The key to setting weight loss goals is to follow the standard of goal setting, which means it needs to be SMART. A smart goal is: Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.
The bible offers a balanced approach to goal-setting. Luke 14:28 teaches us that we need to be specific about our plans and intentions but making sure that they are built on a solid foundation, which is in Christ.
Luke14:28 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”
Being specific means that you must know how much weight you want to loose. It can not be “a few kilograms or till I am healthy. To determine your ideal weight there are several formulas you can use.
I used the site https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/ideal-weight to calculate how much I should weigh. My results were between 56 and 60kg. But truth be told I can remember being reasonably happy with my weight at 70 kg… so I am going to set my goal and 65kg. I mean I am 50 years old and my main goal is health and not being a model. Should I come to that weight I will re-evaluate.
So specifically I want to lose 47 kg.
A goal to lose 47 kg is measurable.
Is it attainable? I have seen a lot of testimonies by people saying that they have lost this and more so I believe it is attainable and realistic.
And now we get to time-bound
Over the long term, it’s smart to aim for losing 0.5 to 1 kilogram a week. To lose this amount of weight you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity.
Taking into account my own history with weight loss I know that if I am 100% good in eating and exercise 3 times per week I can lose 1 kg per week, but I am not 100% good in eating all day everyday.
So 1 kg per week is probably not realistic.
I am going to set my weight loss goal at 0.7 per week.
Not 0.5kg because I have a lot of weight to lose and then it will take me forever to lose the weight.
Not 1 kg because I need space to breath.
So give this my time line is 47kg / 0.7 kg = 68 weeks. From the 27 June 2022 to 8 October 2023. That is a very long time and there is a lot of Christmas, long weekends and birthdays in between. I am going to break my goals down a little to make it more short term and real in my mind.
I am on a 12 week health challenge at the moment. Given the goal of 0.7kg per week my goal should be to lose 8.4 kg in the 12 weeks.
So to formalize it:
Specifically : I want to lose 8.4 kg in the 12 weeks from 27 Junie to 18 September 2022.