Each person is different when it comes to ideal weight goal setting. Some look to gain while some look to lose weight to be at their ideal weight. These “ideals” are flavored by any number of motivations; some have to do with body image, some with performance needs, some medically required. No matter the impetus for your weight goal, there are many ways to reach these goals successfully with effort, commitment, and a little planning on the part of you and your doctor. In the meantime, allow yourself the patience to try this new journey by following these tips.
Consult a Professional
When considering the best pathway to take to lose or gain weight, it is best to first consult a medical professional: your doctor or a specialist. A doctor with whom you have built a trusted relationship, and is aware of your health and weight needs, can guide you in the right direction, whether that is diet, exercise, prescription weight loss medication, surgery, or some combination of these. Each option can be explored fully and with the advice of your doctor.
Write Down Your Goals and Motivation
Acknowledging what you want to accomplish and why you want to accomplish it is a fantastic place to start your action plan. Think about writing down your goal as the very first step in your journey to reaching your ideal weight goal. This goal should be determined by both you and a medical professional, considering the most recent research on ideal weight goals for individuals. Next, identify why you want to accomplish this goal.
The motivation behind your goal setting is equally important as the goal itself. Understanding your motivation can help you when you may not feel like taking the necessary steps later on in the process.
Make a Step-by-Step Plan
Think about it like a board game. Square one is where you are right now. You also wrote down your goals. The final winning square is what your result will be — that is where you place the goals you just wrote down. Now, what steps do you need to take to accomplish this aim? List each of those actionable steps in each box along the way toward your goal, whether that’s six squares or 62. If you are unsure of what you need to be successful and to keep with the plan, again consult your medical professional.
Commit, and Then Recommit
Making change can be hard, and truly committing to something new can be what author Gay Hendricks calls “ruthless.” This can be taken to mean that sometimes to commit to one thing, one must uncommit to other things. To commit to your ideal weight, you may have to uncommit to some nutritional or physiological habits that you have formed. While there is no reason to cast judgment on your prior habits, it may be practical to consider those old habits less useful now that you have new goals for your physical condition.
While reaching an ideal weight may be a challenging goal, it is within your reach if you make a plan and dedicate yourself to it.
