Ep: #10 - 6 Tips for effective weight loss goal setting

Faye Casement Author

May 05, 2024 |

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Setting goals and planning your year sounds like a super productive way to start the year, doesn’t it?

Make tangible goals, say to self this is the year and I WILL achieve them no matter what?

Your typical New Year Resolution, right?

And how have they worked out for you in the past?

Not going to lie I think I made it to January 10th…once! 

Will powering it all the way! 

And then I would crash and burn, declare myself a failure and most likely lose the year! There is always next year right!  Statistically I have read that 80% of New Year resolutions have been given up by February.

Why? the sheer level of desperation we can sometimes have and the pressure we apply to ourselves is unreal. We set ourselves up with such high expectations from the start that it is inevitable we crash out.

Now I am not saying don’t make goals, don’t have dreams.

I would always strongly advocate having something to work towards in life for personal growth rather than just letting life float you by but the old ways of goal setting have not worked in the past and so we need to rip up the rule book and get rid of the old ways that didn’t work!

As Einstein said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!”

This is why I picked the title in part. I am not just paying homage to that rather catchy tune from the 80s!

I really do want to encourage every one of you to start trying to look at your life through different lenses so you can explore and discover different ways to achieve your dreams without feeling restricted, forced, or downright miserable so that you can thrive.

When it comes to goal setting, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Firstly, go beyond the material level e.g. if you are thinking about losing weight you may have a specific amount in mind but this can create overwhelm if you have a lot to lose.

Maybe you want to get to a certain dress size but again this can feel so far away.

You might feel stumped at first as this is how you are likely to have always set goals but for lasting change, you want to really dive into who you want to “be”.

This is when you start to step into the role of the “Creator” who you are now is perfect but for transformation, you want an end you in mind too.

What would she be thinking, feeling, doing?

I cover this more in my program but there is a free resource called “Future You” you can snag leave me a #futureyou in the comments if you want the training.

Before stepping into the future you, you want to have a really clear picture of who you are now.  The way you view yourself right now will shape how you show up on your journey.  You can’t start your journey if you don’t know where the car is parked right now. Steer too far away from this point and you will go in too hot and heavy and burn out.

This then in turn highlights to you the gap.

From there you start to build out your system with a number of process goals that are small and manageable so you don’t even know you are doing them. E.g. if you want to be someone who eats 5 portions of fruit and veg a day and you currently eat none, you would be better aiming for 1 portion a day until you have it on lock rather than going straight in at 5 and failing etc.

It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day of life and forget about what you want out of it so a system to help you plan, track and assess will really help as well as having people to be accountable to as well as yourself.

Common misconceptions of goal setting that we need to get rid of

Goal setting can help clarify what you're hoping to achieve, but many people make the mistake of not going into it with the best mindset... mindset is Queen! 

In my membership, I call it "Mind Nijary" as the brain can often be stealthy and sneaky throwing up unhelpful thoughts but with training, we can master them.

So, what are some of the misconceptions we can have when setting goals or starting a journey?

"Goal setting is boring!"

"Achieving goals is hard!"

"I will have to do things I don't want to do!"

"People are going to judge me!"

"I have failed every other time!"

The thing is these statements are true, for those who let them be true.

This is the key here, if you go into goal setting thinking about 'restriction' or 'goal setting is hard', and let those thoughts stick then yeah, the journey is going to suck! 

So why do we think like that? the simple answer is...it is how our brains work! 

With self-coaching though and by get coached you can cut through the BS.  Half the time our thoughts are not true, helpful, or kind but you have the power to change the soundtrack.

Identify who you want to be

When it comes time for setting goals, it is tempting to only look at your current self, you maybe feeling quite a bit of pain/suffering at the moment and feel desperate to change as it is what you are living it day in, day out. 

But your present view of yourself is likely to have a bias for the negative as you have things you want to change.

It is easy to then try to set goals based on a list of things you do not want to be and start "shoulding" all over yourself e.g. I need to eat fewer carbs, I have to start going to the gym, I need to lose weight, I can't do this, I must do that, etc.

This can feel pretty demoralising and will likely be accompanied with a lot of thoughts that will not serve as covered before.

The way to combat this is to step into your future self.  The you who has achieved your goals and dreams. 

What is she like?

Imagine who you want to be in the future, what things do you want to achieve?

