Working On Weight Loss SMART Goals? Beware These Traps!

Happy New Year! I hope you're off to a solid start toward your weight management goals, starting with solid SMART goals. We've talked about SMART goals before, but it's worth your time to double-check that your goals are indeed SMART before we move on to two common traps that can trip you up.


So, be sure that your goals are Specific (you know exactly what, when, and how much you expect yourself to do), Measurable (something you can objectively count or measure), Achievable (things that you can actually accomplish), Reasonable (things that you can realistically accomplish, given your lifestyle, health, etc.), and Time-Oriented (your goals should have a reasonable, relatively short time frame -- a day, a week, a month, at which time you re-evaluate and re-set your goals).


Now, let's take a look at two common traps to SMART goal success:


The False-Hope Syndrome


Have you heard the expression, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst"? When many people develop their SMART weight loss goals, they tend to lean toward hoping for the best. That's reasonable, as feeling full of hope for the future makes it easier to launch new goals. Unfortunately, it also means that it's all-too-easy for new goals to be unrealistic. Then, when those unrealistic goals aren't reached, it's easy to get discouraged and give up, rather than re-evaluate the goals.


Planning Fallacy


Closely related to false-hope syndrome, planning fallacy is when we fail to take into account just how challenging it will be to accomplish a particular task. In the construction industry, it's common to add an additional 30% to any estimate, whether it's materials, labor, or time. If you've ever painted your living room, remodeled the kitchen, or overhauled your backyard, you've probably discovered the truth of this estimate.


There's no guesstimate for how much additional time and effort you'll need to put into weight management goals, but consider some of the common challenges to successful weight management: If you decide to walk the dog every afternoon, how will you handle rain or snow? What will you do if it's snowing or raining or windy? What if your dog is sick or injured, or you're sick or injured? It takes time and energy to work through the challenges that you can predict --- and be prepared to manage the challenges you can't predict right now, too.


So, how can you avoid false-hope syndrome and planning fallacy? First, be certain that your goals are Achievable, and avoid goals like "lose 10 pounds by the end of January," which you may or may not be able to achieve. Although you can influence weight loss, you're not actually in complete control of when or how much weight you can lose, particularly in a specific time frame.


Then, double-check that your goals are Realistic by thinking about the consequences of each of your goals. For example, if you're upping your water intake, you'll need to plan ahead for when and where to get and drink more water, but you'll also need to think about when and where you'll go to the restroom more often.


Finally, be sure you have a Time-Oriented goal -- and your time frame truly works for you. If a particular task is especially challenging for you, then working toward accomplishing it day-by-day, for three days, or perhaps for seven days is appropriate. If you're reasonably skilled at a task, or you're committed to it, then following through for a longer period of time can work. Either way, set aside a day and time to evaluate how things have been going, and re-set your goals.

Recipe: Hoppin' John Soup

This soup is based on ingredients traditionally served in the Southern United States on New Year's Day to ensure a prosperous new year, but my family likes this recipe so much we enjoy it all year long. It takes about 2 hours to make in the pressure cooker, but requires very little hands-on time. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can prepare it on the stove top or slow cooker--just extend the cooking time by several hours.

Hoppin' John Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black peppercorn mix
8 cups water
1 pound black-eyed peas
1 ham steak, diced
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups fresh collard greens, chopped

1 tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce

Directions:

Heat olive oil in pressure cooker on SAUTE. Add onion, garlic, and pepper, and sauté 5 minutes, or until just tender. Add water, peas, and ham steak, and cook on HIGH pressure for 45 minutes. Allow steam to escape, then add tomatoes, greens, and hot sauce. Cook on SIMMER for at least 5 minutes (soup is improved by simmering for 30 minutes).

New Year, New Motivation...New You!

Happy new year! Today we're going to take a fresh look at motivation. Motivation is often one of the first obstacles to successful weight loss, and it's something everyone wrangles with at least occasionally. So, let's see how we can punch up our motivation, and enjoy more weight management success!

There are many theories about how motivation works. One of these theories is self-determination theory (or SDT). Self-determination theory is based on the premise that people don't like to be told what to do. (I can relate -- can you?) According to Deci and Ryan (2008), the psychologists who developed self-determination theory, there are five different categories of motivation:

1. Intrinsic: You do something because you like it.
2. Integrated: You do something because it's who you are.
3. Identified: You do something because it helps you reach a goal.
4. Introjected: You do something because you think you should.
5. External: You do something in order to avoid punishment, or get a reward.

