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Goal Setting Secrets to Avoid Sabotaging a Calories Loss Diet
By Rowena French | November 14, 2008
One of the most common mistakes that people make when it comes to weight loss is setting unrealistic expectations about how much weight they need to lose and how fast they can lose it. Setting unrealistic weight goals is really sabotaging your calories loss diet and your efforts to lose weight. That is why it is important to have some tools you can use to set realistic weight loss goals for yourself.
Experts in weight loss say that a healthy weight loss rate is one to two pounds per week and that is not a lot. If you tell yourself that you must lose ten pounds a week or that you want to lose fifty pounds by summer you are not being realistic. If you set unrealistic goals and then fail, you will be tempted to go off your calories loss diet, thinking that you are a failure, so utilize these techniques to make sure that your goals are specific and achievable.
Reduce the outcomes you expect of your weight loss if they are unrealistic because dropping a pound or two each week is a success that you can enjoy and continue to achieve. Celebrate this drop in weight, stick with your calories loss diet and stay focused on continuing to reach this gaol on a regular basis. A slow and steady weight loss is a great way to stay motivated and this keeps you committed even when your weight loss may slow down for a time.
Percentage weight loss of your body weight instead of pounds alone, means that you will avoid aiming for a pre-determined weight loss and give up if you do not appear to reach it. If you are carrying excess pounds now, it is likely that losing around 10-20% of your total weight is worth aiming for to reach a healthy weight. By losing 20-40 pounds a 200 pound person who is overweight is far more likely to reach a healthy weight than one who was calculated a set weight loss because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Chart your weight loss in different ways to accommodate the various body changes that following a calories loss diet and exercising will cause. This means that when your weight loss, measured in pounds slows for a time, you can still feel encouraged by the diminishing size of your hips, chest or waist. Including these different ways to measure your changing body shape not only accommodates a healthier perspective on losing weight but also helps keep you motivated as you see your weight loss from different perspectives.
Calculate your weight loss carefully taking into account that the rate of weight loss suggested by experts is around 1-2 pounds each week. If you want to lose 30 pounds, you will need to allow 15-17 weeks to do this and while this may sound too long at the beginning an achievable span of time for your weight loss like this allows you the opportunity for regular weekly success and finally allows you to reach your ultimate goal. Any time frame less than this puts unnecessary pressure on you and is likely to see you quit your calories loss diet and exercise program and resume unhealthy eating habits.
To reach your 1-2 pound weight loss goal each week you need to reduce your daily calorie intake each day by around 500. To gauge this, use a calories counter and this will enable you to calculate a balanced menu that includes a range of foods from each of the major food groups. To lose weight the numbers need to stack up so knowing how many calories you consume and how many you use are the central numbers around which you should plan your calories loss menu and your exercise.
Set short term goals, but think of long term goals so set weight loss milestones and celebrate when you reach them. Buy yourself a new book when you lose 5 pounds, or a new dress when you hit 10 pounds lost. But even as you are celebrating each milestone, keep focused on the big picture and how much weight you want to lose in total. You need to celebrate your progress along the way but also stay focused on the big prize at the end because this will make your persistence to bring about a consistent calories loss worth the effort.
Topics: Diabetes |
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