How To Realize Your Weight Loss Dreams for 2021 (By Setting Goals Now)

2020 is almost behind us and I am sure that most of us are happy to move on from it. With that, it is time to start setting goals for 2021. Have you ever heard the saying, “a goal without a plan is just a wish”? Planning is key! Find a place where you can have some quiet time to think. Somewhere you can give yourself some undivided attention. Get a cup of coffee or your beverage of choice. Sit down with a notebook and pen and let’s get started on setting goals and losing the weight!

“A goal without a plan, is just a wish”

Goal Setting

It’s the end of 2020. In years past you have been at this point before. You want to lose weight. You have great intentions. Starting off the new year on the right foot, but somewhere down the line, that plan fizzles out. You get to the end of the year, with the same desire you had the year before-to lose weight.

How can you change this cycle? By setting goals that are a cut above the rest. Goals that are very clear because you know all the reasons why you want to achieve that goal so badly! You also have a clear vision of what your life will look like when you get to your goal. Let’s look at some of these areas in more detail. My own experiences with setting goals was a part of my success strategy with losing weight. I have quite a few other strategies for weight loss that you can read about here.

Setting Your Goal

This is the first step. If you have been down this road before you likely have an idea of what you want that goal weight to be. If you are not sure, seek out advice from your doctor. They can help get you set on a goal weight path. Choose a weight that feels good to you and put that number down on paper. On Paper-On Purpose!

Your Big Whys

The next step is to remind yourself of ALL the reasons why you want to lose this weight. Ask yourself something like this:

“Why do I want to reach this goal weight? Why is it so important?”

You will want to give this some deep thought. Write down all the reasons you can think of as to WHY you want to lose this weight. Some of the reasons could be:

• Being healthier is my main reason for wanting to lose weight.
• Clothes that fit well are important to me.
• Having more energy is something I crave.
• I want to feel good about myself again

When you write down these initial statements, you want to probe even further to get to the real “meat of the matter”.

Keep Probing

Why do I want to be healthier? Because I already have high cholesterol and want to be off my cholesterol medication. Keep probing…. why else? Because my family has a history of obesity and resulting heart problems and I don’t want to be an added family statistic.

Why do I want to feel comfortable in my clothes again? Because they are too snug right now and you can see all my rolls through them. Keep probing….and how does that make you feel? I feel embarrassed that I have so many rolls and see how people look at me. Keep probing….and how do they look at you? They look at me with disgust at my appearance and make me a brunt of their jokes.

How come you want to have more energy? I don’t want to feel like my day is dragging from sun up to sundown. Keep probing….what are you being kept from because your day is dragging? I can’t keep up with my family when we are outdoors. I always miss out on the fun because I have to sit and rest while they all carry on and have fun without me.
How do you not feel good about yourself? I feel sad because I feel like I am lost in the background with others around me. Keep probing….so why do you feel in the background? Because people feel I’m not worth involving in the conversation. If I can’t look after myself right, how would my opinion matter in other ways? I feel like a joke to them.

The Big Whys Importance

The Big Whys are important because they justify why it is that YOU want to lose weight for yourself by digging really deep. Think about the young child who questions everything. Why? Why? Oh Why? This is the exercise you want to go through here until there is nothing left to answer. It makes it more motivating to reach your goals when you know why it is you are want to lose it. You have more clarity. You don’t feel like you are looking into a fog or overhanging haze in the air. The day is clear and you know your goal and all the reasons why you want to get there so bad.

What Does It Look Like at Goal?

While setting goals, one of the reasons why it is a cut above is this next step-picturing yourself at goal! When you know your goal, and all the reasons why you want to reach that goal, having that vision of what life will be like when you reach that goal is like a crowning achievement!! When you have that clear vision in your mind, it’s going to look really good to you!! The more you remind yourself of this vision, the more enticing it will be and the more motivated you are to get there. Let’s look at our previous discussion and see how things might look for you when you reach that goal.

I Want To Be Healthier

• I am no longer winded when walking up and down stairs.
• My physical strength has improved and I’m not sore like I was.
• I don’t have sore knees anymore.
• My doctor is thrilled with my transformation. He has taken me off my cholesterol medication.
• Exercise is now a part of my daily healthy habit regime.

I Want To Feel Comfortable In Clothes

• My clothes size went from a size 22 to a size 8 and feel fantastic!
• I no longer shop in the plus department.
• I love the cute clothes I’m wearing now which flatter my figure and I feel good in.
• Daily compliments on my looks are part of the norm!
• Feeling confident in my own skin is a part of who I am now.

More Energy Needed

• I have way more energy than before. I’m a regular part of my family’s activities and I’m not sitting on the sidelines anymore.
• Quality sleep is an important part of my ongoing plan to have energy in my day. I have much more energy and focus now.
• I feel much more confident in everything I do because I have the energy to work through my day.
• People find it hard to keep up with me now!
• My accomplishments are skyrocketing because I have more energy to carry out the tasks.

I Want To Feel Good About Myself

• I feel so proud of what I have achieved!
• Reaching goal weight has been the best thing for me. If I can do this, I can do anything.
• I am smiling all the time now.
• I know I have nothing to be ashamed of and enjoy having fun again with family and friends.
• Self-care is a part of daily life to keep my good and worthy positive vibes going.

The main thing to notice about these visions about how life will look when I reach goal is that they are all written like they have already happened. They are written in present tense and not written like it’s going to happen. Don’t start these statements with a “I will”, “I want” or “I wish” as examples. Be in the moment. When you ready these out, you should feel like you are there already!

Bringing It All Together In Your Vision Statement

Now is the time to begin bringing your goal to life. It might be in the early stages when you have just created it, but pulling all of these elements together will make it sound very real! Use your true voice! Put enthusiasm into the words and make them leap off the page every time you read them. Get caught up in the emotion when you read it! I always recommend planning to read your goal and “vision statement” once a week. Read it more often if you feel you need a source of inspiration or motivation to keep you going. Keep this in a spot you can easily get to. Keep it digitally on your computer or phone. Write it out on paper and post it somewhere you can see it with regularity. I tape mine inside my journal.

Set The Scene

Pick a quiet spot where you can close the door. Sit in a comfortable place and read it out loud. Read it with the emotion you wrote. Feel every sentence and if you get sidetracked while reading-read it out loud again. Think about it for a minute and move on with your day.

Does this reading take long? No. I’d say probably under a minute. Can you sacrifice a minute? Reading this will keep this real and be a clear reminder of why you are working so hard to get to your goal weight.

Introducing “The Cut Above Goal Setting Resource Book”!

I’ve made this process of setting goals really easy for you by following along in this free workbook! Set your goal weight-List all your BIG WHYS-list the changes you’ll see as a result of getting to goal-write your compelling and personal vision statement. The tools are all included in this free book. Sign up below for your copy!

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The Power Of Goal Setting and Your Vision Statement

In a nutshell, in order to achieve things, you need to know what you are striving for. To be a “cut above” in setting goals, you should know all your reasons why you want to reach that goal. It’s also extremely useful from a motivational standpoint to have a clear picture in your mind how life will change for you when you get to goal. Why it is so worthwhile. It all starts with setting goals. Without a clear picture at the beginning, your chances of achieving goal are greatly reduced-because there is nothing compelling to work toward. Do yourself a favour and start your weight loss journey off to the right start with a crystal clear goal setting approach like this one. It works!