S.M.A.R.T Goals

On Saturday morning, one of my members said to me that she wanted to take her weight loss a stone at a time. Another said, she just wanted to lose every week.

I encouraged them both to make SMART goals for themselves. Setting unrealistic goals (in ANY situation) can put pressure on a person, and make them more likely to give up before they succeed.

A stone doesn't always seem that much, but it can be a lot, especially at a pound a week. And saying that you want to lose every week sounds great, but there may always be circumstances beyond your control, which may affect that, and then you could end up disappointed.

So set yourself a SMART goal:

S = Specific. Be specific about the amount. Your 5%, the next shiny 7, a certain number of inches, the next dress size, into the next stone bracket....
M = Measurable. Be able to measure it. If it's a weight goal, your Leader can use her scales, if it's inch loss, you can measure it with a tape measure. If it's about clothes, you can "measure" it by trying on those new trousers etc..
A = Achievable. Can you achieve it? Don't make your goal something that you won't achieve.
R = Realistic. In particular with regard to weight loss. If you stick to your Points allowance, and don't frequently have many Points less than you should, you can lose up to 2lbs of fat per week. So saying something like "I'll lose a stone in 4 weeks" (unless it includes your first week on the plan) is NOT a realistic goal. As with "achievable", make it something realistic, such as perhaps 7lbs in 10 weeks. And anything on top of that is a bonus!
T = Time bound. Give yourself a time scale to do it. As in the example above, 7lbs in 10 weeks. Don't just say you want to lose 7lbs and don't give yourself a really long time either, otherwise you'll become complacent.

Make your goals SMART and you will achieve them.