Tips for Setting Realistic Weight Loss Targets

When it comes to getting fit, sometimes the biggest motivator is setting a goal. When you know what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it by, it can help you focus more and get you in the zone quicker. That being said, setting a fitness target can, occasionally, be the biggest downfall for some people because they don’t set realistic goals and end up disappointed when they don’t meet them.

If you want to get in shape and are looking to set some goals to do just that, here are some tips you should keep in mind.

Timing is Key

A lot of people look to get fit for a special occasion, with upcoming weddings, big birthdays, Christmas 2021 and Eid ul Fitr 2021 to name but a few of the events people will be looking to target this year alone. There’s nothing wrong with setting a target for a big event, but it’s essential you give yourself enough time to achieve your goal. If you want to shift 28lbs in two weeks, it’s unlikely to happen and you need to be frank about it. Instead, give yourself 14 weeks to lose 28lbs. The average person loses 2lbs a week when they have a calorie deficit of 500 mixed in with an hour of exercise every day. It might not sound like much, but slow and steady really does win the race, and it’s much healthier to lose weight over a sustained period of time rather than in a short time frame. So, if you know you want to get fit by summer, now is a good time to start working out and dieting.

Don’t Look at Other People

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to other people, but when it comes to weight loss, this is never a good idea. Everyone has a weight baseline which means your body will want to sit at a certain weight. You can figure out what your set weight is by eating a normal, healthy amount of varied foods and undertaking a normal amount of exercise. When you do this, your body will likely sit at the same weight and not fluctuate. It’s very hard to undercut your baseline weight since this is where your body is most happy, but you need to remember your set weight is not the same as someone else’s. Mix this with different body types, you could work 10x harder than someone else to lose weight and still not look like them, simply because that’s not how your body is supposed to be. Keep this in mind when setting weight loss goals and never base your target off of someone else because most of the time, it won’t be attainable, but that’s no reason to be disappointed.

Use Micro Goals to Achieve Major Goals

The idea of losing 100lbs in a year can be daunting, especially if you have no prior fitness level. Instead of focusing on the big goal, set a selection of small goals and celebrate them. You did your first full push up? Well done! You managed to squat 20kg? Impressive! You lost 14lbs? Great news! Losing weight is all about the little victories. If they weren’t celebrated, you might go insane! It’s not just the number on the scales at the end of it that matters; all the small improvements to your fitness levels, your physical health, your confidence and your lifestyle count just as much as the big goal. Micro goals to reach major goals work, and if you don’t reach your big goal, you’ll have a bunch of smaller things you’ll have achieved instead, and you can use those to set a realistic goal about your new found capabilities.

Know Why You’re Doing It

One of the biggest reasons people fail at losing weight is because they’re not it for themselves – they’re doing it for someone else. If you’re happy and healthy in your body at a larger weight and you don’t want to change, then don’t! Just because someone says you should be smaller, that doesn’t mean it’s true, and embarking on a weight loss journey for the sake of someone else is not realistic because you’ll never be happy. This is because people will always find something to pick at, and that’s why it’s essential you know why you’re losing weight before you’re able to set a goal. It’s not realistic to please everybody else, so if that’s your driving force, your goals aren’t realistic either. Lose weight for yourself, no one else.