SETTING SMART GOALS
Your weight-loss goals can mean the difference between success and failure. A realistic, well-planned goal keeps you focused and motivated. Where an unrealistic and overly aggressive weight-loss goal can hold you back and possibly cause you to give up.
You should set different types of weight loss goals such as an outcome goal and a process goal. An outcome goal is a goal that focuses on the end result and a process goal is a goal that focuses on the steps necessary to reach the outcome goal.
Process goals are extremely helpful for weight loss because you focus on changing daily behaviors and habits that are necessary for losing weight.
A good goal-setting strategy is the SMART goal checklist. Be sure that any weight-loss goal you make meets the following criteria:
SMART GOALS
Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-Based
Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal.
EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a gym and workout 3 days a week.”
Measurable: Establish specific criteria for measuring progress toward achieving the goal. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the feelings of achievement that pushes you to continued to work for your goals.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask these questions…
How much? How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable: When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities and skills to reach them. You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps
Realistic: To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work towards. A goal can be both high and realistic as long as you are willing to put the work in to reach that goal.
Timely: A goal should be set within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you set it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably a SMART goal if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.