How To Set Goals for Success
Everyone's doing it--setting a weight loss goal as their New Year resolution. Of course they set the same goal last year and the year before and the year before that. The sad reality is that approximately 85% of people who plan to lose weight either don't stick to the diet long enough to achieve their goal or they quickly regain the pounds.
The good news? That means 15% of dieters do achieve a lifetime of better health. So how do you make sure you're in the successful 15%? Obviously, calling Professional Weight Management is a terrific first step, because your PWM plan will be customized to your specific metabolism and your weekly consultations will provide the guidance and inspiration needed to stay on track. However, the drive to succeed can't be packaged into our supplements or force-fed by our consultants, but must live inside you. Keep that spirit alive with these tips on achieving your New Year's goals:
1) Focus on the positive. State your goal in terms of "I will" and not "I won't", as in :"I will eat healthy foods and move my body every day." Positive statements stimulate so many more happy thoughts than negative thoughts can. And just as the New Year presents a fresh opportunity to change our lives, each morning is a brand new day and a brand new opportunity to thrive, so leave yesterday's lapses in the past. The world gives us enough grief; give yourself forgiveness and love.
2) Be specific. A diet without a plan is really only a wish, so make sure you have a specific goal to be achieved by a specific date. Your deadline will be even more effective if you have an event planned at the finishing line, such as looking fantastic in a wedding gown or buying a new fall wardrobe over the Labor Day weekend.
3) Focus on performance, not results. We all know the disappointment of being SO good all week, only to step on the scales and see zero weight loss. It happens, but it doesn't have to get you down if you're counting activities and not pounds. Eat the right foods, exercise daily, and give yourself the strokes you deserve for living right. The scales will catch up next week.
4) Put your goals in writing. Some people like to post their goal number on the fridge with an inspirational photo of a slim body beside it. Or maybe you can make it the screensaver on your computer. Writing your goal number makes it less of a wish and more of a concrete reality.
5) Be realistic. Your PWM consultant will help you set an achievable timeline for your weight loss plan, but if you're doing it yourself then remember that the number one reason for failure is the failure to properly plan. Don't cut your calories too far; your body will fight starvation-level diets by sacrificing muscle over fat. Don't plan hours of exercise each day if that routine will never fit into your schedule. Changing a lifestyle takes time, but can be rewarded with a lifetime of good health. And don't you deserve to be healthy, happy and trim, even if the transformation can't be achieved overnight?