Setting Up Your WEIGHT LOSS Goals For SUCCESS

It doesn’t matter if it’s the beginning of the year or anywhere in between…

Many people want to lose weight for several different reasons. Rather it be for health reasons or to get back in shape to where they once were.

Personally, I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and I was a mess…

I never realized how big I had gotten until my girlfriend left me. That’s when I stood back and saw that I weighed well over 200 pounds. 55 pounds more than I weighed before I got with my girlfriend.

Many people have a similar story… but not many people had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was being told by their Doctor, at age 26, that they needed to lose weight.

I knew I didn’t want to be on medications before I hit 30, so I had to do something about my weight issue.

The Need To Set Weight Loss Goals

Would you ever jump into your car with a destination in mind but have no idea how to get there?

Sure, you can start your car and wonder around the streets until you find your destination but with no clear directions, you’re not very likely to find it.

By having a clear way to get to your destination (goal), you’ll have a map to tell you if you’re off track and how to get back on track.

Sometimes detours will happen, it’s ok, it’s part of life.

You may revise the steps (route) to getting to your goal.
You may decide on a different final goal.
You may rewrite some parts of your route to be more personal to you.

But with a clear map of how to get to your destination, you’ll be able to achieve your goals.

How To Lose Weight: Setting Weight Loss Goals

The best presentation of setting Clear And Specific Goals came from Zig Ziglar who walks you through 7 Steps to Setting Goals.

I highly recommend you make time to complete each of these steps…

Write down each of these steps… By setting them down permanently onto a sheet of paper, it keeps you from giving up on what matters to you in life.

Setting a goal and doing it right can take time. Zig Ziglar suggests putting over twenty hours into the really complex ones. So, set aside enough time to do this right and you will be rewarded.

Step 1: State Your Weight Loss Goal:

Your goal is not only to lose weight. You need to make it very specific.

And don’t say something you’re not sure about… Not “I kind of want to lose weight.” A goal has to be black or white, not in between.

Clearly state your goal as if it’s already completed. If you want to lose 30 pounds, write:

I have lost 30 pounds.

Try writing down your goals in this way once and see how it makes you feel.

Getting things out of your head and onto paper can be a great first start.

Step 2: Set a Deadline For Your Weight Loss Goal:

A lack of a deadline can make you put off your goal.

Add a deadline to your goal to enhance the clarity even further. This can be a particular date, a month, a year, or even a lifetime goal. For example:

I have lost 30 pounds by July 1st, 2014.

Even if you aren’t able to achieve it by the date, you can change the date later, but there’s something about listing the hopeful completion time that will kick your subconscious into high gear.

Step 3: Identify the Obstacles Towards Your Weight Loss Goal:

By pointing out the things that are in the way of a goal, we can figure out ways to overcome them.

It’s not about the path of least resistance; this is where the work comes into play.

We have goals because they are worthwhile, not because they’re easy.

Jim Rohn has a great explanation about going through obstacles in life:

Say you’re in an empty football stadium. You have a ball and you tuck it under your arm and cross the goal line. Should you feel good about yourself? Did you just score a touchdown?

No, of course not. There was no resistance, no other team, no fans for either side cheering or booing you. All you did was walk with a ball on a field. Now, add in the game and the packed stadium of fans.

If you cross the goal line with the ball, you have scored a touchdown and you will be cheered and congratulated by your team and fans. This is because you’ve actually accomplished something. You achieved a goal despite the obstacles against you. You did something that was worth it.

All goals worth achieving will have obstacles…

There’s no miracle weight loss pill here. If there was a magic weight loss pill, over 60% of Americans wouldn’t be overweight.

Life in general is tough… But at the end, reaching a goal is very much worth the effort you put in.

What are some obstacles with losing weight?

I can’t exercise for more than a few minutes.
I work 60 hours a week and I’m too tired by the time I get home.
There’s no gym close to my house.
I feel embarrassed working out in public.
I don’t like running.
I don’t know what to eat.
I eat out a lot with friends and don’t want them to know I’m trying to lose weight.
I’m not sure what kind of exercise I should do.

You don’t have to figure out how to beat these yet, that comes later.

Remember, thoughts in your head are a lot tougher to beat than words on a sheet of paper.

Listing your obstacles is a great first step to overcoming them!

