Setting Weight-Loss Goals

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• QHow can I reach my weight-loss goal?

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  A Dr. James O. Hill , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered

  Start by setting a goal of losing 10% of your current weight. Once you reach that goal, add another five to 10%, so that you’re losing weight in increments. Sometimes people fail with weight loss because their goals are too much, too soon. Be patient, you didn’t gain all of that weight in six months, so you probably won’t lose it all in six months.
  
  Weight-loss goals need to involve diet and exercise. The mistake I think people make most is that they make diet changes that cannot be sustained. It’s very rare that a person can keep off weight without adopting a physically active lifestyle. Losing weight and keeping it off are different processes. Lots of people succeed in losing weight but not in keeping it off. To reach the weight you want to achieve and keep it there, you have to make permanent changes to your lifestyle.

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• QWhat is a realistic weight loss goal?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  

  If you have a fair amount of weight to lose, it's only natural to wish you could lose it fast -- but that's not smart or sustainable, says actress and Dr. Oz Show guest Rosie O'Donnell. In this video, the television personality talks about where she is in her weight-loss journey.

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• QWhy should I write down my weight loss goals?

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  A Marisa Moore , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

  After thinking them up, committing your goals to paper is the next step towards success. There is evidence that people who write down their goals accomplish significantly more than those who do not. Writing down your goals makes your thoughts concrete and allows you to track progress and maintain a high level of motivation. Put your goals in a place where you’ll see them daily or on the schedule you set. A bathroom mirror, in the corner of your computer screen or on a cubicle wall are all great places to post reminders and affirmations.

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• QWhy should I understand why I want to lose weight?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  

  You know if you need to lose weight. You can tell by the way you look, by the way you feel, and whether your clothes feel tighter than an unopened pickle jar. But to be able to make changes—sustainable changes—you not only have to know what you've done to your figure. You also have to know why you're abusing your body—in the form of the emotional and physical triggers that led you to gaining weight. To start, perform a self-administered "why" test—that is, keep asking yourself "why" questions about your weight until you come to the real answer about why you want to lose weight and why you can't. It may go something like this:

  • Why do you want to lose weight?
    Because I want to fit into my old pair of jeans.
  • Why do you want to fit into your old pair of jeans?
    Because I'd have more confidence.
  • Why do you want more confidence?
    Because I'll feel better trying to meet new people.
  • Why do you want to meet new people?
    Because I'm recently divorced and hoping to start a new relationship.
  • Why do you want to start a new relationship?
    Because I'm feeling lonely.

  And that's likely where the thread of questions stops—where you can link the first question to the last answer. You want to lose weight because you're lonely, but the likely cause of your weight gain is the very same thing—that you're lonely.

  

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• QWhy do I need to set weight loss goals?

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  A Jeff Croswell , NASM Elite Trainer , Fitness, answered

  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.

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• QWhat are the benefits of visualizing my weight loss goals?

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  A Dr. Andrea Pennington, MD , Integrative Medicine, answered

  Defining your goal, visualizing it regularly, and setting it into the cosmic energy field, is the first step to maintaining your enthusiasm and desire. Maybe your goal is to sit on an airplane with your legs tucked comfortably underneath you, or maybe it's to sashay down the hall without your legs rubbing together. Visualize yourself at your goal several times a day. Do it every morning before getting out of bed and every night before going to sleep.
• QWhat are the benefits of setting a time-based weight loss goal?

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  A Dr. Andrea Pennington, MD , Integrative Medicine, answered

  Making your weight loss goal time based gives you something to strive for. It is not enough to say, "I will lose 10 pounds." Instead, try "I will lose 10 pounds by June 1" or "by my 10-year reunion in October." That timetable will help you stay on track, as long as it's realistic. Expect resistance or struggles, achieving anything can be difficult, especially changing your fitness and nutrition routine. You will experience some not-so-good days and hopefully plenty of great days. Use the great days to keep you going on the days when you slip a little. Know that failure is not when you fall, it is when you stay down. If you fall, get up, brush yourself off and get on with it. Reward yourself when you do something great or reach a milestone. Some people put aside the money they saved kicking their smoking habit and later use it to do something they love, such as plan a great vacation. Looking forward to a non-food reward or treat will help you stay focused during the tough times.
• QHow should I set a weight-loss goal?

