{"id":42787,"date":"2015-08-25T07:15:08","date_gmt":"2015-08-25T11:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=42787"},"modified":"2021-11-18T10:35:18","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T15:35:18","slug":"healthy-weight-loss-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/healthy-weight-loss-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Setting a Totally Doable Weight Loss Goal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re not going to lie: Losing weight isn\u2019t easy, and it isn\u2019t always fun (so long, office cupcakes). But that doesn\u2019t mean you should just toss your scale<\/a> and give up before you\u2019ve even begun. \u201cThe most important thing is to set goals that are achievable,\u201d says Heather Mangieri, RD, CSSD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n

That means instead of gunning for a big, scary \u201cgoal weight<\/a>\u201d\u00a0that seems so far in the future you can barely imagine it, set tinier targets instead. \u201cThinking about your final goal can be so overwhelming you go on shut-down,\u201d Mangieri says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about setting small goals, and figuring out what you want to do to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

So stop picturing what you\u2019re going to look like a year from now (you\u2019ll get there eventually!) \u2014 and start imagining how much better you\u2019ll feel when you forego that side of fries<\/a> for veggies instead. Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/p>\n

5 Ways to Set Smarter Weight Loss Goals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Think short-term.
\n<\/strong>It may seem counterintuitive, but don\u2019t get bogged down by the fact that you have 10, 20, 50 or even 100 pounds to lose. \u201cWhen I\u2019m working with a client, it\u2019s about figuring out where you want to be next week, not in two years,\u201d Mangieri says.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a long road ahead, create a mini goal of losing five to 10 percent of your body weight first, says Lisa Cimperman, RD, LD, and clinical dietician at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. \u201cSetting short-term milestones and building on them helps keep you focused on your progress, not how far you still have to go,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also helpful to think about not just what you want to lose, but what you want to gain \u2014 whether that\u2019s more energy, better self-confidence<\/a> or a longer life, Cimperman says. \u201cOften, these goals are far more motivating than the number on the scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Figure out your diet strategy.
\n<\/strong>Time to come up with a game plan for your eats. \u201cUsually, for weight loss, there is some kind of dietary change that needs to happen,\u201d Mangieri says. In other words, hopping on the treadmill<\/a> won\u2019t compensate for a diet full of processed foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Detox the Healthy Way: 16 Recipes You\u2019ll Love<\/a><\/p>\n

The good news: You don\u2019t <\/em>need to give up carbs<\/a> for good, commit to a vegan lifestyle<\/a>, or swear off alcohol for months to lose weight. \u201cI think the biggest mistake [people make] is thinking that they have to make a drastic change in their eating,\u201d Mangieri says. \u201cYou might see a difference on the scale [by doing that], but it will be short-lived if you don\u2019t make lifestyle changes and adopt them as part of your new life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe journey is more important than the actual reaching of the goal.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Instead, Mangieri likes people to make small tweaks to address the weak spots in their diet (like drinking soda<\/a>, or eating too much sugar<\/a>). \u201cSome clients\u2026 I\u2019m giving very short goals like stop drinking juice or sugar-sweetened beverages, or replace them with water,\u201d Mangieri says. \u201cOther clients, if they\u2019ve have already made a lot of changes, we might look at portion sizes<\/a>. It really depends on where they are what their current eating habits.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> What RDs Really Eat: DailyBurn Coach Nora Minno\u2019s Meal Plan<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Work on your fitness.
\n<\/strong>While exercise alone won\u2019t get you to your goal weight, setting fitness goals along the way might help keep you motivated, Cimperman says. \u201cMaybe you want to train for a 5K<\/a>, or run a 10 minute mile, or improve your strength,\u201d she says. \u201cThese things are measurable and typically involve a deadline for completion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, they\u2019ll help you feel more committed to leading a healthy lifestyle. \u201cThe journey is more important than the actual reaching of the goal, because it\u2019s is the piece that teaches you the behaviors and new habits you need to maintain the goal,\u201d Mangieri says. \u201cWe do know through research and studies that activity is a critical part of maintaining weight loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t expect to lose 10 pounds a week.
\n<\/strong>While TV shows may depict people shedding crazy amounts of weight in a week, that\u2019s not actually <\/em>reality for most folks. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at one to two pounds a week, depending on how much weight somebody has to lose,\u201d Mangieri says, and it could be even less than that. (Half a pound still counts!)<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 10 Biggest Diet Mistakes, According to Experts<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re losing at a more drastic rate, it might feel good for a while, but you could eventually end up plateauing \u2014\u00a0or gaining it all back<\/a>, Mangieri says. \u201c[That] can set in feelings of failure and depression,\u201d she says. \u201cOnce that mood change happens you start to see other behaviors kick in that are not helping them reach their goal.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Track your successes.
\n<\/strong>Don\u2019t forget to take time to revel in all the hard work you\u2019re doing \u2014\u00a0and how it\u2019s paying off. \u201cUse a notebook and pen or any of the many apps to track your food intake and activity,\u201d Cimperman says. \u201cStudies<\/a> show that people who do this are more likely to stick with their plan,\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, plotting your weight loss over several months, can help remind you how well you\u2019re doing \u2014\u00a0even on an off week. \u201cIt helps people see even though I might not have lost a pound this week, or even gained a pound, overall my pattern of weight loss is looking pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Losing weight is easier said than done. These tips for setting realistic weight loss goals will help make it a less painful process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":42789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[41,103,71,341,343,285],"class_list":["post-42787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-diets","tag-motivation","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}