subject: Goal Setting For Weight Loss: Dream Bigger, Get Smaller [print this page] Goal Setting For Weight Loss: Dream Bigger, Get Smaller
Goal Setting For Weight LossIn weight loss as in life, some people get to where they want to go and some people do not. You've probably heard hundreds of times that it is crucial to write your goal down. But do you know why this step is so important? When you put pen to paper you turn your thoughts into something tangible. I suspect that's why statistics show that only 2% of Americans actually write down their goals.
Here is an amazing fact: Of the entire 1953 graduating class of Yale University, only 3% had clearly defined and written goals. Twenty years later, that same 3% of the class had a net worth greater than the combined net worth of the entire 97% of the rest of the class. Let's go over 9 steps in goal setting that you can apply to your weight loss goals and for any life goal to get you where you want to be.
1. DETERMINE YOUR PRESENT POSITION. If you were to ask me how to get my house, I would first ask you, where are you? To reach your weight loss goals you need to know more than just your present weight but you also should know your blood pressure, cholesterol, resting heart rate, and other data that may require a trip to the doctor. You should do an honest assessment of your emotional, spiritual and relational health because, believe it or not, it is all related.
2. DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOURSELF. You need to write down. What do you want to be? Is it an athlete? Is it an underwear model? Do you just want to be healthy and if that is your goal, how do you define it? Write it down.
What do you want to do? Do you want to run a marathon? Do you want to sky dive? Do you just want to play with your kids without passing out? None of those goals is better than the other. But you have to know what it is. Write it down.
What do you want to have? Is it 6-pack abs? Is it a cobra-shaped back? Is it great legs? Is it a girlfriend? Write it down.
3. FIND A THEME. If you are a Christian, you might use a Bible quote such as Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". If you are not religiously inclined it might be something like "When the world says, give up, hope whispers, try it one more time." Maybe you want to use, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Whatever it is, you'd better believe it! The phrase that pays had better be in your head and in your heart, ready to pull out when you hit the wall because the road to fitness is never a straight line with a slight grade.
4. ENLIST THE HELP OF AN EXPERT. That may be EXPERTS. That expert may mean a professional if you need a medical assessment. However, that expert may not be a professional. Do you have a friend with a weight loss success that they have safely sustained for a number of years? It would silly not to pick their brain to see how they did it.
5. IDENTIFY THE BARRIERS. You probably have tried to get in the shape of your life before and it didn't work. Maybe it did work but you couldn't maintain it. What were the barriers? I couldn't stick with a healthy diet. I couldn't exercise regularly. I would binge at night. You need to find out what the barriers are and then find away around, under, over, or through them.
6. CREATE A STEP BY STEP PLAN. Your expert will be able to help you with this. Answer these two questions; what methods am I going to use to get there and how long will it take?
7. BE PATIENT AND PERSISTENT. The things that you plan WILL NOT happen right away but slowly, steadily, with persistence your vision of a healthy, fit body, will be fulfilled. Just don't quit!8. ENLIST A TEAM FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Your journey will go faster and smoother with a support team. Think of a car pulling in to the pits during an auto race. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if the driver had to change his own tire, pump his own gas and get his own drink? You need a team to provide you with the right fuel, to give you the right emotional support. An accountability partner would really come in handy for keeping you honest with the exercise portion.
9. PAY THE PRICE. Realize that there is a cost, be it time, effort or money, for anything that is worthwhile. Ask yourself what will it cost me? What am I willing to pay? Is it worth it?
Spending many years as an exercise (not physical but military operations) planner in the Navy, I'm here to tell that things may go wrong but a written goal and a written plan is a framework from where adjustments can be made and justified if need be. Dream big. Set your goals and then go for it!
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