Set SMART Goals for Weight Loss in CharlotteWhy do you want to lose weight? What are you weight loss goals? This is an important question to ask as you begin a weight loss program in Charlotte & Matthews and there may be many answers. Though you may be most fervently focused on your final weight loss goals, there are other ways to measure your success, like the healthier diet and exercise habits you’re adopting and the gradual improvements in your energy levels, mobility and self-confidence.

In reality, the minute changes you see in the scale are relatively poor indicators of your daily progress. Weight loss takes time and expecting drastic and rapid changes in your weight will only cause disillusionment. To stay motivated and primed for the path ahead, it will help to give more credence to the countless other ways you’re working to improve your health and lifestyle, and this means setting a few personal goals of your own.

Striving to reach the goals that matter most to you can be an essential part of transitioning to a healthy lifestyle during your weight loss program, but you’ll need to remember to stay realistic. Crafting your own motivational goals can be a powerful motivational tool as long as you keep them SMART:

  • Specific. Planning your goals in great detail will make them much easier to reach. As you set a goal, think through every step that will lead to its completion. What tools will you need? When will you make time to work towards your goal? Why is this goal important to you?
  • Measurable. You’ll need a way to track the incremental progress you make towards your goals. Instead of setting a goal to simply “exercise more,” make a goal to “exercise more by walking four times a week for 30 minutes.” Within this goal, there are many things you can measure: the time you exercise, the steps you take, the distance you walk, your heart rate before and after. Use one or all of these parameters and be sure you have a way to document your measurements, like a notebook or spreadsheet.
  • Attainable. Your goals should be challenging, but within reason. Working endlessly toward a goal you’ll never reach will only frustrate you.
  • Relevant. This goes back to thinking beyond weight loss*. Your goals can be related to any element of the weight loss* process, from the activities you do to the healthy foods you eat. This week, do you want to spend more time learning healthy cooking techniques, or would you rather focus on reducing stress or improving your fitness? Think about what is most important and relevant to you.
  • Time-specific. It’s important to set a timeframe—otherwise, you may spend an inordinate amount of time pushing towards a single goal. For many people, it works best to set and reach a new goal each week. You can always give yourself more time if you need it.

Remember: weight loss is about a lot more than just losing weight. Setting personal goals can help you appreciate the countless ways that your new habits are benefitting your health and lifestyle. And Speaking of lifestyle, did you know that losing weight can help your sex life? Yes, losing weight helps ED. And RenewWave Soundwave therapy helps clear the blocked blood vessels that commonly cause ED.

What are some of your SMART weight loss goals in Charlotte & Matthews? Share them with us in the comments below!

*Disclaimer: Medical weight loss programs are individualized to meet the specific needs of each patient. Individual results vary.