Micro-goal Your Self Skinny
Being overweight can rob you of many life’s opportunities, as well as a healthy perception of your Self, confidence and happiness. Let’s define overweight as being above the ideal body weight for your body type and height – just to simplify it. Whether you want to lose five, ten or more pounds, desire alone is not enough. Notice that I said, “You want to lose” and not “you have to lose” – losing weight is a want, even when it is a need, a have to for medical reasons, or just aesthetics. Most of us can benefit from shedding a few pounds, but only a few of us, want to. So in order to set up goals for weight loss first, you must want to lose the weight. And the amount is up to you, and your perception.
Before starting to write down your goals, there are a few things that you must do. Start with a positive outlook. Forget any past failed attempts, and forgive yourself for it. Focus on a positive image of your future Self, and determine how many pounds you want to lose. Utilize a health guide for body type, height and ideal body weight. You can search for it online, a diet book or magazine, medical journal, or just plain ask your doctor – he has one in his office.
Once you know how many pounds you want to lose and have an idea of your healthy body weight, focus on the Now. What can you do now to reach that level? Right away things will come to mind, such as cutting unhealthy foods, exercising more … This step will take you to education. Education is an important step on losing weight. With all the information around us, most of us have an idea on what is good for us, and what’s not. But if you don’t have a clue, and even if you know a little, educate yourself on healthy habits, healthy foods, and weight loss exercises and equipment. The more you know the easier it becomes.
There are numerous websites with tons of free information on weight loss, charts, free online journals to track your progress, and forums to find the support of others. EatBetterAmerica.com is an excellent one to start. There are many weight loss programs available, if you need the extra help. But if you educate yourself well in healthy foods, healthy cooking, and calorie counting or measuring, you can save a lot of money and get the same results on your own. These programs are just convenient and save you some time. Exercise equipment will help you; but once you learn some exercises online or the library, watch some videos, or utilize your TV for available exercise programs, you will realize that you don’t need to spend tons of money on equipment to get fit. There are programs that utilize available items at home, to provide an exercise routine. Some people find that the use of exercise equipment motivates them more – so it is a personal choice. Weight loss and healthy living education is an ongoing process that will serve you always.
When setting your weight loss goals it is better to take small steps. This will help you not to get discouraged if you don’t see results fast. Just saying I want to lose 50 pounds by December, eat healthy and exercise does not cut it. By setting up micro-goals for the week or even daily, you are more apt to keep on track. A micro-goal is just a small step towards a bigger goal. Let’s say that you want to lose one pound each week. Think of what you will do every day to achieve that. For example the first week you will start exercising for 15 minutes daily, however you choose to exercise. Chose an activity that you enjoy, like running or playing baseball … you get the idea. Each day you will make a dietary change to help your weight loss for that week. Today, you will skip the latte in the morning. Tomorrow, you will skip the latte, but also the soda mid-afternoon. Eventually all these little efforts will add up big time, resulting in many pounds shed. It is not about skipping things only; you can switch the soda for green tea. Allow yourself moderation, and you won’t feel deprived. The key is to keep it real every day.
Some people find it easier to keep a journal. If you think it is too much trouble writing everything you eat in a day, then keep a picture journal. Use your cell phone or a camera to take a picture of everything you eat. At the end of the day download it into your computer or you can even print it and paste it in a journal.
Whatever method you use to lose weight, the important factor is to keep it real, in the now, every day. At the end of each day you will feel proud of yourself for every micro-goal achieved. This is an easier way to achieve your bigger weight loss goal.