Are you wondering how self-determination theory can help you? Let's say your physical activity goal for cardio is to reach 10,000 steps a day on your pedometer. If your motivation is introjected, you'll probably think something like, "Well, I guess I should try to get in 10,000 steps today, because I guess it'll help me lose some weight."

Compare that to someone who's motivation is integrated, who might think, "I'm going to get at least 10,000 steps today, because that's just the kind of person I am!" If I were the gambling type, I'd put my money on the person whose motivation is integrated. Wouldn't you?

Once you identify your motivation, you can develop affirmations that encourage a shift in your motivation. For instance, if your motivation for physical activity is introjected ("I know I should exercise today, but I really don't want to"), you can use self-determination theory to make your thoughts more motivating. Here are some examples:

• You might choose a reward to motivate you (external motivation)
• You could say, "Being physically active helps me reach my weight management goals!" (identified motivation)
• You could say, "I'm going to be active today because I'm someone who exercises every day!" (integrated motivation)

So, here's your challenge for the week:

1. Find one aspect of weight management that's difficult for you.
2. Identify your SMART goal for that aspect of weight management. (Good thing you did this last week, right?)
3. Pay attention to your thoughts about your goal for three days. Write those thoughts down!
4. After three days, examine your thoughts and identify your motivations.
5. Challenge yourself to make your thoughts more motivating, using the self-determination theory categories.

One aspect of weight management that's challenging for me is getting enough rest. I don't need much sleep, but I need to be asleep no later than 11:30 PM. Since I get home from work around 9:30 PM several nights a week, following through on my sleep goals can be iffy. After observing my thoughts for a few days, I noticed they were usually along the lines of, "I really should stop puttering around on the computer and go to bed..."

When I challenged this thought with, "Yes, I should...because I'm the kind of person who makes sure I get enough rest, so I can get things done the next day!" I found it surprisingly easy to disconnect from the Internet and get in bed. And, when I woke up refreshed the next day -- and it really was easier to be the kind of person who gets things done -- following through on my new integrated motivation was easier still.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you use self-determination theory to master your thoughts and create your own motivating affirmations that not only help you be successful, but make the journey easier and more enjoyable. Keep us posted! :)

Three Tips for Successful SMART Goals

Today's the last day of 2013! Are you ready for a new year full of health and happiness? If you answered 'Yes!" I trust that's because you've already given some thought to how you'll make it happen. If you haven't, then now's the time to translate your hopes for the new year into SMART goals that will help you make those dreams into reality.

Three Tips for Successful SMART Goals

1.  SMART goals need to be based on behavior change. Goals like, "I want to lose 10% of my current weight," or "I want to get back into a size 30 waist," are terrific starting points for developing a SMART goal. To make these goals specific, though, you'll need to focus on your behavior -- and if you intend to maintain your new weight, you'll need to focus on behavior changes you can maintain for a lifetime.

I encourage you to consider developing goals based on small-but-meaningful changes. Zero in on an aspect of weight management you can control: Change up your eating habits, be more active, drink more water, get more rest, manage stress, take care of your health. (Feeling overwhelmed? Not to worry! We'll be looking at ways to be successful with each of these aspects of weight management in 2014.)

2.  Make sure your goals have a time frame. Perhaps one of the most common mistakes people make when they begin developing weight management goals is failing to include an end date. At first glance, it makes sense: If you're going to make behavior change for a lifetime, who needs end dates, right? Wrong. In fact, the opposite is true. Because you're making behavior change for a lifetime, it's crucial that you develop some short-term goals. Without short-term goals, weight management becomes a grueling, never-ending experience.

As you're thinking about a time frame, I urge you to consider goals that sound like, "I will track my water intake for 14 days," rather than, "I will track my water intake for two weeks." That way, if you miss a day or two in two weeks -- and chances are extremely good you won't do things perfectly -- you don't need to start over again. Instead, you just get back on track with your goal.

This truth leads to Tip #3, which is...

3.  Consider building a reward into your goal. Rewards make the journey fun. If your goal is "I will walk during my lunch break for 14 days," but going for a walk isn't your favorite thing, then planning ahead for a reward after you've been successful will benefit you in two ways. First, it'll give you something to look forward to as you're out walking. And second, if you choose a tangible, non-food reward, you'll have something to remind you of your success.

For example, I once worked with a client who bought herself a charm bracelet, and every time she reached a goal, she bought herself a charm for the bracelet. After a year of reaching goals, she had a gorgeous bracelet laden with charms, each one representing a success. You don't need to buy a charm bracelet, of course. You might buy yourself a new workout shirt or a new yoga mat. Or, treat yourself to a new album for your MP3 player.

We'll get back to work next Tuesday. Until then, I wish you and yours much health and happiness in the new year!