Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals & Tracking Your Progress Effectively

Setting goals is one of the most exciting parts of starting a weight loss journey. The right goals keep you focused, motivated, and on track. But setting unrealistic or overly vague goals? That can lead to frustration and burnout. Here, we’ll dive into how to set achievable weight loss goals and track your progress for lasting success.

Step 1: Set SMART Goals for Weight Loss

There are plenty of other mnemonics that you can use, but at HFS we like to have our clients stick to SMART goals. It provides a great frame work for setting realistic weight loss goals and will help you clarify what you want to achieve and, more importantly, why. So lets break down SMART into what it means:

- Specific: Saying “I want to lose weight” is too general. Try specifying, like “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 8 weeks.” The more specific you can make it the easier it will be to plan for. During this process, come up with a list of things that can derail you or be a barrier to success and come up with a few plans on how you will deal with those problems when/if they arise.

- Measurable: Pick a way to measure success, No matter what the goal is, we want to have clear metrics that we can track and improve on. And the tracking is important, because if you don't track something, then you likely aren't going to improve it. At HFS, when it comes to fat loss, we use body weight (using the scale), measurements (inches lost), progress photos, and body fat percentage (if you have access to something that can track it).

- Achievable: Set a goal you can realistically meet. If you use a goal that is too easy, then there is no motivation to try and you aren't going to want to waste your time. But if the goal is too hard, then it feels like an impossible mountain to climb and you will quickly get discouraged. For example, if you want to lose 60 pounds, then losing it all in a single fat loss phase is going to be very unrealistic. Instead, aiming to lose 10 pounds over 8-12 weeks is a better target. When it comes to weight loss, ~1% of total body weight a week is healthy and sustainable for most people.

- Relevant: This is one of the most important because making sure your goal aligns with what truly matters to you is the key for long term success. Fitness, and especially fat loss, can be really hard. So if your only doing it because you think your supposed to, not because you actually want to, you wont be able to make and sustain the lifestyle changes that have to come with the process. When thinking this through, don't be vague, circle back to being as specific as possible! Its not "i want to lose 10lbs because it will make me happy", use "i want to lose 10lbs because then i will look amazing in this new bikini I bought for my vacation in 3 months and looking amazing will help me with my confidence, which in turn will help motivate me to continue when i get back"

- Time-bound: Set a timeline, and just like everything else: be specific! Don't use something random like "this year", that's too broad and unhelpful. Think of using actual dates, like “by the end of two months.” or "I'm going to start Nov 30 and finish on Jan 30th.". Setting the definitive deadline will help you stay motivated, on task, and plan out the process with more clarity.

Step 2: Break It Down into Mini Goals

Tackling a large goal all at once can feel daunting, the process can be slow and sometimes it feels like you aren't making progress. Breaking down your main goal into smaller, short-term goals helps keep you on track and lets you celebrate wins along the way. For instance, if your goal is to lose 20 pounds, break it down to five pounds increments and set timelines for each section. Focusing on small victories adds up and are great motivators to keep pushing forward.

Step 3: Track More Than Just Weight on the Scale

While weight is one marker of progress, and stepping on the scale frequently during a fat loss phase is important, it doesn’t tell the whole story. As we stated earlier, we never use just one thing to track progress, we want other metrics to paint a fuller picture of your journey:

- Measurements: Take measurements around your waist, hips, thighs, arms, and chest. You don't need to go crazy with measuring. We will have our clients either do it once at the start and end or once a month, depending on preference

- Photos: Progress photos taken either every 2-4 weeks or at the start and finish can reveal changes in your body that you may not notice day-to-day. The easiest way is to either have a significant other help you take them or record a video, pause at each angle you want (front/back/side), then take screen shots for the photos you want.

- How You Feel: This one is a little harder to track but its honestly the most important one. Who cares if you lose a bajillion pounds but feel like garbage and hate yourself the whole time? Using performance metrics can be useful here, so pick specific lifts or cardio you want to progress on. Record how much weight you lift or how long you can run for example—both are great indicators of fitness progress.

- Body Fat Percentage: Measuring your body fat (at a gym or with a home device) helps track changes that might not reflect on the scale. This one requires a bit of technology that you might not have access to, which is why we don't always use it. These devices aren't going to be super accurate, you just need to make sure to use the same device every time. This can be really good, especially if you're a beginner, as its possible to keep building muscle as you lose weight which might not reflect on the scale. However, if your using the scale combined with photos and measurements it wont make any difference.

Step 4: Celebrate Small Wins

Every bit of progress is worth celebrating! Meeting mini-goals, lifting a heavier weight, or fitting into a favorite pair of jeans are all signs you’re heading in the right direction. Treat yourself to non-food rewards like new workout gear, a spa day, or a fun activity. Celebrating the small wins along the journey is going to help you feel that sense of accomplish as you work towards the bigger end goal.

Step 5: Adjust Goals As Needed

As you progress, your body and abilities may change, or life might happen which necessitates working towards something else. SMART goals are not set in stone, it is okay to change your goals as you go, and be open to making adjustments as needed. For example, as you lose weight, your rate of weight loss might slow down, and that’s normal! or you might find that work got super stressful and fat loss isn't a priority right now. Any number of things can happen and being flexible allows you to keep setting goals that match your current abilities, motivation levels, and life situations.

Conclusion: Realistic Goals Lead to Lasting Success

Your fitness journey is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. it's something that you are going to be working on for the rest of your life. Just like your fitness levels, weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, and setting realistic goals helps you enjoy the process rather than feeling overwhelmed. SMART goals, tracking progress in multiple ways, celebrating small wins, and adapting over time will keep you motivated and moving forward. Remember, every step forward counts, no matter how small!