Before doing anything further, begin by commonly taking stock of where you are. Keep a food log and a log of anything else you do for at least one week. For now, you need to make no radical changes: just observe.
Food Tracking: Either keep a food diary or use an app to record everything you eat. Pay special attention to portion sizes, the types and number of snacks that accompany meals, and other emotional eating triggers.
Activity Tracking: Keep track of how much exercise you do (or don’t do), what kind of activities you do, their duration, and how you break it up.
This will allow you to see the patterns arising in your eating and activity and the areas you’d want to target for change, thus providing you with reference points for improvement.
- Setting Realistic Goals
Weight loss is a journey, not a sprint. Long-term goals must be realistic and achievable to remain motivating and not frustrating. Here is the pattern to success:
Long-Term Goal: Set the weight or fitness level you want to achieve at some future date-subject to revision. Just remember along the way that focusing on the process is much more important than working toward destination value alone. These are in fact health benefits to be gained in the meantime, one might say.
Short-Term Goals: You convert your long-term ambition into several smaller milestones, preferably to reach the rate of 1-2 pounds per week (as recommended by certain doctors) or 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
Most importantly, weight loss is not just restrictions but the building of a lifestyle.
2. Set Realistic Goals
Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Realistic and achievable goal-setting enables one to stay motivated and remain free of frustration. Successful goal-setting entails:
- Long-Term Goal: Outline your ideal weight or fitness level; however, the process is far more important than this destination. The emphasis will therefore be on health, fitness, and consistency.
- Short-Term Goals: Slice your long-term goal into smaller milestones. Maybe you’re trying to lose 1-2 pounds a week or exercise for 30 minutes a day, five times a week.
Losing weight is not all about denial, but fostering habits that one can live with.
