5 Goal Setting Tips for Weight Loss Success!

​There’s a big difference between having a hope, a dream, or a goal to lose weight........

“I hope one day I can reach my weight loss goal.”
 
As nice as this notion is; it doesn’t sound like this person is going to lose weight anytime soon, right? Clearly this person thinks it would be “nice” to lose weight, but they are relying on the fact that something will happen in the future to make that happen. What is that something? No one knows.  So, what are the chances this person will actually reach their weight loss goal? I think it’s safe to say, slim to none.
 
“I look forward to the day when my dream comes true and I finally reach my weight loss goal.”
 
This statement holds a little more weight (no pun intended) because at least she is contemplating weight loss and visualizing herself actually achieving it, but it’s still not enough to facilitate change. When we dream of being thinner, we are still stuck in our heads. We aren’t actually doing anything to turn that dream into reality. Unless we take action our dreams will never be anything more than a nice picture in our minds.
 
“My goal is to lose weight this summer.”
 
Can you feel the power in this statement? This person sounds WAY MORE committed to making it happen because when we state something as our goal, we are telling ourselves and the universe that this is something we are going after.  We’ve decided we want it and we’re ready to do whatever it takes, to make it happen. This person has the best chance of reaching their weight loss goal, don’t you think?

So, what have you been telling yourself? Are you hoping and dreaming you’ll lose weight or have you made it your GOAL to lose weight?

If you’re ready to make weight loss your goal, then this blog post is for you. I'm going to teach you the step-by-step system I use with my clients, to help them create goals that not only motivate them, but also ensures their success.
 
Clearly, having a goal to lose weight is much more powerful than “hoping” or“dreaming” about it, but it’s still not enough to get you to the finish line.

​If you want to set yourself up for success, you need to create a SMART goal.

What's a SMART goal, you ask?
 
It’s a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timed.

And how do you make a SMART goal? Well, grab a pen paper and let’s make yours right now!

Step 1. Make it Specific
 

You want to avoid making vague or general goals. It's not enough to say you want to “eat better” or “lose weight”, you need to be specific in what you actually want to achieve.
 
Some examples of specific goals are,

“I want to lose 25 lbs”
“I'm going to eat 2 more servings of fruits and vegetables a day”
“I want to run a 5km race” ​

You can further define your specific goal by asking yourself WHY you want to achieve this goal and HOW you’re going to do it. Ask yourself these questions:
 
1. What is your goal?
2. Why are you creating this goal? How will it make you feel?
3. How will you achieve this goal
4. When will you achieve this goal?
 
When I’m making goals, I find it helpful to turn my goals into future statements. This way it feels like the transformation has already happened when I read it. I always spend time picturing myself at the finish line (this is where dreaming can be helpful).
 
Let’s use my client Sarah as an example.
 
Sarah is 190 lbs and has never participated in exercise. She has a very stressful job with long hours and doesn’t have much energy at the end of the day. She’s tired of feeling tired all the time and doesn’t feel good about herself when she looks in the mirror. She thinks losing weight will help her fell better.
 
I asked Sarah to picture herself in the future and ask herself the questions listed above. Sarah created the following goal in the form of a future statement:

“It’s been 3 months and I feel beautiful and full of energy. I’ve lost 40 lbs by committing to my weight loss program of running 3 days a week, strength training 3 days a week and eating a whole foods diet.”

​Much better than “lose weight”, right?  Once you know exactly what you want, it's easier to plan out how you are going to get there.

What’s YOUR specific goal?
(write it down)

Step 2. Make it Measurable
​

You have to be able to measure your success. In other words, you need a way to track your progress.
 
For Sarah’s goal, we have 3 things we can track – her weight, the number of days she runs and strength trains, and  what she eats.  This is why having a SPECIFIC goal is so important. You can’t measure a generic statement like “lose weight”.
 
Because Sarah planned to reach her goal using a whole foods diet, I encouraged her to commit to writing in a food journal every day so she could track how well she followed the diet. That way if her weight loss stopped, she could refer to her old food logs to identify the problem.
 
