Do it Don’t Wish it
I see clients every week who desperately want to lose weight and get healthier, but who are faced with many barriers to meeting their goals. One problem that I see frequently is that they are setting goals which they have no power to reach, what I call “wish-list goals” rather than action goals. One example of a wish-list goal would be “I am going to lose ten pounds by the end of this month.” Besides the fact that a ten-pound a month weight loss is not either realistic or healthy, this goal ignores the fact that we cannot make ourselves reach a certain weight by wishing for it.
Rather than a wish-list goal, I encourage focusing on an action goal; for example, I am going to eat breakfast at least 4 out of 7 days this week OR I am going to stop eating chips for the next two weeks except for allowing myself one small bag on either Saturday or Sunday. These are goals you can have control over and achieve by focusing on your own actions rather than what the scale is doing.
As you proceed through 2017, make sure that you are setting action goals not wish-list goals; you will feel more empowered and develop confidence by achieving small successes which may lead to your reaching those wish-list goals without even having to focus on them.
