How to Set Weight Loss Goals – Shaping the Outcome

You can shed pounds without following complicated plans, without eating frozen or liquid meals, without craving your favorite foods, or shelling out hard-ea
ed money. If you want to keep off extra pounds for good, then traveling like lightning isn’t the best way to get there. (After all, it took time to put on the weight.)
Instead climb aboard a slow, steady train. You’ll feel the bumps. You may have some extra stops on the way. You will still reach your destination and enjoy the foods along the way.
First, Figure Out Your Motivation to Set Weight Loss Goalsr
Answer the why, and make it a big why. Why do you want to lose or keep off your weight? If your motivation is to wear that size 8 dress or to fit into those good jeans from last year, then you may setting yourself up not to make the long journey, because you won’t have a strong enough motive to keep the weight off in the future.
On the other hand, if you motivation is to be healthy and feel good about yourself, you will likely make your new eating and exercise habits part of your new lifestyle. It’s lifestyle you are ultimately affecting here. By making this a major reason of your ultimate goal, you will have a stronger motive to achieve it and maintain it.
Set Weight Loss Goals that Fit into Small Jars and Take Short Moments to Reach
Now, as you have begun your journey, it’s time to think about goals. Often people reach for goals that are impossible to achieve, and set themselves up for failure. For example, dropping 35 pounds in two months or swearing not to eat a certain food. Then, when they don’t meet those goals, they easily feel defeated and are apt to give up.
Instead, shoot for goals that are realistic and short term. Then, repeat. I learned this from a friend of mine.
I suggested to her: aim to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week. She retorted in a way that I thought she was joking with me, when she said she was going to lose a half a pound per week. A year later she was 32 pounds less, which represents 23% ahead of her set goal. Though it was over a year mind you, nevertheless, she did an unthinkable task, by breaking it into baby steps. And she kept herself motivated by reaching those doable steps each week and by sometimes exceeding them.
Short term weekly goals. Realistic half pound goals. Amazing. She expected success all along, because she wasn’t over extending herself. A couple less sodas this week. An extra walk or two outside next week.
Success in Weight Loss Goals -- Keeping the Written Record

Another key to her success, I believe, is this: She weighed herself on a consistent day, Saturday morning. This was was to keep herself from worrying about the midweek fluctuations and to never record herself right after a meal.
I think this contributed to her ultimate success. Her goals were measured using a consistent standard. This weekly result she would record in her notebook, along with the few things she did that week to accomplish her result.
To Summarize the Steps on How To Set Weight Loss Goals for Successr
First, start with a high-ground motivation. Next, make yourself a simple attainable goal and place it within a doable time-frame. Finally, be consistent in your application of it by recording your results it in a notebook every week.
As the last word, to echo the first thoughts. Weight loss is going to take time, almost the same time it took to put it on. If you think in that way, then when you are about to set for yourself weight loss goals, with these tips in mind, you will be better able to prepare for the journey ahead.