I also encouraged her to keep track of her exercise schedule. I gave her a simple activity chart where she could check off the days she ran vs strength trained that week.
 
Finally, because she wanted to lose 40 lbs, so agreed to weighing herself on a weekly basis to see if she was on track. She also made a mini-goal of losing 3 lbs a week to keep her motivated while she waited to reach her ultimate goal.

How will YOU measure your success?
(write it down)
​

Step 3. Make it Attainable

It’s important that you make your goal attainable. Setting a goal to weigh 120 lbs when you are 5 feet 8 inches is not smart goal setting; neither is hoping to lose 40 lbs in 4 weeks.
In short, make sure your goals are realistic and you know it’s possible to achieve in the time frame you allotted.
​
In Sarah’s case, I asked if she felt that her goal was attainable and she admitted that she felt overwhelmed at the thought of tracking her food and exercise every day. She also wasn’t sure she could commit to exercising 6 days a week right off the bat.  
 
Sarah decided to change her goal so it would be more realistic and attainable for her. Her new goal was still challenging, but it didn’t make her feel overwhelmed.

“It’s been 3 months and I feel beautiful and full of energy. I’ve lost 25 lbs by committing to my weight loss program of running 3 days a week and eating a whole foods diet.”

​Sarah made a great decision to adjust her goal based on her abilities and confidence.

Is YOUR goal realistic and attainable for you?
(If not, go back and revamp your goal into something you feel confident you can achieve.)

Step 4. Make it Relevant

​A goal should have meaning for you and be relevant to your abilities and interests.
 
When I asked Sarah if her goal showcased the things she wanted AND enjoyed, she was conflicted.
 
She said, “I definitely want to feel beautiful and full of energy. That is my big WHY and I am happy with the thought of losing 25 lbs. I want to be healthier – not a fitness model. I’m just not sure about running. I’ve never done it before. I’ve never done any exercise before.”
 
So, I asked Sarah if she could think of an activity she DID like.  She responded with, “Well I love going for walks in nature. There is a hiking trail near my house and it has a beautiful waterfall at the end.”

BINGO! 

​She made another change to her goal.

It’s been 3 months and I feel beautiful and full of energy. I’ve lost 25 lbs by committing to my weight loss program of hiking 3 days a week and eating a whole foods diet.”

​At this point, Sarah was feeling really excited and motivated. She said, “Wow. I think I can actually do this.”
​

Does ​YOUR​ goal feel relevant? Will it be something you enjoy?
​(If not, go back and make some adjustments).

Step 5. Make it Time-Bound
​

A goal needs to be time-bound. Meaning you must have a target date for completion.
 
Sarah knows a realistic rate of weight loss for this particular diet plan is 1 to 2lbs a week and she wants to lose 25lbs. Therefore, if she lost 2lbs a week, it would take her a little over 3 months to reach her goal.
 
Sarah remembered that her goal needs to be attainable and realistic and she has a very stressful job and busy schedule so she wanted to give herself a little bit of wiggle room to reach her goal. Sarah is SMART.

It’s been 4 ½ months and I feel beautiful and full of energy. I’ve lost 25 lbs by committing to my weight loss program of hiking 3 days a week and eating a whole foods diet.”

​Sarah is really motivated now and she’s ready to finally put this plan into action. The SMART goal she created makes sense to her because it was made specifically for her wants and needs.

Is YOUR target date realistic?
Do you KNOW you can achieve it in that time frame?
​(If not, make some more changes).

Once you are finished creating your weight loss goal, I encourage you to write it down on an index card and carry it around with you. Read it whenever you need motivation; like first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed. You can also make extra copies and hang them on your mirror and fridge to give you more encouragement.  
 
You can TOTALLY reach your weight loss goals. You just need a SMART goal and the determination and commitment to see it through.

YOU'VE GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL!

Are you Interested in losing weight and looking for a qualified coach with a system that will get you there?

If so, I encourage you to book a free 45 minute discovery session with me. We'll chat about your goals and see if my 12 week mind-body boot camp weight loss system is the right fit for you. 
​

Yes Carmen, Let's Talk!