Having a goal of any kind can help you accomplish things you want to do. It gives a vision of what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. However, goals must be realistic, especially a weight loss goal. It’s tempting to fantasize about losing 60 pounds in a few weeks, but it’s not possible to do, at least in a healthy way, if at all. Excess pounds are often packed on over a long period and come with a lifetime of bad habits. It takes a while to change a habit and develop a new one.
What is your ideal weight?
People often don’t know exactly how much they should weigh. A lot of factors decide that. It starts with gender, height, age and body build. Your height is extremely important. If you’re five foot two and weigh 165 pounds, you’d be classified as obese. However, if you’re six foot two, you’d be a normal weight. The more muscle you have, the more you can weigh and still be healthy. Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue does. Men have more muscle tissue on the average, so a man can weigh more based on his height.
Compare your ideal weight to your present weight.
If your ideal weight is 120 pounds and your present weight is 160 pounds, you have 40 pounds to lose. How are you going to do that? Since one to two pounds per week is a realistic goal, but you want to set your sights high, divide that forty by 2. It means you’ll lose 2 pounds a week for 20 weeks to reach that goal. That gives you time to develop good habits and learn to make smarter choices in food for a healthier diet.
Track your weight weekly but be prepared for some setbacks.
Weigh yourself the same time every week, just once a week. If you weigh too often it can get discouraging or give a false impression. Your body is constantly changing weight throughout the day from varying water weight. Add exercise to the mix, but don’t go overboard. Schedule a half hour to an hour to exercise each day. If you don’t meet your goal one week, don’t get discouraged, you’ll probably meet it the next. If you don’t, check your eating habits and see if you really stuck with the program.
- It’s possible to lose several pounds in a few days, but normally that’s the first few days of a diet and occurs due to water weight loss. It can’t be continued week after week.
- Always track your progress. You can do it by recording the food you eat, your time exercising and your weight. You can also use measurements or take a picture every week in the same outfit at the same place.
- There are some things you can’t change. If you’re big boned and have a large frame, you’re never going to be petite. It’s not realistic. Control the things you can control like your weight, and accept those you can’t.
- Make sure your goal is healthy. Today a number of people have eating disorders because they see themselves as fat, when actually they’re a healthy weight. If your weight is within normal limits, maybe you just need to tone your muscles to look your best.
For more information, contact us today at ProWeight Loss