Disclaimer: The Legal Stuff The Author and Publisher have strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this e-book, notwithstanding the fact that they do not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, the Author and Publisher assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. In practical books, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees. Readers are cautioned to rely on their own judgment about their individual circumstances and to act accordingly. The information contained in this e-book is for general use only. This e-book should not replace the need for professional medical advice if needed. All information used and applied is at the reader s own discretion. The author and publisher disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from any use or application of the material contained within this e-book. For any health concerns, the advice of a health professional should be sought before commencing any program. Copyright 2012-13 All rights reserved Jedha D. http://goodfoodeating.com All rights reserved. This e-book may NOT be given away or sold. However if you know someone who would like a copy they are welcome to visit http://goodfoodeating.com/weight-loss-goals and sign up for their own copy. Wishing you the best success with your goals!
Weight Loss Goal Setting Workbook We can all say things and think things but unless we take the time to set goals and plan we can find ourselves walking down the same road year after year after year. Goals need thought and feeling. Goals then need action. This workbook includes some of the things I work through when setting my goals and the process I recommend to clients. It s a practical book to help you work through some of the important aspects of achieving your weight loss goals. And you can also use the same process to set goals in other areas of your life as well. Print out this book, it is a workbook after all, and requires you to DO something. Then, get out your pen and paper, take action and take the time to fill out the workbook. Set your goals clearly and then go out there and achieve them! I wish you the very best success! Step 1. Set The Goal For starters, it is no use just saying I want to lose weight. Just about everyone wants to do that and it really doesn t give you anything to work with. It doesn t help you set a plan on how you are going to do it and it gives you nothing to evaluate your progress. The first place to start is by writing down exactly what you want to achieve and why. For example, I want to lose 20 pounds so I can feel better about myself or I want to lose 50 pounds so I can be a healthy role model for my children and be able to run around with them easily. The two important keys here are: 1. Write down exactly how much weight you want to lose this is usually pretty easy because in your mind you probably have an ideal or a number you are already thinking about. So write that down. 2. Work out your reason why sometimes this is not so easy. You need to have a compelling reason to want to lose weight, something that gives you the drive and purpose to get you moving and sticking to it. Here are a few examples that I ve heard others use: to be a healthy role model for my kids and be able to play with them without getting puffed and tired my health is so bad right now, I need to heal myself from..xyz.. condition I am getting married and want to look the best I can in my wedding dress
People have different reasons for making change. You need to work out what yours is. When I embarked on my weight loss journey, my why was to be kind to myself and treat myself well so I could find happiness. At the time, I was so sick and tired of beating myself up and being stuck the negative cycle of emotional eating and compulsive overeating. I felt horrible, I was treating myself unkind, and living inside myself was no fun at all. I was really very unhappy. I had to change, and my why became my driving force. Whenever I felt stuck or led off track I would simply think back to how bad I used to feel and how I never want to put myself there *ever* again. I really, really, really wanted to feel good about myself and break the pattern of self beating and that s what helped me stick to it. I d look at a cake or some bread and I d think Mmm that would be nice, but I know how that will make me feel and I don t want to do that. I know the path it leads me down and I ve chosen something different. Okay I m not going to eat it. Your why will help you to make the right choices for yourself. 1. How much weight do I want to lose? 2. What is the reason I want to make this change? What will give me drive and motivation? What is my why? Step 2. Make a plan If your long-term goal is to lose 10 or 20 or 50 kilos or pounds, how exactly are you going to do it? There is no magic pill and it s not going to happen overnight so you need to chunk it down into smaller steps and work out what actions you are going to take to get there. Here are some aspects you need to think about and write about to get a clearer picture of how you are going to achieve your goal. What is a realistic timeframe? Think about your goal above. How much do you want to lose? The average weight loss rate is 0.5-1 kg (1-2lbs) per week. People may lose more but that s the average, so let s say your goal is 20kg (42lbs). If you can lose the base average of 0.5kg (1lb) week, then you can reach your goal in 10 months. That s a realistic target. Remember you want to make permanent sustainable change, and this takes time.