Step 4: Identify the People, Groups, and Organizations that Can Help You Reach Your Weight Loss Goals:

The average person is afraid to ask for help. However, when we are trying to achieve goals, it’s a bad time to try to be independent.

Some of the greatest minds in human history had wonderful mentors or assistants to help them get to where they are.

A good number of them also belonged to organizations that honed their skills and aided in their achievement of their important life goals.

While friends and family can support you, you’ll get better support from someone who is on a similar weight loss journey as you or from people who have been there and achieved results.

Additionally, to reach your weight loss goal, you may need to learn a few things you didn’t know before.

A Google search can often be of great help. The important thing here is to search.

Make a list of the people, groups and organizations that can help you in your weight loss quest. If you can’t identify more than just a couple, do some research.

You’re worth the amount of time you put into planning out your goal.

And this doesn’t mean you’ll use everything you listed but at least now you’ll know where to go for help.

Here’s an example of some organizations that can help you:

Step 5: List the Benefits of Achieving Your Weight Loss Goal:

This is the fun part, where you’ll let your imagination run wild.

List the benefits to setting and achieving your goal. This is your WHY…

Let’s go over some of the benefits of losing weight:

More options in the type of clothes I can wear.
Being able to wear fashionable clothing.
Thighs no longer rubbing together.
No longer hiding from the camera.
Not having a sagging body.
Being able to sit in restaurants comfortably.
Not getting out of breath after walking up stairs.
Not hiding myself with baggy clothing.
Improved intimacy life with my husband.
Being able to keep up with my kids.
Not worrying about what other people think of me.
No longer hiding from a mirror.
Having more energy to do the things I want to do.
Not feeling self conscious.
No longer feeling like an embarrassment to my family and friends.

Whatever your goal is, go to town on writing down what you’ll enjoy when you reach your goal.

Step 6: List the Skills You Need to Acquire to Attain your Weight Loss Goal:

Taking on your goal and succeeding depends on what you do to make it easier and more achievable.

Here are some things you may need to learn to lose weight:

What foods to buy at the store.
Healthy recipes you can cook at home.
Best places to exercise locally.
Best fitness workout for you.
Difference between cardio & resistance workouts.
Type of workout best suited for your goals.
Type of supplements that will help you achieve your goal.
Time management skills.

Learn all you can about making your goal into reality.

Step 7: Develop a Plan To Lose Weight:

Steps 1 & 2 – You know your goal and when you want to achieve it.

Step 3 – You know what’s in your way.

Step 4 – You know who you can ask for help.

Step 5 – You know how your goal will benefit you. You determined your WHY.

Step 6 – You know what skills you must acquire to help you along the way.

Now we need to learn “HOW” you will achieve your goal.

Set times of when you’re going to do your research and talk to people so that you can implement your plan to reach your goal.

Break up your goal into little goals. For example, if your goal is to lose 30 pounds. Figure out how many pounds you should be losing every week until the date you specified you would achieve it (Step 2).

Decide, from your research, the best way to achieve your goal. For example, some people may only focus on changing what they eat first. Others may do a home work out or join a gym in addition to changing how they eat.

How much time AND when will you work on your goal. If you’re going to be exercising, set a time of when you’ll be working out every week… And when you set a time, KEEP IT!

With weight loss, you’ll want to start planning what you’ll be eating at least a day in advance. This way you don’t start reaching for junk food when you get hungry.

Make your plan now because the sooner you act, the more likely you’ll get started on your weight loss goal.

Check out what Zig Ziglar says about starting NOW on your fitness goals:

Final Thoughts on Setting Weight Loss Goals

All great motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and many others always say: Determine your WHY first and the HOW will come naturally.

Your mind will start searching your surroundings to help you achieve the results you want.

Really dig into Step 5 because those benefits are going to keep you going when things get tough. Even post those benefits on a mirror or wall; somewhere that you’ll see them every day as a reminder.

Another way to remind yourself of your goals is to create a Vision Board. Click here to learn how

A Vision Board will further help your subconscious to help you reach your weight loss goals.

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Good Luck in achieving your weight loss goals!

Work With Me – Leaders Only

P.S. If you are looking for a way to increase your fitness, nutrition, social, and even occupational wellness, be sure to start with a FREE Team Beachbody Account and you will get support, motivation, and gain access to free tools to keep you on track with your wellness goals.