Setting Smart Goals for Weight Loss

Setting Smart Goals for Weight Loss

When most people talk about their weight loss goals, they speak in general, even abstract terms.

“I want to lose weight.”
“I want to look attractive.”
“I want to be healthier.”

There is nothing wrong with any of these goals—except for the fact that they are difficult to act on. How much weight? What does it mean to be attractive? Healthier compared to what?

A solution to these abstract goals is to make things more concrete with SMART goals for weight loss. And while these goals are smarter than your average resolution, that isn’t what we mean.

Get SMART

SMART is an acronym that stands for the following:

    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Attainable
    • Relevant
    • Timely

SMART goals are actual concrete goals that you can visualize, quantify, and build a solid plan towards. Whereas things like “I want to be more attractive” are mere desires, SMART goals for weight loss are all about action.
Let’s break this down further to ensure you have a clear picture.

Specific

When you look at your goal, are there clarifying questions you could ask to work your way down to something more concrete? That means your goal isn’t specific enough. Let’s assume your desire is to lose weight. Here are questions that can help you form a specific SMART objective for obesity.

      • How much weight do you want to lose?
      • What BMI range do you want to be in?
      • What dress size would make you feel most comfortable?

Let’s say that your specific goal is to lose 100 pounds. Now, you are on your way to setting your SMART goal.

Measurable

Take a look at your goal as it is. 100 pounds is absolutely a measurable quantity. But it’s a large quantity, and you are unlikely to reach that quickly. So, you want to break it down into smaller, measurable amounts that will give you short-term goals that motivate you to keep going.
After bariatric surgery in Lubbock, you might want to lose 100 pounds by exercising three days a week and getting in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Now, you have a goal that is specific and measurable in the short and long term.

Achievable

Basically, if your SMART goals for losing weight aren’t realistic, you can’t achieve them. We know; you are always told to reach for the stars, but doing so can be discouraging if you aren’t able to end up where you want to be. Overshooting can cause setbacks, and you don’t need that.
So, let’s go back to the goal as it is:
“I will lose 100 pounds by exercising three days a week and getting in 30 minutes of physical activity each day.”
If you have gotten bariatric surgery in Lubbock, this might be achievable, but for the average person, and even those who have gotten surgery, this might be a bit much. So, let’s pull things back a bit:
“I will lose 75 pounds by doing light cardio two days a week and strength training one day a week, while being active for 30 minutes every day.”
Depending on your situation, this may be more achievable.

Relevant

Here is an important question to ask yourself: Why is meeting this goal important to you?
For many people, once they reach this stage, they realize their goal isn’t actually all that important to them. They zeroed in on it because of other people, or because society tells them to. If this is the case for you, now is the time to back away and rethink things. If it isn’t, you can keep moving forward with your SMART goals and planning exercise and diet after bariatric surgery

Timely

Finally, you need to bind your goals to a specific time frame, otherwise, you can just keep pushing them off until tomorrow—until you find that you never took a single step towards your goal.
This part can be tricky because sometimes you have a big goal, but when your timeframe exceeds 90 days, it becomes too easy to fall off the wagon.
Let’s revisit the current goal:
“I will lose 75 pounds by doing light cardio two days a week and strength training one day a week, while being active for 30 minutes every day.”
That is not a 90-day goal. So, we revise.
“I will lose 25 pounds in 90 days by doing light cardio two days a week and strength training one day a week, while being active for 30 minutes every day.”
And there you have it. Through a little planning and revision, you have a SMART goal.
If you are ready to get on the road to weight loss, we are here to help. Take a look at who qualifies for weight loss surgery to see if you are a candidate, then schedule your consultation.

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