A Goal Achieved Is The Best Motivation

In most long-term tasks people try to accomplish in life, they set goals. Weight loss, being a long-term kind of thing, requires goals, too.

Almost every time I hear someone talk about weight loss, whether it’s a personal friend or a TV add, I hear about a goal. Whether it’s a friend trying to drop 30 pounds before a wedding in three months, or a commercial claiming I can lose 10 pounds in two weeks, weight loss goals are getting set all the time. But those weight loss goals are unrealistic. Or unhealthy. Or both. And that’s not even the biggest problem. The biggest problem with an unrealistic weight loss goal is that not reaching our goals is crippling to our motivation.

Does this mentality sound familiar: “Uh-oh… the wedding is two weeks away and I’m only down 5 pounds… guess I might as well just give up on this diet altogether”? We’ve all experienced it, or something like it. We begin a weight loss program like Reshape the Nation with grand expectations and lofty goals, only to get disheartened when, a few weeks in, we feel like we’re not enjoying something we love—our food—and that sacrifice isn’t helping us achieve our goals.

The problem isn’t the diet plan or the exercise routine. Well… it’s certainly not the diet plan or exercise routine if you’re following the advice of Chris Powell and Reshape the Nation. The problem is a goal that’s too-high. Or maybe even misguided. Instead of trying to lose 10 pounds in two weeks, think more realistically… “I want to lose one pound a week.” Or don’t even think about your weight and other things you can’t directly control. Why not make your goals things you can control, like number of times you exercise.

Try this goal on for size: “I want to exercise more times this week than I did last week.” That’s a manageable goal, right? And more importantly, if you don’t reach it, don’t give up! Instead, try again. You can do it… I know it. And once you do reach one goal, you’ll be even more motivated to reach your next one.

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