Set a Goal to Lose Weight

The best way to lose weight is to set a goal for yourself and stick to it. To lose weight, you may want to make a goal to change the way you eat and the amount of exercise you get.

To succeed at making this change, you need to write a goal that is realistic, specific, and flexible. If you set a goal that is unrealistic, you may fail and give up. For example, you may think you want to lose weight by cutting out your favorite cheese that you know is high in fat. You always have this cheese with lunch or as a snack. To make your goal realistic, instead of saying you will give up having this cheese, you might say that you are going to try to have a salad or vegetable sticks, instead of the cheese. To be specific and realistic, instead of saying will give up having this cheese, you might say that you will have a salad or vegetable sticks with your lunch or snack, for the next three days. By making your goal realistic and specific, you make your goal into something you can do.

Finally, it's important to be flexible. That means, if you make a mistake or get off course, you can try again. If a friend visits you and you share some of your favorite cheese on one of the days you planned to make this change, it's all right. Start again the next day to reach your goal.

Keep your goal in mind and keep trying, you will lose weight and be able to keep it off. When you reach your goal, celebrate by going to a movie or buying a new shirt. Give yourself a reward!