Setting a goal for your dieting or weight loss journey.

By Lewiser Nkrumah

An individual needs to think about what he or she wants to achieve if going on a dieting journey which includes weight loss. Ask yourself the question, ‘What do you wish to achieve at the end of it?’. You need to think deeply and know the reason for deciding to lose that weight or stay in shape (desired outcome). People tend to lose weight or stay in shape to either boost their confidence, physically look good, have high self-esteem, fit into a party, or wedding dress. Setting a real ‘GOAL’ for yourself makes you focus and consistent to avoid deviation on the way of the journey. A good goal can be deemed as an object of a person’s ambition or effort. When setting a goal, one needs to put these into consideration:

1. The goal needs to be SPECIFIC. It needs not to be vague and you should know the end zone in order to work consistently in achieving it.
2. MEASURABLE: you should be able to measure your goal.
3. ATTAINABLE: your goal needs to be achievable and not a goal that cannot be carried out.
4. RELEVANT: its importance should be in connection to the weight loss journey you want to undertake. If the goal is not relevant, it becomes difficult to achieve it and the level of enthusiasm is low.
5. TIME-BOUND: the goal needs to be carried out over a certain period of time that is favorable to the individual. Always remember to work within that time you have set for yourself to achieve your goal.

Setting a goal that relates to your behavior is easy to accomplish in relation to losing weight. For instance, you are a size 18 by eating a lot of junk food and high intake of unhealthy fats, in order to move to a size 12 as your desired outcome, you need to cease consuming such foods. Automatically you begin to lose the weight and get your desired outcome (size). Making the behavior your goal makes it easier to shred that excess fat. Individuals need to have a clear goal and write it to be a constant reminder to them. Get an action plan using different tried-and-tested principles from researchers or dieticians in order to achieve it.

Creating a strategy for your goal is very key in the journey. Individuals need to indicate the dress or trouser size or weight he or she wants to attain and when you want to achieve it (time-bound). Give yourself time to achieve the goal you want. If you refuse to make your mind and body to achieve your desired weight, you will start and end up coming back to the old habits you were trying to stop. Always have it in mind that, your body is not used to the new activities you are outlining for yourself so you need to move at a slow pace. You were a less or no active individual back then, so when changing such habits that have been built up for years you need to move slowly if not your mind and body breaks down and you are unable to continue. For instance, Emily is a size 14 but decides to lose some weight and move to a size 10. She decides to add going to the gym at least three times a week. She started the first few days full of enthusiasm and determination to achieved her desired outcome. Emily decides to add a lot of weight lifting to her cardio workouts forgetting the fact her body is not used to that. After a few days, she begins to feel a lot of body pains which makes it even difficult for her to walk or go to the gym. This will set her back and if care is not taken might not go to the gym again. She forgot her body is not used to that physical activity, so she needed to start at a slow pace. She was supposed to start without the weights and then gradually move to more intense training when her body is getting used to the new changes. This all comes down to the fact that, your goal needs to be realistic and attainable.

Measure your progress once every month. Checking your weight on a daily basis or once every week might make you want to give up since there might not be any significant changes yet. Individuals need to be patient and consistent. Never compare your progress with someone’s own. We all have different body mass, so the rate at which A will shred some fat might not be the same rate which B will shred that same fat.

Setting goals is very relevant. It puts you on the track and always has it in mind that, there will be obstacles during the journey but hard work, consistency, and discipline will see you through. Always refer to your written goals and strategies in order to be in check.