Why do I need to set weight loss goals?

It’s important to have goals in anything you do in life—whether career goals, financial goals, educational goals or fitness goals. When it comes to weight loss, goals help keep you on the right track. Reviewing your weight loss goals from time to time will keep you accountable so that you stick with the diet and exercise plan.

To keep weight loss goals, first start with a goal of losing 10 percent of your weight. If you weigh 160, this means 16 pounds. If you weigh 210, this means 21 pounds. Once you have calculated the amount of weight you want to lose, write down your current weight and your goal weight on a piece of paper (such as 160 and 144; 210 and 189). Now start working toward your new goal.

Setting goals is always important so you know where are are and where you need to be.  As you progress you can see the improvments you are making.  Goals help people become more focused in what they have to do to reach a certain point.  If no goal is set then what are you trying to achieve then?  Goals give you those rewards for all the hard work you put into your efforts.

Have you made a decision to "lose weight"? If so, chances are you are taking a good look at where you are and possibly recognizing your desire for change. That "change" you are working towards will be your goal. Setting small, attainable goals with timelines will help with motivation and confidence building as you acknowledge your progress against your goal along the way.

Setting weight loss goals is incredibly important in your path to fitness success because they provide feedback on your progress and can help keep you motivated. Numbers don’t lie, especially numbers on the scale.  By setting incremental weight loss goals, you will be able to objectively measure your progress and determine if your attempts at fitness are proving to be successful or not. When setting goals for weight loss, you should make sure that you are setting short and long term goals. A long term goal provides the result, or the light at the end of the tunnel. Short term goals help you make your way through the tunnel and ensure that you are headed in the right direction. For example, you may determine that you want to lose 50 pounds of body fat in order to get to the healthy and fit size you are looking for. This is a great long term goal which should be broken up into smaller, more readily measurable goals. A healthy and realistic weight loss goal is one and a half pounds per week, which means every Monday you can weigh yourself in and determine if your hard work is paying off or if you need to make some immediate changes to your program.

By seeing incremental success, you will feel more positively about your program and, therefore, be more likely to stick with the tasks that are helping you accomplish your goals. You can, and should, also set daily goals to provide you with the positive reinforcement necessary to believe in yourself. Daily goals should be more task-oriented, for example engage in 30 minutes of cardio exercise and consume 1750 calories per day. Having daily goals such as these supports your overall initiative and help you feel good about yourself each day you are accomplishing them.