Now that we know the potential pitfalls, let’s reconsider goals.
After two weeks of talking about all the disadvantages of goals, I will say that they do serve a good purpose in weight loss (and life). You may just need to use them in a different way.
Let’s revisit our runner from my past blog. To set the record straight – I don’t run unless something is chasing me. My body doesn’t like running, and tells me so every time I try it. But I really like this marathon analogy, and I can use it if I want to because this is my blog. So here we go.
If you train for a marathon – did all the running and got completely ready – and then on the day of the race they canceled it, how would you feel? Disappointed I’m sure, but would you regret what you had done to get ready?
No, you would still be proud. It’s the same in weight loss! If you set a 6-month weight loss goal and arrive 5 pounds short of your goal, are you sorry that you lost all the weight that you DID lose? No, you are still proud. So, setting the goal was still helpful, right?
Goals are important and can help you with one of the most important parts of weight loss, which is commitment. If your goal is something like ‘learning to live at my desired weight effortlessly’; or ‘ridding myself of my unhealthy relationship with food’, then you are on the right track.
The goals I am discouraging are the ones where you are focused on a number on the scale. When that is the ONLY goal, it creates the set of problems we’ve been discussing.
Goals should be talked about freely and thought about often – so much so, that they feel like reality and a part of who you are even before you reach them. We must work at this though, because our brain will want to tell us that it’s not possible to do something we have not done before.
Try establishing and writing down goals. By writing down goals, we begin to take them from dreams to future reality. It makes the goal important and helps you begin planning your life and the steps you must take to achieve those goals, instead of letting it just happen to you.
Planning the steps to take toward a goal will make you more successful. When you use goals to determine specific actions that propel you toward your goal, that’s when you see progress and are using goals correctly.
Another great use of goals is establishing small daily intentions that amount to bigger change. When you see yourself accomplish the smaller goals, you also gain confidence in yourself and your ability to do what you say. Success truly does breed success.
So, use goals when they are helping you achieve what you want, but be aware of the times when they are holding you back.
Stop setting number specific weight loss goals, and start setting progress goals.
