If your aim is to lose weight permanently, you need to realize that the plan of action you choose is vitally important to your success. To lose weight effectively, you must set the right daily goals and use methods to implement your plan and assess your progress so that you can make any necessary adjustments to your regimen.
How can you choose the right weight loss goal? First, it’s important that your expectations are realistic about how much you’ll lose over a given time period. If you choose an impossible goal, this will ultimately lead to discouragement and you will abandon your weight loss efforts. But how can you determine a realistic goal?
1. Don’t rush to try to lose massive amounts of weight quickly. Slow and steady weight loss is more likely to be sustainable in the long term. Most professionals believe that a weight loss of approximately 5 to 10 percent of your initial weight is an attainable goal. For example, someone who weighs 150 pounds should aim to lose about 7.5 to 15 pounds. By doing it this way, you’ll stay healthy during the process.
2. Do a bit of math to figure out how quickly you can reasonably lose your goal weight. This calculation is important for your health. You should aim for no more than 2 pounds per week. Thus, a weight loss of 10 pounds should take at least 5 weeks, and you should allow at least 10 weeks to lose 20 pounds.
3. Set goals for the short term. Set small targets like losing 2 pounds, instead of 20 pounds. This will help keep you on track, since you’ll want to meet your weekly incremental goal too. It bears repeating that slow weight loss is more likely to bring about permanent results. Remember too that changing your diet and lifestyle permanently is another important goal. If you lose the weight in the short term only to return to your former habits, you’ll gain your weight back, and then some.
Another importation thing to consider is self-monitoring.
Assess your results. Make note of your weight regularly. Daily or weekly weigh ins are most common. Do be aware that your weight will naturally fluctuate due to fluid intake and retention, among other factors. If you are not meeting your targets, your exercise level or diet will likely need to be adjusted.
Try writing a food journal. Studies show that keeping a food diary can help people double the amount of weight lost. A food journal can function as a map to help you see trends in caloric intake and patterns of food consumption that may inhibit your weight loss. This will also make it easier to identify problematic behaviors and make adjustments.
Remember that it takes time to lose weight. Don’t rush the process. If you take it slow and easy, you’re more likely to stick with it. Understand that weight loss isn’t just a quick fix for your physical appearance; it’s a long term investment in your health.
