by Heather Robertson
I get a lot of questions regarding why I was so successful losing weight “this time”.
Of course, this wasn’t my first time trying to lose weight. I’d tried (and failed) MANY, MANY times before.
For those who don’t know my story, I tried for years to lose weight. I did all the popular programs and diets. I did Weight Watchers. I did Atkins. I did South Beach. I even did some programs more than once (like Weight Watchers).
But I failed them all. Every time.
So, what did I do differently this time? How was I able to finally get focused and reach my weight loss goal to lose 170 pounds?
(CLICK HERE to get your FREE weight loss tracking tool.)
The short, simple answer: I set a specific goal for myself and wrote it down.
I learned you can accomplish anything when you break down your long term goals into smaller, realistic chunks. The reason why we get overwhelmed is because we’re spending so much time thinking about where we want to be, rather than where we are.
If your child, who’s just learning to ride a bike, came to you and said, “Mom, I want to ride around the block with no training wheels.” You’d smile and say, “That’s a great plan, honey, but you’ll need to keep practicing. Then, someday soon, you’ll be ready.”
You know from experience there are many steps between learning to ride a bike and taking your first ride around the block without training wheels.
With every push of the pedals. With every grunting effort to move the bike uphill. With every spill on the pavement and skinned knee, your child is getting closer to their goal.
And just like learning to ride a bike, or any big goal that takes a long time to realize, you’ll need to set small, realistic, achievable goals.
Otherwise, you’ll be like the kid who learns to ride her bike without training wheels –lying on the ground, wheels spinning, ready to give up because you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Write down one specific goal. For example, “Lose 60 pounds in 12 months”.
2. Break down your goal into smaller chunks. If you want to lose 60 pounds in 12 months, how much on average will you need to lose in a month? In a week? In this example, you’ll need to lose an average of 1.1 pounds per week.
3. Set benchmarks for yourself. Every 6 weeks you’ll check to make sure you’re hitting your average weight loss.
4. Refuse to quit. Even if you have a “bad” week. You’ve only failed if you give up. Focus on the pounds you’ve already lost.
5. Remember, it’s about progress not perfection. If you’re average is off, re-adjust. But even of you aren’t losing as fast as you’d hoped for, you’re still making progress.
Many people start out wanting to lose 5 or 7 pounds a week, but it’s not realistic. Every time I started with that mind set, I failed. Every time!
For me, I knew if I wanted to reach my goal weight, I couldn’t focus on how much I had to lose (170 pounds away from goal weight is VERY disheartening).
I also knew I needed to set a goal I could reach. So, I decided I’d lose an average of one pound per week.
Using my weight loss tracker, I tracked my average weight loss.
Of course, there were weeks I didn’t lose one pound. Some weeks I actually gained weight, some I stayed the same, and others when I lost 5 or more pounds. What mattered was I averaged one pound per week.
In fact, I didn’t lose one pound per week… I lost an average of 1.3 pounds per week, and I reached my goal weight three months earlier than I thought I would!
So, what’s your goal, and what are the steps you need to take to get there?
Please feel free to share your own goals and how you plan to achieve them in the comments section or email me. I’d love to hear from you!