Weight Loss Should Not Be The Goal.
by Gavin Tierney-Director of The Right Weigh
Just about every piece of weight loss advice that you will receive from anyone in the weight loss industry will include the concept of setting ‘goals’. It makes sense, doesn’t it? In every other aspect of our lives we’re told that if we truly want to be successful, we need to set goals. Indeed, it would seem logical then, that in order to be successful at losing weight, we need to set a weight loss goal. Right? Wrong!
Unfortunately, the reality of true weight loss is that it’s forever not just for a period of 3, 6 or 12 months. So, in terms of goal setting, goals should be focused on the process (approach) rather than the end point (weight loss). You can’t achieve anything without the right process so, as with anything in life, if you can get the processes right, the end result will look after itself.
So what does a process focussed goal look like? Well, the right approach to weight loss is to focus on reducing your ‘energy in’ and increasing your ‘energy out’. So the types of goals that you should set for yourself are, for example:
• Within a period of 1 month I want all of my meals to be smaller than they used to be
• Within a period of 1 month I want 70% of what I drink to be water
• Within a period of 3 months no more than 3 meals per month will be fast, junk food
• Within a period of 3 months I will have exercised in some way no less than 10 times
• Within a period of 6 to 12 months, the way I treat my body will not resemble the way I used to treat my body
All of these goals are based around the processes required for weight loss and if these goals are successfully met then weight loss will occur without you even thinking about it. These goals are also ongoing without an end point like a specific weight loss number. Notice I say ‘Within’. After that initial period, that is what you need to do forever at a bare minimum. You can tweak them if you like but they can stay lifelong goals that are always in the back of your mind. Over time, goals like these will turn into habits which make controlling weight an easier endeavour with less effort and motivation required.
by Gavin Tierney-Director of The Right Weigh
Just about every piece of weight loss advice that you will receive from anyone in the weight loss industry will include the concept of setting ‘goals’. It makes sense, doesn’t it? In every other aspect of our lives we’re told that if we truly want to be successful, we need to set goals. Indeed, it would seem logical then, that in order to be successful at losing weight, we need to set a weight loss goal. Right? Wrong!
Unfortunately, the reality of true weight loss is that it’s forever not just for a period of 3, 6 or 12 months. So, in terms of goal setting, goals should be focused on the process (approach) rather than the end point (weight loss). You can’t achieve anything without the right process so, as with anything in life, if you can get the processes right, the end result will look after itself.
So what does a process focussed goal look like? Well, the right approach to weight loss is to focus on reducing your ‘energy in’ and increasing your ‘energy out’. So the types of goals that you should set for yourself are, for example:
• Within a period of 1 month I want all of my meals to be smaller than they used to be
• Within a period of 1 month I want 70% of what I drink to be water
• Within a period of 3 months no more than 3 meals per month will be fast, junk food
• Within a period of 3 months I will have exercised in some way no less than 10 times
• Within a period of 6 to 12 months, the way I treat my body will not resemble the way I used to treat my body
All of these goals are based around the processes required for weight loss and if these goals are successfully met then weight loss will occur without you even thinking about it. These goals are also ongoing without an end point like a specific weight loss number. Notice I say ‘Within’. After that initial period, that is what you need to do forever at a bare minimum. You can tweak them if you like but they can stay lifelong goals that are always in the back of your mind. Over time, goals like these will turn into habits which make controlling weight an easier endeavour with less effort and motivation required.