I know a thing a two

This blog is about setting goals. Get it???

I am not, by any means, an expert on weight loss. I'm just a girl who reads a lot about it and has had a successful experience over the past year. However, I've learned a thing or two during this journey and I wish I could share it with the world.

1) There is no single right way to lose weight - what worked for me might not work for someone else. For me, counting calories was the way to get it done. But I've seen people find success without writing down a single food.

Some of my friends added a lot of physical activity to their lives and didn't change their eating habits one bit. I would never have succeeded if I'd done that because it would have overwhelmed me and made me feel like I was being tortured every day. I became a bit food-obsessed (LOVE cooking!) so there was never a time when I felt tortured, that's for sure, quite the opposite.

2) But there are many wrong ways to lose weight. One of those wrong ways involves setting extreme goals that are next to impossible to meet reasonably. It saddens and frustrates me when I see a friend embark upon something that appears destined for failure at the start. I hope and pray they will succeed, but I have yet to see it. As I'm sure you will agree, the strongest motivator when working to lose weight is success. So, why do we not make our goals rationally when it comes to weight loss?

A friend of mine announced a plan to lose 30 pounds by January 1. That's eight weeks from now - and includes two MAJOR food holidays! Seriously, I wish her well, but what is the likelihood that she will succeed? Everywhere you look (except the Biggest Loser, of course), medical advisers preach losing only 1-2 pounds a week. So why do people still set goals for major weight loss (more than 10 pounds) and completely ignore this guideline?

I'm going to be harsh here: If someone is an expert on weight loss and knows so much about it that he thinks it's acceptable to disregard other experts, then he wouldn't need to lose more than 10 pounds. Right?

I know slow weight loss is frustrating. Believe me, I felt it and at times it bummed me out. But looking back, I also know that my success was because the weight loss was slow. I didn't make drastic changes in my routine or my eating. I tackled one thing at a time.

If you notice, I didn't start increasing my physical activity until I'd lost about 20 pounds. I waited until I was comfortable with the changes in my diet before changing something else. I set small goals - you know, like lose a pound this week - and felt successful each time I reached them.

Do we set drastic goals because we have become a society of people who need instant gratification?

Are we used to working hard in short bursts for our success?

Is weight loss just another to-do list entry?

I'd venture to say that it is a mix of the above. I know I wanted to see results fast - and didn't, but I love the results I'm seeing now and the it was totally worth the weight wait. In truth, I was used to short bursts of hard work followed by weekends of relaxation, but this won't work in weight loss. Even a "free day" once a week, as some advocate, creates the chance to backslide. And you know we love to-do lists. There are about a million apps out there that help us organize our errands and each thing we need to accomplish is a day's work. But weight loss isn't something to check off a list. It's something to incorporate into your life - it's the by-product of a healthier lifestyle.

So, I advocate setting attainable goals for yourself. Few people wake up one day and say "I'm going to make $30 million by Jan. 1" and expect to achieve. But if you say, "I'm going to save an extra $300 by Jan 1" you will probably do it! You won't get overwhelmed and you'll find the little changes you need to make in your money habits to reach your goal. So why not carry that into weight loss? You'll be the richer for it, I promise.