So what should be your long-term goal? And what short-term goals should you set to help you lose that extra weight? You have a better odds of accomplishing your goals if you make sure that the weight loss plans that you will use, are sensible and reasonable, right at the beginning.
Here's some guidelines from experts in choosing weight loss plans and goals.
1. Be realistic.
Most people's long-term weight loss plans are way more ambitious than they should be.
For example, if you weigh 170 pounds and your long-term goal is to weigh 120 pounds, even if you have not weighed in at 120 pounds since you were 16 and you are now 45 years old, that is not a very realistic weight loss goal.
Your body mass index or BMI is a great indicator of whether or not you need to shed some of those pounds. The ideal BMI range, according to the National Institutes of Health, is between 19 and 24.9. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, then you are considered overweight. Any number above 30 is in the obesity range.
From this point of view, you will need a sensible weight loss plan that will correspond to the required BMI based on your height, because this is the main factor that will affect your BMI.
2. Set appropriate objectives.
Using a weight loss plan just for vanity's sake is way less helpful than losing weight to improve your health.
You've made a big step forward if you decide to undergo a weight loss plan that includes exercise and eating right so you'll feel better and have more energy to do something positive with your life.
3. Focus on doing, not losing.
Instead of saying that you are going to lose a pound this week, say how much you are going to exercise this week. This would definitely be a part of a sensible weight loss plan.
Keep in mind that your weight within a span of a week is not completely in your control, though your behavior is.
4. Build bit by bit.
Short-term weight loss plans should not be 'pie-in-the-sky.' Meaning that when you have never exercised at all, your best weight loss plan for this week should be based on finding three different one-mile routes that you can then walk next week.
5. Keep up the self-encouragement.
An all-or-nothing attitude will only set you up to fail. Learn to evaluate your efforts fairly and objectively. If you fall short of some goals, just look ahead to next week. You don't have to have a perfect record.
After all, self-encouragement should really be a part of your weight loss plans. Otherwise, you'll just crash, burn, and fail in the end.
6. Use measurable measures.
Saying that you're going to be more positive this week, or that you're going to really get serious this week isn't a goal that you can measure and it shouldn't be part of your weight loss plan.
This is another reason why you need to incorporate exercise on your weight loss plan, and focus on it. You should be able to count up the minutes of exercise in order to be successful in your plan.
The bottom line is, people need to make weight loss plans that will only remain as it is, just a plan. They need to put it into action by incorporating goals that will actually motivate them to succeed.