Setting Your Target Weight
Oh For Fucks Sake I just want to loose a few pounds ( read “Stone, Kilos or even inches ) Was my immediate and very loud response when ever I was asked what I wanted to get off or lose…
” Why are you badgering me about this target weight?”
It really used to infuriate me, and I understand the reason why now … No, I do not mean why You really should set a target ( that is obvious ) I mean why it got me so angry!
I knew, that if I told anyone what my target was, I would either have to do what it took,
OR Fail and not achieve it... as I was not at that stage prepared to do the work.
Basically… I hated the commitment… as I really did not like to have to do stuff.
So Why Are Goals or Targets So Important?
I know in all areas of life having a target or a goal is a vital part of success… look if you want to achieve anything …
If you cannot measure it, how do you know when you have done it?
How many goals could David Beckham have actually scored, if there had been nothing to score in on the pitch.
If you take the goals aways on a football pitch how do you know who has won… it seems really obvious when you put it in those terms…
But in weight loss, for example, if your target was a very laxidaisycal “few pounds,”
You could go to the toilet just before weigh in and you could shed a few pounds very easily…
I mean if a pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter, a 2 pint piss is worth 3 pounds, and as Peter Kay says …
“Christ I could shit a pound”… well you n me both, we could all do that… and if your target is just loose a few pounds … well week 1 and the job is done!
So you need to really KNOW where you want to be… and even more importantly
You NEED TO KNOW WHY
So setting a target, and bear in mind, I am not really into “Jingoistic Talk” MBO and C3PO … BUT and it ( rather like mine used to be ) Is a very Big BUT
That target has to be S.M.A.R.T.
So for you to realistically achieve any serious ongoing weight reduction… You need to have a S.M.A.R.T. Goal
It Must be Specific
A few pounds is way to vague, you cannot measure a few pounds. There is no scale which shows a few not even a couple.
Now does it have to be a specific weight?
Mine certainly was NOT … I knew what size I wanted to be 35 inch waist … I really want to be able to go into Next, grab a pair of their 36 inch trousers and then take them to a taylor and have him reduce the waist size by another inch.
I know that sounds a bit too specific, but, and this is another important factor … that motivated me…
I have not been under a 36 inch waist for 25 years so I have no Idea what that is going to look like on the scales
BUT it was a really good gauge… and it is Most certainly Measurable … check it out …
Specific and Measurable
Specific ? yes because not only have I stated a trouser size, I have also stated a very specific outlet.
At the time of writing this I am able to fit into a 34inch Jacamo pair of jeans … but this does not translate to a pair of Next or M & S trousers
In either of those stores I am in 38 inch …
A massive difference to the 54 inch waist + I was in May 2016 … but Not My specified Target.
Is it Measurable?… well obviously it is very much so …
Do I know the exact weight that will be? No but I have a specific target and it is not one which I can dodge around either.
Achievable?
Is your target Achievable?
I know mine is, as I have a pair of Next Trousers from when I was at 34″ and that was when I was Married .. So I absolutely know I can achieve it
It may seem daunting and a big ask… but bear with me
Realistic
Is the target Realistic … absolutley,
but … I was not going to loose nearly 8 stone in a fortnight… not with out some serious surgery anyway…
So I set the the Date a year in advance…This was under guidance from my GP and the good Folks at Slimmingworld
( PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR, we are looking at Life style changes here, not Quick Fixes… So work with your health practitioner… PLEASE)
Timely
So I gave the desired size an approximate weight …of 16 1/2 stone
( I knew I could alter that, if, when I got close to my target it was obvious that the weight was miss-aligned )
I had to achieve that by The 26th August 2017…
( A very Specific Date… My Daughters Wedding Day!)
By Having that date I knew what I had to get done and what is more I knew my averages too … by reverse engineering
( Well just going backwards from the desired size on the desired date)
I knew what I had to do each week, and what I would then have to do if I slipped up …
This meant by using the time frame and weight scale I could break the tasks down into chunks and make it easier and far less daunting a task
Macro and Micro
So in effect I had a Big or long term Picture to focus on (MACRO)…
Then each day I just had a small or micro part of the job to deal with …
This really made it far easier to deal with and so in turn it made it a whole more likely that I would succeed …
And by tying the whole thing into something that really mattered to me
( ie Not blocking out the sun on my Daughters wedding day ) I was able to be really SMART
I had that
- Specific end result,
- It was
- Measurable,
- Achievable,
- Realistic,
- and
- Timely
Truly SMART
And as a result of getting all those ducks in a row I have lost an incredible 8 + stone in a little over 12 months
It has taken a lot of planning and quite a lot of work, but honestly, once I had got my head into the right space, I was able to tick off the days and the losses every week
I am sure if I can do this… YOU Can
Remember you Can email me anytime at steve@steve-greenhalgh.com
I am always happy to hear from you and to help you with genuine weight challenges
I always recommend Slimming World
- Because …
- If You Do The Work,
- It Works!
Here's to your continued success
