Should you be setting weight loss goals?
The number one reason for failure to lose weight is a lack of clearly defined written goals. That is because action without planning will always equal failure. It's like trying to shoot at a target wearing a blindfold, a waste of time.
The idea behind setting weight loss goals is to correctly plant seeds into the part of your mind that produces action without thought, you subconscious. When setting weight loss goals it is important that they are emotionally charged in order to create energy and motivation. They will give you a sense of purpose and keep you moving forward.
Setting weight loss goals will help to reprogram your subconscious mind with positive instructions, which will begin to guide your behaviour and create positive habits. These goals should always be written down and kept with you so that you can view them at least two or three times a day, the more the better. When you read these goals you must make yourself feel strong and not just say the words but actually believe that this will be the outcome. This is not about positive thinking, this is about knowing that you are the one who is actually in control and therefore can produce any desired result. Not because you want to, but because you must.
Setting weight loss goals and reading through them daily in this manner will encourage your subconscious to accept them as truth and will guide you on auto pilot to that destination. Whatever your subconscious mind believes, it will make true. That is why it is also important to focus your thoughts on what you want to achieve and not what you are trying to avoid. If you focus on what you want to avoid, it is most likely that it will occur. Remember, only what you want, not what you don't.
This can not only be done once and expected to work. If you wanted to get fit you wouldn't go for a jog once and expect to be. The mind is like a muscle and needs to be worked on everyday to get stronger. Make this a habit and you will see great results. Repetition is the mother of skill.
Make sure that your goals are written in the present tense, not looking toward the future. Otherwise you subconscious will always keep them in the future and you will never actually arrive there. Make sure that when you are setting weight loss goals that they are goals that require you to take a little bit of action everyday toward your desired outcome. This will create momentum and build your 'mental muscle' until you won't even have to think about it anymore, your mind knows where you are going and will get you there with little effort on your part.
Remember, if things don't go well the first time, second or third time, you have not failed. The only time that you fail is when you give up. If you continue to commit to your goals it is impossible to fail. If things aren't working for you right away look at them like they are results, outcomes that you would like to improve on. Ask yourself 'what can I do to make this work better for me?' Your mind will come up with the answer. All you need to do is tweak a few things and your results will always improve. This is the reason why setting weight loss goals are so important to succeed.