You didn’t put the weight on overnight, so the weight will not come off overnight (unfortunately!). But to help ourselves along the way, we can set goals for as well as rewards for when we reach those goals. Since we are trying to change our lifestyle, the rewards should not involve food, but rather other things we enjoy. A few examples are pedicures, manicures, massages, a new pair of workout shoes, a new sports bra, new workout pants, spending $25 at your favorite store. Things of that nature.

It’s also important to set realistic goals. Setting out to lose 30 pounds in one month is not realistic. Setting out to lose 8 pounds in one month is a lot more realistic. That is 2 pounds a week. You should not be losing more than 1-2 pounds a week, or 1% of your bodyweight per week. Anything more than that and you could be losing muscle, and muscle is so important in weight loss because it burns more calories than fat. So we want to keep our sexy muscles!

Everyone is different in the way they want to set their goals. You can do weight loss goals by time (example: Lose 8 pounds in 1 month). You can set goals by pounds only. You can have one big overall goal (lose 150 pounds) and small ones (take it 10 pounds at a time). It’s up to you!

On a sheet of paper, list your goals. Next to your goals, list realistic and motivating rewards that you will get once you have achieved that particular goal.

Example:

250 lbs. – Pedicure

245 lbs. – New workout shoes

240 lbs. – Massage

This is just an example. You can also go in 10 pound increments. Whatever you would like.

Tape your goal sheet somewhere where you can see it every day, like the bathroom mirror or near your bed. Look at it every night before you go to bed and every morning when you wake up. That way you see it at least twice a day and remind yourself to keep going and stay motivated.