Well, your future self is already achieving them, so set your goals so that they will happen.

Maybe your future self is confident.

Maybe your future self is sassy.

Maybe your future self is healthy and strong.

Maybe she chooses to eat to satisfy her body not her emotions.

Maybe she is a role model and inspiration to herself and others.

Maybe she is powerful due to the challenge she has overcome along the way.

Remember, every step you take is one step closer to your future you, start thinking about and dreaming about being this future-self person in a way that makes you appreciate them (and you); think about her in a way that inspires you rather than a journey of restriction, fear, and boredom.

Where are you now?

When it comes to identifying where you are now it is important, to be honest with yourself, but yet seek to do this in a non-judgemental way. The facts are the facts.  It does not make you or the situation good or bad, it just is.

It is also important not to compare your beginning to someone else's middle or end.  This can happen but it will not serve you so this is a thought error you would want to work on in your mindset work.

It is also essential that you take the time to understand your motivations for wanting to change, and what might get in the way.

Be honest with yourself about your starting point and be gentle with yourself as you move forward.

Goal setting is all about the future self, but it needs to be grounded in the present rather than pie in the sky and unrealistic to make the future self, feel possible and to move you consistently through your journey.

Mind the gap

So, you have dreamt about your future self where you are healthy and strong, confident and sassy, a role model and inspiration to yourself and others.

You have no doubt wallowed a little about where we are right now and that is ok!

But it is time to shake that off!

Your future self is completely dependent on your present self and what you think about day-to-day.

It's not enough just to dream about being your future self!

You need to work on achieving goals right now with the knowledge of where you are today - not only will this make tomorrow easier but it will also help bring that future closer faster. 

This is where the gap comes in you have to find your action goals. 

Awareness + Action = Results

We all have habits that can stop us from reaching our future goals, and often these habits become ingrained in our psyche - it's easy to convince yourself that you're not worthy of good things because 'that's just who you are' or 'that's just been your life.'  It might not seem fair but the future self you want is dependent on the present self, taking some action. 

Even if it doesn't feel like the future you is possible, the future you is always 100% in control - it's just up to present self whether she wants future self to win or not.

This is where the goal-setting part actually comes in. 

I strongly believe that the best process is one you build yourself built on where you currently are and where you want to get to. 

You at the end of the day are your strongest asset. 

You know yourself better than anyone, your likes, dislikes, etc. 

This is why mainstream diets don’t often work long term as they are someone else's rules.

This is your life, so you make the rules!

So you decide what you are going to work on?

Build your system

Once you have identified what you want to work on, break each of the things into small manageable process tasks.

It is essential that you are realistic about what you can achieve and that you celebrate each victory along the way - future self will be so proud!

It is also helpful to think about how your habits might get in the way and brainstorm ways to work around them.

Ask yourself every day, what is one is one small thing I can do today that moves me closer to where I want to be?

Be patient & keep going not matter what

It's also important to be patient with yourself as you work towards your goals. Remember that the future self is completely dependent on the present self, so it's going to take some time and effort to get there. Celebrate each victory along the way and don't beat yourself up if you slip up – just get back on track as soon as possible and keep going no matter what and you will achieve your dreams.

Conclusion

The future self is completely dependent on the present self, so it's going to take some time and effort to get there but it will be so worth the journey and I can help you to make it easier.

Celebrate each victory along the way and don't beat yourself up if you slip up – just get back on track as soon as possible. 

We all have old rules, beliefs, and habits that can stop us from reaching our future goals, and often these habits become ingrained in our psyche - it's easy to convince yourself that you're not worthy of good things because 'that's just who you are' or 'that's just been your life.' but this is simply not true.

It might not seem like it but you are 100% in control right now and you just have to decide whether you want to become that future you or not.

Like what you have heard today, I have that free download on your future self so leave me the #futureself to get your hands on that exercise as your starting off point.

If you a ready to start working on your goals and dreams drop me a message and let's have a chat and plan your first step to get you started.

Next week, I am going to start a series that gives you a more in-depth overview of my program so make sure you catch those. Don't want to miss an update head on over to triple-a-way.com and sign up for the newsletter as well as get access to other resources or drop me your email in messenger and I will add you in.

Look out for next weeks blog where I will start a series sharing more about the Triple-A-Way Membership

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Categories: : Future Self, Goal Setting, Weight loss