31 Day Challenge: Goal Setting

For those of you who are just stopping by from the 31 Day Challenge from The Nesting Place, welcome and I'm glad that you're stopping by:)  These past few months I have started a new journey in my life and that is a weight loss journey.  I'm looking at this journey as a new beginning and to look at it as a NEW and better lifestyle!  You can see how far I've come by reading a couple of these posts:  Weight Loss Success 1, and Weight Loss Success 2.  I thought by joining the 31 days that I could share some of the new things that I'm learning throughout this weight loss journey with everyone.  That's why I choose:

    to write about!!!

I think in order to be a happier and healthier you, you need to keep in mind these things:
1. Healthy Eating (I believe is one of the most important parts being happier and healthier)

2. Exercise

3. Thinking Positively or Being in the Right Mindset ( This has to also be one of the most important parts!)

4. Treating Yourself

Throughout this series, I will try to talk about all the different aspects to loosing weight and feeling good about yourself throughout the process:)  One thing is for sure and it's that I'm not an expert, but I wanted to share with you all, what worked for me and maybe, just maybe, it might help you through your journey as well!



I truly believe that you need to have ALL of these things in place, in order for anyone to be successful with weight loss and especially to keep it off!  The being positive and "being in the right mindset" goes hand-in-hand with being able to keep off the weight.

When you have decided that you're ready for this weight loss journey, then you need to first make a plan of attack.   I asked myself these things:

1.  What will my eating plan look like or what will my new lifestyle change look like?

2.  How long and how many days per week will I exercise?

3.  How long will I give myself to meet my goal weight?

4.  How can I change my attitude about myself?

5.  How can I look at the positive things within my life instead of finding negativity?

In order to hold yourself accountable, you should make a weight loss contract with goals addressing the first 3 questions above. I suggest even adding in your contract WHY you want to put this into place.  Since I'm a special education teacher, I have made many goals for my students and so if it works for kiddos why not for adults as well?!?!  Plus,  Accountability is a HUGE part of losing weight!    Here is an example:

 

Diet and Exercise Contract

 I need to lose weight to feel better about myself, be healthier for our babies(in the future), get in shape, not to have to worry about illnesses when I become older, and so I can have more energy.  When I loose the weight I will be able to hike without being winded, be in a swimsuit and feel more confident, go to the gym, have more energy, run around and take better care of our child, be able to wear clothes that will show off my new and improved figure, and I’m sure many other things.  I not only will start to exercise more , but also keep track of what I have been eating throughout the day. 

I will set a goal of  __________ calories per day and if I loose _________ pounds then I will be able to get ______________________________________________________________________________.

I will set a goal of ____________ minutes per day to exercise for ___________ days out of the week and if I meet this goal for one month then I will get ___________________________________________________________________________________________.

I will keep a food journal and an exercise journal whether it is on the computer or on paper. 

My goal is to loose ____________ pounds by May 25^th, 2010.  If I make this goal then I will be able to ___________________________________________________________________________.

Once I loose 10 lbs, Eric will take me out on a date for a day for whatever I want to do.  Once I lose 20 lbs, he will take me out on a date of my choice.  Once I loose 30 lbs., Eric will take me away on a weekend getaway to some where fun where I can have a shopping spree.

I am allowed one day a week to eat out at a restaurant. 

Signature:________________________________________                        Date:_____________________

I know this may sound silly, but by actually writing things down you are more likely to follow through with it and you can even show it to someone like your hubby or close friend.  After I figured out how many calories, and how many days/how long I would exercise each, I made those my goals for the majority of my weight loss.

This contract is great to have because you can always have it on hand when it is hard for you to stay within the calorie intake or hard to get up early in the morning.  Grab out your contract and remind yourself why you are doing this and what the outcome will be in the end!!!!  You can even show it to others, so they can hold you accountable and support you along the way:)

Setting a goal and having an incentive is VERY important in being successful and being able to see your progress throughout your weight loss journey or at least it helped me out tons:)
Stop back tomorrow to learn about your BMR and why it is important to take that into account when you are setting a goal how many calories you are eating throughout the day!!!

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!!