So write down what is a realistic timeframe for you What will your weekly target be? It s good to set this as an additional target to keep you on track. So write down 0.5kg or (1 lb). What will your weekly target and aim be? What are you going to eat? This is important to think about so let s walk through this section in more detail and break it down into chunks. Have you chosen a diet plan to follow or are you going to just get healthy? If you ve chosen a diet plan, how closely will you stick to it? It s rare that anyone will stick to something 100%, and that s okay. It s simply not realistic in the long term, we all love treats and cheats sometimes. But how closely will you stick and commit to something? For example: if you choose a paleo diet plan will you go 80/20, 70/30? Let s look at what 80/20 might look like: There are 21 main meals in a week and 14 snacks. That s 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks. If you were doing 80/20, that would give you 4 meals and 3 snacks that are not part of your diet plan. Is that enough leeway for you? I honestly think most diet plans can work, if we stick to them as close as we can and work out what is sustainable long-term. 80/20 is probably the best ratio to choose but if that s still too rigid for you, what will you be able to sustain long term as a lifestyle plan? Where will you start? Don t take on too much too fast. If you re diet is totally crap, don t expect to go clean in one hit, it won t work. Identify and eliminate one thing at a time and commit to do this weekly or at a pace that suits you. The best pace to start is cutting out sugar and processed foods. This may mean first cutting out all sodas and then something else. Start from where you are now. If you need help quitting sugar, I recommend this great sugar detox guide. Think about what needs cleaning up in your diet first. Where will you start? And what will come next? Will you be cooking for yourself or do you need to get your partner and family involved in the cooking and planning as well?
Do you need to plan meal alternatives for other family members? This is important to consider because you may have to work meal plans and strategies around including other family members dietary needs, requirements, and preferences. How are you going to stay organised with food so you don t go off track? Will you do a weekly meal plan? Will you make things on the fly? Will you have freezer meals available? What practical strategies will you use to get and stay organised? How will you manage you time? Will you make sure you set aside time on Sunday mornings to cook add plan? Will you make sure you set time schedules to allow time for preparation, cooking and YOU time? How will you do it? A calendar, a journal, a diary, your phone? What exercise or physical activity will you do? Will you walk, jog, do weight training, yoga, bike riding? What will you do? How often will you do it? What are you prepared to commit to exercise? Will you walk 3 times a week for 30 minutes and do weight training twice a week for 30 minutes? How often and what time commitment will you give exercise? If you re just starting out, start small. Start with 10 minutes every second day. Be realistic. What days will you do it? Will you do it in the morning, during the day or in the afternoon? What works best for you? What can you honestly commit to it?
What obstacles are you likely to come up against in achieving your goal? Family interference, support issues, lack of motivation, commitment etc? Think about where you ve failed before. Is there a pattern? A habit? Likely obstacles you know might come your way? How will you deal with these obstacles? Think about and prepare a way to deal with these obstacles ahead of time. Will you join a weight loss support group to help keep you motivated? Will you recruit a family member or friend for help and support? Do you need to read self-development books or books about positive mindset to help you stay on track? Do you need food strategies to help you manage cravings? What are the obstacles and what could possible solutions be to deal with them? Will you need to deal with emotional issues? This is a big one as our weight loss is always attached to strong emotions. Can you identify some emotional issues you need to work through? Can you talk to a friend? Write in a journal? Share with your weight loss community? What are the possible issues and how can you deal with them? Will you need to work on other areas of your life at the same time? We can t segment weight loss into it s own tiny box as it s often wound up with other areas. For example, when I put on lots of weight it was because I had a lot of financial pressure and stress. So I made some goals around that area at the same time and worked through everything to gain back more control over
my life. What other areas of your life need goals and direction? Use this same process to work through goals in all areas of your life. How often will you re-evaluate? Come back to this workbook once a month or every fortnight if you have to. Set aside a time to re-evaluate. How will you have some fun as well? How will you reward your successes? Don t do it with food, get a new goal, hobby or activity that rewards and re-energises you. What things do you love to do but haven t done in ages? What new things would you love to do or learn? Is there anything else I might need to include? Work through the above process and make your plan so you know what you are up against. Take action and write down all the answers now. Then come back here and write a summary of your goal.
SUMMARY OF MY GOAL Now that you know what your plan is, it s time to implement that each and every day consistently over time. Make a vision board, carry around your goal and your reason why on an affirmation card in your wallet and pull it out as a reminder if you feel you re struggling. Do what you have to do to remind yourself and stay motivated to create the life you want to live and be happy. YOU CAN DO IT! If you need some extra help to lose weight and reach your goals, I d like to invite you to join my supportive group coaching environment. The Good Food Members Community! You get access to: A private community forum where you can ask questions, get help and meet like minded wonderful friends on a similar journey. Ready made meal plans and loads of healthy recipes at your fingertips. Fortnightly group coaching calls to help you get results and connect the community together. This is a supportive and friendly community that shares and really cares about you and your success in life. You can get all the details here. I d love to see you there and help you achieve success in your life. Your health is your wealth, Jedha! You can also come and join me on the blog at home base at Good Food Eating.com I d love to hear about your progress!