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.

Top 5 Tips for Establishing Healthy New Habits

Have you ever noticed that most day-to-day behaviors are actually habits? What we eat and drink, how we manage stress, what we do when we come home from work, when and what we do before we go to bed -- these, and many other behaviors, are well-established habits. Clearly, successful long-term weight management depends on establishing healthy habits. 


So, how long do you think it takes to establish a new habit? I've had many students in my online weight loss class tell me they think it'll take anywhere from seven to twenty-one days to change up their behavior permanently. Unfortunately, research begs to differ: Scientists have found that making new behavior a habit can take anywhere from four to six months. So, what can you do to encourage success as you establish new habits? Give these tips a try:


Donna's Top 5 Tips for Establishing Healthy Habits

1. Although it takes time to create change, it's easier to make change happen by starting with short-term goals. Depending on the goal, you may want to make your goal as short as one day, or as long as a week or two. As you're planning your goal...
2. Think back to times when you've tried to make change. What got in your way? Think ahead to challenges you may encounter, and plan ahead for those challenges. But don't make the challenges your focus...
3. Keep your focus on your goal. Falling short of your goal is nothing more than an obstacle. Don't dwell on it, or let it keep you from trying again. Learn from what happened, re-establish your goals based on your new self-knowledge, and then...
4. Celebrate all of your successes, no matter how small. Remember, change isn't easy. In fact, just being willing to change is a big step, one worthy of celebrating. Treat yourself to a little tangible non-food reward, tell a friend, or praise yourself. But don't stop at celebrating...
5. Plan ahead for establishing your next goal, and stick with this for at least six months. Put the day and time in your calendar, and keep your appointment with yourself. Because you're connecting many short-term goals together, following through is critical.

Don't be shy about using other skills and tools for establishing healthy new habits, like the power of positive self-talk and affirmations to reach your goals. At the end of the day, though, developing short-term goals, enjoying success, and gradually connecting one short-term goal to the next, until the behaviors are habits, is the path to creating lasting behavior change.

Bust Stress...Every Day!

 

Feeling stressed lately? It's that time of year. Cold weather, taxes, the fun of the holidays behind us...Even though February is a short month, it can seem like the longest month of the year. So, today I have a short-but-sweet stress-busting suggestion for you.

 

Are you ready? It's simple: Practice self-nurturing every day, whether you're stressed or not. This tip works on two levels. Practice builds confidence, and makes it far more likely that you'll think about using a stress-buster when you most need it. And breaking out stress-busters when you're not stressed lifts your mood for hours afterward.

 

Are you ready to become a skilled stress-buster? First, make a list of your three favorite ways to nurture yourself and bust stress. Choose things that require between five to thirty minutes. (I put Crescent solitaire, reading, and controlled breathing on my list.)

 

Got your list ready? Great! Now insert your list into the following SMART goal:

 

I will _________________________________________________________________,

 

______________________________________________________________________,

 

and __________________________________________________________________

 

once a day, for seven days. At the end of the seven days, I will re-evaluate my goal. 

 

As you're working toward your SMART goal, keep track of how nurturing yourself every day with your stress-busters makes you feel. At the end of seven days, use that information to decide if you'd like to continue with self-nurturing every day. Don't forget to come back and tell us how it goes, and what you observe! :)

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!

Affirmations: How Talking to Yourself Could Be Helpful to Your Health

Do you appreciate the power of your mind? Maybe you can't bend spoons or predict the future, but your thoughts are one of the most powerful weight management tools available.

Why? Because what we think matters. What we think influences how we feel and what we do. As the saying goes, Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. This is just as true for weight loss and weight maintenance as it is any other area of life.

So, how can you harness the power of your mind to help you reach and maintain your weight management goals? Try experimenting with affirmations. Affirmations are short, positive statements that give you the encouragement you need to stay on track with a particular goal. Some examples of affirmations include:

• "A little exercise is better than none at all."
• "The world is my gym!"
• "I eat healthy to nourish my body."
• "I love to drink water!"
• "I am learning to manage my stress without using food."

To make your affirmations really work for you, here a few tips:

• Affirmations are best when they're short, and they focus only on one goal at a time. That way, they're easier to remember!
• Focus on the positive as you develop your affirmations. Good phrases to use are "I will," "I can," "I like," and "I want." Avoid using won't, can't, don't, or shouldn't.
• Be aware of the power of words. If the mere word exercise makes you cringe, don't use it; call it activity, movement, "me time," or simply call your chosen activity by its name--yoga, power walking, kickboxing.
• Learn from others. One of the most powerful affirmations I've used was originally a comment posted by a student in my online weight loss class. "I love to drink water!"  

When you put SMART goals, reward plans, and affirmations together, the results can be remarkable. People do lose and maintain weight, but that becomes secondary to other, unexpected benefits: They see themselves as capable, find themselves enjoying the journey, and inspire others to join in with them in their healthy lifestyle changes. It may seem random at first glance, but it all makes sense: SMART goals provide a solid guideline for success. Reward plans make the journey pleasant. Thinking positively attracts others.

What do you think? Have you experimented with SMART goals, reward plans, or affirmations? Do you have questions about how to make these tools work for you? Let us know!

Making Behavior Change Stick

Hello everyone! Last week we talked about how easy it is to regain weight after you lose it, and how lifestyle change can help you lose weight and keep it off. I mentioned that there are many things you can do to change your lifestyle to support weight management, and remarked that it's a good thing there are so many things you can do. Without a doubt, there's something you can do -- today! -- that will move you toward a healthier, happier lifestyle.

There's a dark side to that, though. We're about halfway through the December session of Lose Weight and Keep It Off, and several students have remarked that they're feeling overwhelmed by how many goals they're trying to juggle. They feel guilty if they don't do everything they can to lose weight...and then feel worried because they can't keep up.

If you can relate, know that these feelings are perfectly normal. (This is especially true if you've been immersed in the diet mentality, and have been taught that it's all about calories in versus calories out.) That said, it's crucial to avoid getting bogged down by all the different factors that affect your weight. Remember, you don't have to do weight management perfectly to do it well...but you have to do something differently!

So, don't let all the possibilities overwhelm you. Instead, choose only as many goals as you can realistically manage right now. Remember, your goal isn't immediate weight loss. Your goal is to make lifestyle change you can live with, so you lose that weight...and keep it off.

Also, keep in mind that the things you're working on right now will get easier with time and practice. If you told me five years ago that I'd feel thirsty if I didn't drink at least 2 liters of water a day, I'd have laughed out loud. That third liter of water can be a challenge, but if I don't get 2 liters by suppertime, I want to drink some water. Hydration is still my biggest challenge when it comes to weight management, but it's much easier than it was a few years ago. The same kinds of changes can -- and will -- happen for you, too.

Goals for the week of September 20th - 27th

SMART goals are powerful for a variety of reasons. For me, they really work because they help me clarify what, when, and how I'll accomplish a goal. This week, I'm focusing (as usual) on getting in 3 liters of water daily; maintaining my exercise routine; and busting stress before I eat. So, here are my goals for the week:

1) Drink 3 liters of water daily. Write it in my planner so if I forget, I can squeeze it in before bedtime!

2) Plan out exercise for the week. Take 15 minutes every morning to plan ahead for the day and the week.

3) Type up the controlled breathing techniques for my planner. Teach the family how to do three different techniques. Use the three techniques, three times each, before every meal.

4) Pay closer attention to my appetite, and be sure to eat only when hungry and stop when just satisfied.

There -- my weight mangement goals for the week!

What are *your* goals for the week? If you want a little extra accountability, post your goals here! We'll be rooting for you -- and checking back to see how it goes :).