Setting No Nonsense Weight Loss Goals – 4 Tips

Establishing weight loss goals can be a stressful and intimidating task, especially if you don’t know where to start.  With these 4 tips you can be on your way to a better, healthier you in no time.

The thing that you need to remember before starting any new weight loss plan is to always consult your doctor first.

4 Tips for Establishing No Nonsense Weight Loss Goals:

• Set attainable goals
• Personalize your goals
• Develop a concise plan to follow
• Don’t get discouraged

Set Attainable Goals:

Sometimes when you are beginning a weight loss program you get excited and set goals for yourself that you truly won’t be able to achieve.  You need to begin your weight loss program by setting short-term goals that you will be able to attain in order to stay motivated.

An example of this would be instead of setting a goal to be the same weight that you were in high school; you need to set a goal that is more realistic and attainable.  You could set a goal to lose 2 pounds a week, or eat at least one healthy meal every day.  These goals will be much easier to attain and therefore you will stay motivated instead of being discouraged by unrealistic goals.

Personalize Your Goals:

When setting weight loss goals you need to acknowledge you and your lifestyle and determine which types of goals you will be able to follow.  For example, you may have a friend that is able to go to the gym every afternoon for two to three hours or takes a yoga class every day.  This type of program may not work for you because you have a family or work full time, or you simply hate the gym etc…

You need to develop goals that at least in the beginning will fit your current lifestyle.  If you don’t have time to spend three hours at the gym maybe you could go for a walk after work with your family or exercise in the morning for an hour before work.  Your goals simply need to be tailored to you and your lifestyle versus changing your lifestyle to fit your goals.

Develop a Concise Plan to Follow:

Once you have decided on your weight loss goal you need to write everything down and develop a concise plan that will be easy for you to follow.  You could write everything down daily, weekly, or even monthly.  An example of this would be if you are writing your weight loss goals down daily you could start by writing a daily plan where you would write exactly which exercises or activities you are going to do and which meal plans you are going to follow.

Don’t Get Discouraged:

Don’t over-think your goals when you are developing them.  Everyone fails a part of their weight loss program at some point.  You need to allow yourself to fail because if you don’t you could become very discouraged and give up on your goals.  For example, if you are developing goals you may want to allow yourself a “cheat day” where it is okay to have a can of pop or a cookie.  This day could be once a week or once a month, it truly depends you and your goals.  You just need to realize that at some point you will probably cheat on your goals and it doesn’t mean that you need to give up completely.

The most important thing to remember is not to be intimidated by your goals and keep your motivation.

 

How do you keep your motivation when you’re trying to lose weight?

Tell us in the comments below!

 

Vera Mosley is a freelance writer and health blogger. She frequently writes about weight loss, health, buying the right vitamins and staying healthy while traveling.