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  A Robert DeVito , Fitness, answered on behalf of IFS - Innovation Fitness Solutions

  

  If you have ever set a weight loss goal and failed to reach it, you know how discouraging it can be.  Every time we fail at weight loss, we lose more confidence in ourselves and our ability to lose weight and keep it off.  It does not take long before we are convinced we can never do it and we give up completely.
  Unfortunately, one of the reasons this happens is because we set goals that are unrealistic.  The purpose of a goal is to provide motivation and draw us toward it.  We should enjoy moving in the direction of our goal.  But if a goal is too big, too distant and too complicated, it will not motivate us; it will overwhelm us and paralyze us.  It will work against us and be more likely to bring failure than success.
  
  1.  Attainable.   A realistic and effective weight loss goal is one that is small and attainable.  Your goal needs to be something that you can reach in one or two weeks.  For example, instead of saying, “I want to lose 50 pounds,” say, “I want to only eat dessert once a week for the next two weeks.”  This is a goal that you can reach and it will have a profound impact on your weight.  Two weeks is not very long to wait to celebrate your success, and the closeness of it will help to keep you motivated.
  
  2.  Controllable.  Your goals need to be things that you can actively control.  Setting a goal of losing X number of pounds is not completely within your control.  There are many things that affect your weight—water retention, physical activity or even weight lifting can cause the scale to go up.  By setting a specific poundage loss, you are setting yourself up for discouragement, and it is largely out of your control.  Choose instead a controllable goal.  For instance, you can control how many days a week that you exercise.  A good goal would be, “By the end of next week, I will have worked out X number of minutes.”
  
  3.  Measurable. A realistic goal is one that you can measure, so that you know when you have reached it.  Saying, “I am going to eat fiveservings of vegetables every day” is much better than saying, “I want to lose a lot of weight.”  The first goal is measurable, the second is too vague.

  

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• QShould I set goals with my daily meal plan?

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  A Jeff Croswell , NASM Elite Trainer , Fitness, answered

  It is always a good idea to set goals for your meal planning.  You should always know how much you should be eating per day so you know what to burn to either lose or gain weight depending on your goals.  Also knowing when you should eat and how much to give you the proper energy throughout the day as well.  Most people don't plan their meals out and have no idea how many calories they are eating in a day which can cause a problem if you are trying to lose weight.  So bottom line setting goals wether it is for meal planning or anything else is a good idea.

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• QHow can a positive goal statement help me achieve weight loss?

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  A Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered

  

  Learning to set goals in a way that results in a positive experience is critical to your success. The following guidelines can be used to set any goal' whether short or long term' including your desired weight. You can use goal setting to create a success cycle - a succession of positive achievements. Achieving goals helps you feel better about yourself' and the better you feel about yourself' the more likely you are to achieve your goals. Success breeds success.

  1. State the goal in positive terms; do not use any negative words in your goal statement. For example' it is better to say' &quotI enjoy eating healthy' low-calorie' nutritious foods'" than &quotI will not eat sugar' candy' ice cream' and other fattening foods."
  2. Make your short-term goal attainable and realistic. Again' a short-term goal can be used to create a success cycle and a positive self-image. Little successes add up to make a major difference in the way you feel about yourself.
  3. Be specific. The clearer your goal is defined' the more likely you are to reach it. What is the exact weight you desire? What is the body fat percentage or measurements you desire? Clearly define what it is you want to achieve.

     Use the guidelines above to construct both a short- and a long-term positive goal statement.

     For example' a short-term goal statement could be: &quotMy body is strong and beautiful. I feel good about myself and my body. I am losing 2 pounds a week and I feel fantastic!" And a long-term goal statement could be: &quotI am a size 6.1 feel beautiful' thin' and full of energy."

     Any voyage begins with one step and is followed by many other steps. Short-term goals can be used to help you achieve those long-term results described in your positive goal statement. Get in the habit of asking yourself the following question each morning and evening: What must I do today to achieve my long-term goal?

  4. State the goal in the present tense' not the future tense. In order to reach your goal' you have to believe you have already attained it. As noted psychologist Dr. Wayne Dyer says &quotYou'll see it' when you believe it." You must literally program yourself to achieve the goal. See and feel yourself having already achieved the goal and success will be yours. Remember always state your goal in the present tense.

  

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