Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew exactly what to do to lose weight successfully? What you need is a fitness tracker and a smart goal! S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym to remind you how to set a goal that maps out exactly what you need to do. These goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

SMART Goals Need To Be:

Specific
A goal needs to be as specific as possible so you can work toward it and achieve it. “Lose weight” as a goal is too vague. What exactly do you want to achieve and how? Why do you want to do it? 

You can track your progress by writing down each half-pound lost, which can break your goal down into smaller ones. Then you can see little victories right off the bat. These successes build momentum so your excitement and confidence can keep you motivated toward your overall goal.

Rather than simply saying, “I’m going to exercise more,” you specify how many calories you’ll burn.

What is your Specific Goal?

Measurable
If you don’t make your goals measurable, how do you know when you will reach them?  Whether it is pounds or inches lost or how your clothes fit, setting a measurable goal is the key to achieving it. A measurable goal could be losing 25 pounds at a healthy rate of a half-pound to a pound per week.

As fitness tracking device will help you track the calories you burn, so you’ll be able to clearly know when you succeed.  It will also keep you motivated.

What is your Measurable goal?

Attainable/Accountable
In the past, maybe you kept a paper-and-pen food journal, but it never lasted more than a few days. It may have been time-consuming and inconvenient to calculate all those calories, so hundreds of them often went unaccounted for each day.

Consider trying a more convenient online food journal to track your intake and be responsible for everything that goes into your mouth, including water and beverages. A great online app I like to use is MyFitnessPal.  www.myfitnesspal.com.  You should also find someone you can be accountable too, like an “accountability-buddy” or a personal trainer and or nutritionist.

Since you should already be burning 1,000 calories a week through exercise, bumping it up a bit should be manageable. To burn 1,250 calories, you’ll need to add about one extra workout.

What is your Attainable goal?

Relevant/Set a Realistic Goal
Make sure your goal is realistic. You do not want to make it too difficult because you might get discouraged.  Losing 25 pounds can be realistic, but it may not be easy.

You need to see yourself reaching the goal. It needs to be challenging without being overwhelming. You can lose 25 pounds through healthy lifestyle changes such as eating a nutritious and balanced diet and exercising regularly? More importantly, you have to believe you can do it!

Exercise is totally relevant to weight loss! So exercising more fits into your larger weight loss plan.

What is your Realistic goal?

Time-based/ Have a timeframe
If your goal does not have a time limit, you will have trouble starting and staying motivated until the end.  So give yourself six months to lose the weight, and this will give you a target date to work toward. It may take you shorter or longer, but once you start seeing results on the scale and with how your clothes fit, it will motivate you to achieve your ultimate goal.

You have to set a goal for each week, Period!  You have to choose to pursue your goal this week and again next week, or you can set a new goal. It’s easier to commit to a goal — and be successful — if you do it for a set amount of time.

What Time have you set for your goals? 

Making “S.M.A.R.T” weight-loss goals can transform your “lose weight” resolution into a much more attainable goal.

So, How Do You Get Started?

First, consider what you want to achieve, and then commit to it. Set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based) goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal and cross off each one as you work through them.

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You’ll also quickly spot the distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray.

Do Not Wait, What Are You Going To Do Today?