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When it's time to lose weight, almost everyone is looking for weight loss tips to make it quicker, easier, and as pain-free as possible.
So we have all read the common weight loss tips:
Don't eat after 7PM
Clear the cupboard of non-diet foods
Don't buy food you shouldn't eat on your diet
Drink 8 glasses of water a day, one before every meal
Restrict calories and only eat 800 calories a day
Eat only eggs, cabbage soup, or salads
And on and on it goes.
BUT:
what is the one weight loss tip we often skip over if we think of it at all?
Setting a goal for weight loss is the smartest weight loss tip we can ever do for ourselves.
But if you think about it, not setting a goal, and having no direction, doesn’t make sense at all. Especially if you have a big number to lose on the scale.
With regards to your health and fitness goals, you probably want to be thin, fit, trim, and full of energy, with little or no pain, illness, or discomfort.
You want to live a long, healthy, and happy life with all the energy and agility that you had at a much younger age. You want to do all the things, you want to do. And you can go to all the places you want to go to.
The majority of people put their health above everything else. And this is very wise. If you have your health, you have everything.
But if you lose your health for any reason, then you are failing at the great game of life.
How to Set a Weight Loss Goal
You must start setting health goals by deciding exactly how long you plan to live.
Most people haven’t even thought of this at all. If they do, most people think they want to live well past 100 years old.
But:
for most people, the way they live their lives is a pipe dream. They are detached from reality.
The average lifespan in the U.S. is about 75 years for a man and 81 years for women. This means over 50% of people will die below this age.
And by looking at the general health habits of people, you can quickly determine who is going to pull down the averages.
If you want to have a chance at beating the odds, then you need to have goals and a plan to reach those goals.
Perhaps the most important principle in goal setting is what is often called idealization. Psychology Today defines idealization as the process of “...generating positive illusions by maximizing benefits and minimizing flaws.”
Idealization is so simple and yet so powerful. Using it only requires a pad of paper, a pen, a little bit of your time, but you’re worth it.
Tips for Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals
Your main focus is to set a goal and to be absolutely specific and clear about what you really want to achieve in a certain time frame. In the case of a diet, it might be losing a certain number of pounds, or inches off our body. All in a certain amount of time.
When setting up your goals you need to be specific, write down things like:
- “I am now wearing size 4 or a 6”, or
- “I weigh 130lbs” for women, or
- for a man “I am wearing a size 34’s in pants”.
These are just examples.
The important thing to remember when setting a goal is to be realistic with the goal. If you are a woman and have 50 lbs to lose, it wouldn’t be realistic to set a goal to lose that amount of weight in one month. No matter how many online ads suggest that their product will help you do just that! Make sure your goals are attainable and set mini-goals to help you reach your final goal.
For example, if you have 50lbs to lose, a more realistic goal might be to lose 10-12 lbs per month. So that 50 lbs should be gone if you continue your plan, in 4-5 months.
For big goals that may take extended amounts of time to achieve, include mini-goals to help break up the time. This also allows you to consider how realistic your final goal is.
Plan to Achieve Your Weight Loss
The next step is to formulate a plan of what you will need to do and control to achieve your goal.
Think of it like this. You are like a movie producer, make your goal your own. Imagine making a movie where you plan and control everything that happens. This is why goals are so important, you control the outcome of how and what happens.
- A key piece to your plan is recording the details in a notebook or in an online document. You need to be able to refer back to your plan.
- Also, talk about the goal like it has already happened.
When you develop your plan for health and fitness, it takes dedication and effort.
When planning out your day, start the weight loss process with a set time in the day.
I find for me, the morning is one of the best times to start your day. What is important is to do it consistently.
Plan out your routine. Know what you are going to do before temptations, or other events steer you off your plan.
You can come up with all the excuses in the world not to follow your plan, and our biggest one is, we don’t have the time. Setting a plan to schedule a time for exercise in your routine, lessens the chance you will not achieve your goal.
For example, you can start early and add exercise to your diet. Starting with a morning walk or a quick HIIT workout helps to get your heart rate up, and boost your metabolism.
Anybody can walk for 15 minutes and each day. After about 16 days you will create a habit, a good habit.
Record Your Plan
Until you are committed to your plan and have it written down nothing happens. Oh, we all have good intentions. We say we want to lose weight and get back in shape. But, this is how you get it done!!!
The Most Important Weight Loss Tip is to Formulate a Plan to Reach Your Goal
Once you have your goals set, defining your plan is important. Record the steps you are going to take to reach your goal, in a journal such as the Personal Diet Journal #ad to reach each of your goals.
Looking for a heart-healthy way to eat? The Mediterranean Diet is a flexible and easy eating plan that can help you lose and manage your weight. Learn more about this healthy eating plan in my post, Mediterranean Lifestyle and Diet.
10 Plus Tips to Plan for Weight Loss
Decide on the ideal weight you would like to achieve and record it in your plan.
Set a deadline to reach this weight.
Remember if it is a large number, then you may need to set sub-goals along the way to keep you motivated.
Having a reward such as a new Water Bottle, or even a Fitbit Tracker will help keep you motivated until your next milestone.
Determine potential obstacles and define how you will stay on track.
Determine what you must learn. To do something you have never done before, you must become someone you have never been before. Every new goal requires you to become a new person.
Who will help you? For example, your family. What will you have to do, to earn their support? What's in it for them?
Make a plan to achieve your goal. Organize the list according to priority.
Write down your meal plan, what you will eat, how much you will eat, and when.
Decide when and how long you will exercise, even if it is every other day. Write it down.
Mentally prepare your mind for the steps you need to take to lose weight.
- Say to yourself I am now losing 3 pounds every 4 days.
- I am walking for 30 minutes and increasing my time easily and effortlessly.
- When I walk every morning I feel myself getting lighter.
- Walking makes me feel fantastic!!
- I now weigh my ideal weight. Put the number down on paper.
Take action- Do something each day that moves you towards the achievement of your goal-Develop the Momentum Principle, as defined by Brian Tracy, “It may take a lot of effort and energy to overcome inertia and get the process started initially, it then takes far less energy to keep it going.”
Think about your goal and your plan every day, stay focused and begin to activate all the power of your mind. Organizing the mental laws to work on your behalf.
Find Ways to Reach Your Weight Loss Goal
Remember this:
we become what we think about most!
and
there are no limits except the limits you place on yourself.
However, starting out we have to go through some pain.
For example, when you start an exercise routine.
Yes, lack of exercise causes us to be uncomfortable as we start to get into shape. You will get sore and sometimes you will quit before you really get started.
I am no different, so what I found helped me was to join an early morning weight loss Boot Camp. Read my post, HIIT Boot Camp Training Burns Fat.
Joining a group helps make me accountable and keeps me on track. Not only will you do it, because you're paying for it, but you actually work out with a group of people trying to accomplish the same thing you are, and they are there early in the morning too.
This takes away the excuse that you don’t have the time. Because at 5:30 am what else would you be doing except sleeping? Right?
I am telling you from experience, we won’t get it done by ourselves without a goal and a plan. I am here to say. When it becomes a must-do even though you're sore you will have enough reason to stick with it
The most important thing is having the desire to be healthy and lose weight...
and the second is making a goal and having a plan to achieve that goal. Let’s do it!
SAVE for Later! ⇓
July 2021 Update: Minor post changes and updated image.
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Medical Disclaimer
This site contains general information about diet, health, fitness, and nutrition. This information should not be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition. Please consult with your physician before using any dietary supplement or before beginning a diet or exercise program.
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