So you've decided it's time to lose weight, and you're ready to get
started. Enthusiasm is great, and will help you especially in the early
days when your stomach is growling and you're wondering why you decided
to do this. But before you eagerly jump into the deep end, take a few
minutes to think about how you want to accomplish your goals. Planning
ahead will go a long way toward improving the odds of being successful
in your efforts to lose weight.
Your goal weight. You've
already talked to your doctor, right?
What does he or she think a healthy weight would be for you? What would
a Body Mass
Index (BMI)
in the healthy range be for your height and
body type? When making this decision, try not to focus on what you've
weighed in the past, what fashion and fitness magazines say, or even
what friends and family are telling you. What is your ideal healthy
weight? It should ultimately be a number you can live with - and
maintain - for a long time to come.
Your time frame. Whether
you have a little or a lot to lose, you
want to lose weight steadily and safely. Most medical experts recommend
having a goal to lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week. Given the weight
goal you just decided on, what is a realistic date (based on that 1-2
pound weekly weight loss) when you'll be able to reach that goal? If
you have a larger amount of weight to lose, that date may seem awfully
far in the future. Don't be discouraged by that. It may help to set a
few interim goals: so many pounds each month or in 3 months' time.
Meeting those smaller goals along the way will help you to stay
motivated long term.
It's not just about the number on the scale. In addition to the
pounds you'll be losing, your body
will be shedding inches as well. It
will be helpful for you to have a starting point and a record of
measurements at the beginning. Take a few minutes to measure your
waist, hips, chest, upper arms, and thighs. Record these numbers and
set them aside for now. You'll want to come back to them later to
review your progress.