Setting weekly goals gives you a personalized plan for weight-loss success. Manageable goals help you establish new habits. Participants who chose their own small changes in diet and physical activity lost significantly more weight than control groups in a randomized three-month study by University of North Carolina researchers that was published in the June 2008 issue of "Annals of Behavioral Medicine." Keeping a record of your goals and tracking your progress supports weight loss.
Step 1
Write down your main challenges and any obstacles you're aware of that have undercut your previous efforts to lose weight. Start your weight loss program with an understanding of the things that are most difficult for you so you can prepare yourself for the challenges ahead. For example, if you tend to overeat at night, skip exercise, eat in front of the TV or indulge in sweets when you encounter them at work, make a note of those obstacles.
Step 2
Write down one or two alternatives to the behaviors that undercut your efforts to lose weight. Be specific in your strategies. For example, personal trainer Bob Greene recommends having an eating cut-off time. Make a goal to stop eating at a specific time every evening if you tend to consume excess calories at night.
Step 3
Make each goal attainable and sustainable, and avoid taking on too much change too fast. For example, if you normally spend most of your time seated, working out for five hours a week starting tomorrow is too much. Set small goals that you can fit into your life long-term.
Step 4
Pick your best solution to one of your weight-loss challenges and make that your goal for the first week. Set a goal to exercise for 20 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, for example.
Step 5
Commit to achieving your goal and hold yourself accountable. Check off each exercise session on your calendar or in your food and fitness journal after you complete it. Repeat this new habit each week and keep track of your progress.
Step 6
Set a new small goal each week. Continue each healthy habit and keep track of your successes in your food and fitness journal.
Step 7
Change your goals as you progress. For example, after two weeks of exercising for 20 minutes three times a week, add a fourth exercise session to your weekly exercise program.
Tips and Warnings
- If someone in your life often tempts you to eat foods you need to avoid, write down what you can say to that person in the future. Try out alternatives to your favorite foods and beverages to meet your calorie reduction goal without feeling deprived. Allowing yourself some of your favorite things in limited quantities can help you stick to a healthy eating plan long-term. Include strength training in your exercise program to prevent muscle loss. Dieting and aerobic exercise can result in losing lean tissue and slow your metabolism. Lifting weights boosts your metabolism, and helps you lose more fat and maintain muscles.
- Consult your doctor about any medical concerns. Exercise at a moderate intensity for at least two weeks before attempting more vigorous forms of exercise. If you've been inactive, walking briskly will help you get in better shape for other forms of exercise.
Things You'll Need
- Notebook
References
- MayoClinic.com; Weight-loss Goals: 10 Tips for Success; August 2010
- "Annals of Behavioral Medicine"; Small Changes in Nutrition and Physical Activity Promote Weight Loss and Maintenance: 3-Month Evidence from the ASPIRE Randomized Trial; Lesley Lutes, et al.; June 2008
- "Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover"; Bob Greene; 2005
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