How to Set and Plan to Weight Loss Goals? Life doesn’t mean only being alive, but being well. So, healthy living is a precious thing. And we know that the first wealth is health. Unfortunately, most people live an unhealthy life and suffer various troubles. And the sufferings become a nightmare for the overweight people as they have the risk of life-threatening diseases just as high blood pressure and diabetes.
How to Set and Plan to Weight Loss Goals?
Not only that but they also have to experience social embarrassment about how they look. And it leads them to uncertainties that affect self-esteem and confidence. Also, they suffer from depression and anxiety. That’s why it is consequential for everyone to maintain good health. For that, we should take necessary steps like eating a balanced meal and do regular exercise, etc.
Sometimes the idea of eating less and run more won’t work in the long run. And it happens when people don’t follow a useful plan to lose weight. So, they give up and can’t prevent getting overweight. To achieve desired fitness, first, we should learn how to set and plan weight loss goals. And if you find it difficult, you may read through the article.
The Importance of Setting Weight Loss Goals
The benefits of being healthy are a lot, but it is not an easy task to maintain a healthy body. Thinking that one day you will be healthier is not a great consolation if you are not going as per your plan and facing trouble to achieve it.
A study shows that although obese people are less likely to plan weight loss goals, this increases the likelihood of them making significant weight loss. And it happens because they keep an eye on their progress as a constant motivator.
Find Out What Your Target Weight Should Be
An excellent way to start is to check your body mass index (BMI)
. The disadvantages of BMI are many that means the higher it is, the higher the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
It is not for accurate everyone though. However, you can check waist to height because many experts believe that this is a more precise indicator of unhealthy weight.
If you use BMI, you should know that a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25. You can set your target anywhere between the two numbers, or you can set the highest number as a target and then reevaluate it when you get there.
Set Mini Targets
If you are very overweight, it can be very discouraging to think that you have to lose a lot of weight. If your BMI suggests that you should have about 14 stones and currently you have 24, then the idea of losing ten stones can be overwhelming.
For that, you can set mini weight loss goals. For example, if you were to lose ten stones, your first mini-target might be to lose a stone. The idea of having to do this nine more times can still discourage you.
But you should remember that if you score a mini-target, you are closer to your ultimate goal than before, and even if you lose a stone, it has many health benefits.
Non-scale Goals
Every time it shouldn’t be all about the numbers. The significant fact is you need to stay active. In this case, you can plan to go walking every day for 15 min. Besides that, you may focus on preparing healthy meals as well. In a nutshell, your mini goals can be what will help you to achieve a healthy weight.
Set Good Goals
Of course, your goal is to lose weight, but it’s a pretty arbitrary goal. If you set it as a goal, many questions may arise such as: how much? When do you do that? Etc.
If you only plan to lose weight, you will probably forget the other fact. So, you need to set smart goals. Smart goals are the way to go forward. Here are some tips regarding how to set smart weight loss goals.
Specific
You need to be sure about what you want to achieve. That means you may desire to lose 16lbs, and it is your starting point of weight loss. But we recommend you think about only losing weight which is better for you.
Measurable
You need to set your mind with positive thinking. You may think that you want to wear your favorite t-shirt and feel good at it again. And it is a wrong way to think; you should motivate yourself saying that you will fit into smaller sizes because it is something you can easily achieve.
Achievable
You need to be realistic. You won’t lose six stone in a week, and you can’t suddenly get up from the sofa and run a marathon if you have never run before. But if you commit yourself to track what you eat every day for a week, and follow your fitness expert, your goal can be achievable.
Relevant
Everyone who wants to lose weight does not have the same goals. If you are not interested in going to the gym, you need to pay attention elsewhere. Of course, it would be good to train yourself and enjoy the gym three times a week, but if it is not everybody’s cup of tea.
That’s why you make your goals as personal as possible for you. For example, if you love to cook, your goal will be to prepare healthier meals. And in this way, you can keep yourself active. In a word, you need to do any physical activity that you love.
Set Your Time
Set yourself a deadline to reach your goal. If you do not do this, you will probably find day-by-day you are becoming unlikely to achieve your goal. So, you should avoid everything that can be a cause of not reaching the point. And you should research thoroughly your plan about what to do as well as how long it will take you to get to this point.
Set Rewards
You may be wondering what your motivation will be for reaching your mini-goals. Theoretically, the motivation you need is to know that you are losing weight and improving your health.
In reality, it is an abstract thought, and it can be difficult to hold on. In this case, you can reward yourself for hitting your mini goals, and it can be a great motivation to keep you going when times get tough.
Most people reward themselves with food which is a big mistake. It is okay to celebrate by having a cheat day, but you should cautious of rewarding yourself with food; otherwise, you probably won’t get any useful results.
Non-food Rewards
You may give yourself non-food rewards. Your rewards shouldn’t be a barrier to reach your ultimate weight loss goal. You can buy a new water bottle, pair of exercise shorts, or you could make your rewards something entertaining or fun, like a new video game, tickets to see your favorite band or a trip to the cinema.
Another way to reward you is to get a jar and put a pound coin for each lb. of weight you lose. It can be an excellent visual representation of your weight loss when you see the currency is increasing. Again, you can purchase smaller clothes with savings when you reach your ideal weight.
Final Words
Lastly, you need to adjust your plan to reach your desired fitness. If you face up with trouble while following a rigorous practice routine, you may decide to reduce the exercise a bit. If you indulge too often, you may need to think of alternative activities that will distract you and help you to stay on track.
As you know, setting and achieving weight loss goals is very simple if you know three vital points. And these are: where to start, where do you plan to stop, and what do you need to do to get there? Hope, you don’t need to worry anymore about how to set and prepare weight loss goals.
| More for Fitness Admirers |
| – Exercise Ball – Treadmill Under $2000 – Rowing Machine Under $500 – Elliptical Under $1500 – Losing Weight for Your Wedding |