To keep weight off, you need to change your patterns. Follow these five steps to create a strategy for your weight loss goal.
1. Program yourself for success. Set a very specific goal.
Remember that losing weight requires a change in thought and behavior, so set goals for your emotions and weight.
Don't just set vague goals like, "I want to lose some weight." Be specific: How much weight do you want to lose? How do you want to feel? Close your eyes and visualize yourself after you've reached those goals. Use this visualization to feel commitment and inner strength.
2. Get a plan.
Work out a detailed strategy because willpower doesn't work! To lose weight and keep it off, you must have a strategy.
Plan ahead: Get rid of your expandable clothes, stay away from fast food, and keep healthy food in your pantry.
3. Identify small, measurable steps.
Implement steps that will fit your lifestyle, not somebody else's.
Be sure to move toward a positive goal, not just away from being fat. Every step you take will bring you closer to being who you want to be.
4. Create a healthy, realistic timeline.
Where will you be in a month? Six months? A year? Fit your goals to your calendar, and stick to it.
Don't expect to see huge results overnight; take the time to change your lifestyle, and you'll change your weight.
5. Create meaningful monitoring and accountability.
If you know you have to report your progress to someone, you'll be more likely to stick with your plan.
"Go public" with somebody you trust. Find support when you need it, and celebrate your victories!
Setting weight loss goals is probably one of the more difficult things to do when you embark on an exercise and/or diet program. How much do you need to lose? That question is hard to answer and often based on your particular goals. If you're losing weight for your health, your goal might be more modest, say 5-10% of your current weight. But what if you have something more specific in mind like a certain clothing size you want to fit into? How do you set a reasonable goal for yourself?
The key to setting weight loss goals is to follow the standard of goal setting. It needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible. Your first step is determining if you really need to lose weight.
Do You Need to Lose Weight?
If you talk to most people, you'll probably find that everyone feels like they need to lose weight, even people who appear to be at a healthy weight. Often our weight loss goals are based on what we think we should look like rather than what's reasonable for our bodies right now. There arebroad parameters to use to figure out if you need to lose weight but, in general, a candidate for weight loss may have the following characteristics:
ABMI of more than 25
AWaist-Hip ratio of higher than .8 for women and higher than 1.0 men
AnAbdominal Girth measurement of more than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men
Of course, those aren't the only clues that tell us we need to lose weight. There are those annoying indications like tight clothes, getting out of breath doing simple activities, or stepping on a scale for the first time in a while. However, before you set goals based on what you think you should weigh, make sure you see your doctor to get an individual assessment.
Set the Right Goals
Setting the right goals is an important first step. Most people trying to lose weight focus on just that one goal: weight loss. However, the most productive areas to focus on are the dietary and physical activity changes that will lead to long-term weight changes. Successful weight managers are those who select two or three goals at a time that are manageable.
Useful goals should be (1) specific; (2) attainable (doable); and (3) forgiving (less than perfect). "Exercise more" is a great goal, but it's not specific. "Walk 5 miles every day" is specific and measurable, but is it doable if you're just starting? "Walk 30 minutes every day" is more attainable, but what happens if you're held up at work one day and there's a thunderstorm during your walking time another day? "Walk 30 minutes, 5 days each week" is specific, doable, and forgiving. In short, a great goal!
If you've determined you do need to lose weight, your next step is to set a reasonable weight loss goal for yourself. You can base your goals on any number of factors, but a great place to start would be the general recommendations set out by the American College of Sports Medicine which are 5-10% of body weight or one to two pounds per week.
You can also use these calculators to set your goals:
Keep in mind that these calculations offer estimates. Several factors affect weight, so it’s best to take the results you get with a grain of salt. For example, BMI is affected by how much muscle you have…if you have more muscle, your weight might actually be higher than what is considered healthy on the BMI chart, even though you have a healthy body fat percentage.
Another way to do this is to focus less on a target weight and more on making healthy choices each day to reduce your calories. One way to look at this is yourLowest Sustainable Weight. In this case, you would create a calorie deficit (with diet and exercise) and let your body respond to that over time. Eventually, you'll get to a weight you can sustain and feel good about.
Make a Plan
However you determine your weight loss goals, you should record that goal and then make a plan to reach it. Look at your goal objectively: is it specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible? Here's a sample to see how it works:
Assume I am 5'7" tall and weigh 160 pounds. According to the calculators above, my BMI is 25.1, which falls under the 'overweight' category. If I lose just 10 pounds, my BMI will be at a healthier 23.5.
Goal: To lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks. I'll need to cut my calories each day by 300-500 through both diet and exercise.
To reach this goal I will:
Diet as advised by the professional
Walk for at least 30 minutes at 3.5-4.0 mph 3 days a week (approx. 180-240 calories burned)
Strength train 2 days a week for 30 minutes (approx. 140-280 calories burned)
Total Calories burned each day: 270 - 550 (depending on whether I exercise)
Looking at this example, you can see that breaking down your goal into specific steps can help you focus on your daily tasks. Just remember to adjust your goal whenever you need to. If you find you'renot losing weight as quickly as you thought (and this is very normal), change your goal weight or the length of time to reach it. Remember, your goal needs to be attainable, so be willing to set new goals if the old ones aren't working for you.
