My goal is that by December 31st 2012 I will weigh 168 pounds. Today I weigh 220 pounds so I need to lose 52 pounds.
Or….
To achieve my goal of losing 52 pounds I will need to lose at least 1 pounds per week for the next 12 months.
Then create mini or short term goals which will help you on a daily basis to work towards your final goal of losing 100 pounds. These “mini” or short term goals are important because they keep you focused, motivated and will help you build momentum from one week into the next.
How do you achieve long term weight loss?...one pound at a time. To achieve your weight loss goals you must set realistic goals that will inspire you and motivate you to continue moving forward.
Creating Realistic Weight Loss Goals
You will find that setting weight loss goals to be one of the most important actions you can do to guarantee your success when you start a diet. A very common mistake many people make when starting a diet is to set unattainable goals. They set themselves up for failure by setting goals such as, “I will lose 40 pounds in the next two weeks”, or “I will never have dessert again!” Those would be incredible goals if you could achieve them but the goals like these will destroy your ability to continue dieting.
If you set goals that are not achievable then you will get frustrated and quit. You don’t want that to happen. Success is completely within your grasp. So when creating goals, make sure you create goals you can easily attain every week. These are powerful short-term goals.
Once you have made the list of short-term goals write down what actions you need to take to achieve these goals. When you are making this list be as specific as possible.
When writing your goals find a quiet place where you can concentrate fully on the task. Read your goals two or three times a day. Is every goal you have listed realistic and achievable in a seven-day period?
41