once you have lost the weight?
If you can keep this in your mind every day, it makes it harder to quit!
Once you remember your why, another important thing that will help keep you on track is to set goals. SMART goals.
Why is setting SMART goals for weight loss important for changing body weight?
Why is it important to set weight loss goals for your weight loss journey?
Remember to never underestimate the power of setting goals properly. Setting goals allows you to set realistic expectations and can help prevent disappointment.
Nothing is worse than exercising for two weeks without looking at the scales for fear of failure, only to look and see that you have lost no weight.
That can suck the life out of anyone’s motivation. However, if you have accounted for the fact that this may happen, then you can avoid that feeling of failure.
For this reason, SMART goals are essential to help with weight loss!
I have been using goal setting for my personal training clients for many years now. This system will help you clarify your goals and give you a clear route to success in weight management.
How do you establish the right goals when trying to lose weight?
To help you understand how to be crystal clear and specific with your weight-loss goal, we are going to look at a common weight loss goal that perhaps you have used in the past and use the SMART goal principle.
Just take 10 minutes of your time to help give you a clearer purpose for your weight loss goal.
Use this example as a template for your current goal to tailor it to your specific goal.
A normal goal might be: “I would like to run to lose some weight around my stomach“
We will apply the S.M.A.R.T. principles. Each letter has its own meaning. You will notice that the goal will only become complete and fully corrected S.M.A.R.T. when every last component is completed.
Set smart goals for weight loss: How to set weight loss goals (s.m.a.r.t) for long term success to drop body weight.
When you start a weight loss goal of losing weight, the first stage is to refine your goal to a significant landmark that you would love to accomplish.
Several specific reasons for wanting to lose weight could be:
- Your doctor told you to lose weight as your blood pressure is too high
- You may want to lose weight to have more energy to play with your kids
- You should reduce your weight as you have a heart condition.
If your weight is not linked to a heart condition, then you may just want to lose the weight that you have put on over the last few years, over Christmas, or on your last few holidays.
Adjusted goal:
“I will run to lose 10 kilos to help reduce my belly fat.”
2. Measurable
You must be able to quantify the progress of any goal; otherwise, you will not know how much improvement you have made.
How will you measure your goal?
When goals are specific, you can track your progress in the following ways:
- Inches lost around your waist
- % decrease in body fat
- Reduction in your B.M.I.
- Weight lost in kilograms
- A specific dress size (trouser size for men)
Be specific about which one you will use. In this example, we will use the percentage decrease in body fat as a milestone.
Adjusted resolution:
” I will run to lose 10 kilos to help reduce my belly fat. I shall measure my body fat using skinfold calipers.”
3. Attainable
Earlier, we talked about setting the right expectations. If you set yourself a target of losing 10 kilograms within a month, that would be silly.
The goal must be attainable. Look at your history of weight loss.
If you have been successful, then you can be more ambitious with the target you set.
To ensure that your weight loss target is achievable, you should evaluate your previous history of losing weight.
If you have never lost more than 5 kilos, then a weight loss goal of 10 kilos may not be realistic.
If you have never lost 5 kilos, then 10 kilograms is too much for you to manage. Set a smaller goal that you can achieve, as this will help to build your confidence.
Fix your goal so that it is suitable for long-term success.
Adjusted resolution:
” I will run to lose 5 kilos to help reduce my belly fat. I shall measure my body fat using calipers. Once I reach 5 kilos, I will consider setting a new goal for continued weight loss.”
4. Relevant
As I said before, your “WHY” needs to be powerful, relevant, and meaningful for you to remain motivated to attain it; once you have done some soul-searching and really got down to the real underlying meaning, you will have a strong SMART goal. Some things that may be meaningful to you:
- I want to feel confident in my appearance
- I want to feel beautiful
- I was always fat when I was younger and was never able to wear a bikini
- I want to get rid of the fat that overhangs on my jeans.
The more personal you can get with your meaning, the more relevant your goal becomes to you. The more relevant your goal is to you, the greater the chance that it will keep you motivated.
Adjusted resolution:
” I will run to lose 5 kilos to help reduce my belly fat. I shall measure my body fat using calipers. Once I reach 5 kilos, I will consider setting a new goal for continued weight loss. Losing this weight will help me feel more confident in my appearance, and I will be able to wear the clothes I always wanted to wear.”
5. Time-bound
When are you going to achieve this goal? If you don’t set a time limit, you will not take it seriously. When you are new to weight loss, it is hard to know what is a realistic time frame.
For this reason, you may want to be cautious. As a guide, you may want to prepare yourself for the fact that you may not lose any weight in the first four weeks to avoid disappointment.
If you do lose some weight, it is a bonus and will give you confidence. After four weeks, a realistic expectation is 1/2 kilo—1 kilo a week.
However, for people who have a lot of weight to lose, the number can be greater!
Adjusted goal:
” I want to lose 5 kilos in the next three months to help reduce my belly fat. I shall measure my waist using a tape measure. Once I reach 5 kilos, I will consider setting a new goal for continued weight loss. Losing this weight will help me feel more confident in my clothes and will help give me more energy to play with my kids.
The final adjusted goal is an example of a smart goal that will keep you motivated to make weight loss milestones.
The example of a smart goal will not feel overwhelming and will put you in a better position to lose weight successfully.
Remember that if you do not achieve your goals by the dates outlined in your smart goal, then set a new one.
You will increase your chances of success substantially if you can master this skill, so don’t worry too much if you are not accurate with setting your goals at the beginning.
How was this article?
Let me know your thoughts
Did you find some usefull pointers in this article?
What is your SMART goal?
Please feel free to leave a comment as I love to hear them.
Remember that once you set a SMART goal it is important to set a time to track your progress and to retest.
Don’t get disheartened if things don’t go your way.
You will get there as long as you don’t give up.
I truly believe in you and wish you all the best.
With lots of love from your biggest supporter and freind,
Gerald