How to Reach Your Weight-Loss Goa

How to Reach Your Weight-Loss Goal, Step by Step Want to lose weight and keep it off? Follow these tried-and-true strategies for a weight loss plan that works. By Regina Boyle Wheeler Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD Many people look for a fresh start by resolving to lose weight. If you make that promise time after time but find yourself unable to make true progress, you’re far from alone. A major reason why people abandon their weight-loss goal is because their goals are too big and their expectations are unrealistic, says Michael Zemel, PhD, professor emeritus and former director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Changing your lifestyle is often easier said than done. Dr. Zemel says that people often resolve to go to the gym every day or change their diet completely, and when they can’t do it, they feel like failures and throw in the towel. Many people lead hectic lives, and that healthy meal you envision eating for lunch or dinner may be reduced to finding what’s in the vending machine or going through the fast food drive-thru. “Life can get in the way of your best intentions,” Zemel says. How to lose weight involves more than a vague dream and a refrigerator full of diet foods. To make your weight loss plan a winner this year, use this step-by-step plan as your diet road map: #1 Step to Lose Weight: Set Realistic Weight-Loss Goals Erika Anderson, a grant writer in the foundation department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, says she tried and failed at losing weight many times because her goals were too ambitious. But in January 2010, she decided to go about weight loss with a different approach. Erika joined Weight Watchers and learned how to lose weight gradually using diet and exercise. “This time, I set small goals — five pounds at a time,” she says. Each five-pound increment took her about two weeks or sometimes longer to lose. “At Weight Watchers, you get a star every time you lose five pounds. I remember getting my first star and thinking about how many more I had to go. But those five pounds add up little by little,” Anderson says. So far, she has dropped 120 pounds and blogs about her weight-loss journey. “If I had set out to lose more than 100 pounds, I definitely would’ve quit. That’s way too overwhelming, but five pounds at a time is doable.” Zemel says setting attainable goals will help you feel successful and motivated to keep going. Plus, you can see results in the mirror, and your clothes will start to fit better. #2 Step to Lose Weight: It’s the Little Things That Count Making small changes can add up to big results over time. Since drastic lifestyle changes often don’t work, find one aspect of your diet that you can change fairly easily. For example, instead of ordering large fries at lunch, opt for the medium or small size, Zemel suggests. Find little ways to work extra physical activity into your day, too. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and find the farthest parking spot at the mall or office lot. When talking on the phone, get up and walk around instead of sitting. #3 Step to Lose Weight: Be Accountable to Yourself Monitor your behavior to see where you can make improvements. Smartphone apps can help, Zemel says, such as using a free pedometer app that will count your steps in a day. A good weekly goal is to add 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day with an ultimate goal of 10,000 steps each day, which is equivalent to about 5 miles. Using a pedometer can also help you realize how sedentary you may be during the day. Be mindful of what you eat as well. Take a mental note or, better yet, use a food diary, to keep track of exactly what you’re eating. You may not realize that you’re dipping into a bowl of mints every night as you watch your favorite TV shows. When you realize how you could be sabotaging your weight-loss goals, you can change your behavior, Zemel says. #4 Step to Lose Weight: Find Support Anderson says that writing her blog and getting support from her co-workers helped her stick to her weight-loss plan. “The blog saved my life,” she says. Before her weight loss, Anderson says she was a compulsive overeater who used food as her “drug” of choice to cope with the death of her mother. You can easily build your own support network to strengthen your weight-loss challenges: The social network. Posting progress and getting encouraging words from friends on your Facebook or Twitter network can keep you motivated. A buddy. A diet or exercise partner can help you stick to your weight-loss plan. Anderson says her exercise buddy helped keep her going during summer boot camp sessions that began at 5:30 am. Your family. Family support can make or break your weight-loss goals. If a spouse is not behind your efforts, dropping pounds can be very difficult, Zemel says. Explain your goals and get them to rally behind you. Reward yourself. Find non-food ways to reward yourself. Zemel suggests splurging on a new, slimmer outfit when you reach a milestone. #5 Step to Lose Weight: Measure Progress Carefully Be prepared to hit some weight-loss plateaus, but don’t be tempted to try a crash diet to jump-start more weight loss, Zemel says. This can cause your body to resist, slowing your metabolism and making weight loss even harder. “There were times when I got really frustrated because the scale wasn’t moving, but I was never willing to give up,” Anderson says. “Eventually, that perseverance moved the scale.” In addition, Zemel says that the numbers on the scale don’t always measure progress accurately. As you get fitter, lean muscle will replace fat, but your weight may stay the same. Focus on the way your clothes feel — if they fit better or are getting looser, your weight-loss plan is headed in the right direction. Anderson says when she starts to veer off track, she recalls when she was heavy and felt far older than her 38 years. “I walked around like I was 70 years old, and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired,” she says. She also keeps her “before” picture close at hand to remind her of just how far she’s come. Last Updated: 12/28/2012 This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2013 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.