How to Lose Weight: #16: Set Goals
(And Remind Yourself of Them)

If weight loss was easy, we'd all be thin. It was easy for ancient man to stay at a normal weight, because he didn't know where his next meal was coming from, and would burn plenty of calories just killing that mastodon. Not so long ago, you had to burn a lot of calories just to get calories, and this is still true in many parts of the world. Today, we still have our instinctual love of rich, fatty foods, but we aren't nearly as active, so we have to use our ration and reason (our minds) to overcome our natural love of bad foods, and inactivity.

This is where goal-setting come in. I find that having a goal, and a clear and realistic time frame to achieve the goal, is helpful. Also, I make it a point to constantly reminding myself of the goal. I tend to do it like this:

General Goal: Lose Fat, Gain Muscle

Reasons for Goal: Look Thinner and in better shape by the summer

Ways to Achieve Goal: Weight Lift every other day; run every other day; walk on non-running days

This example is broad, but you get the idea. After setting these goals, I find ways to remind myself of them. I write them on a card in my wallet, post them on my fridge, or, send myself an email reminder every day! I set up a recurring email reminder at Memo To Me, so every day at the time I choose, I get a reminder that I am trying to lose weight. Another thing I used to do, was visualize myself reaching some sort of goal at the end of a segment of exercise, in order to motivate me to get through the exercise. If you are not following me, let me explain. I used this some in high school (this example is very high school, so be warned). For example, if I was getting ready to ask a particular girl out, but wanted to lose a little weight first, I would make a game out of the sprints. After the first sprint, it would be like I walked up to her, the second, starting a conversation, and so forth, until I visualized going on a date (nothing beyond this, so get your mind out of the gutter!). Sure, this is a high school male example, but you get my drift. It was a vivid reminder of my goals, and why I was out there dying in the hot sun. It made the hot sun beating down upon the track, and upon me, more bearable. In fact, I still have fond memories of nearly dying out there!