Healthy Weight Loss Goals – 4 Things That Can Stop You From Achieving Them

You’ve heard it many times: set your weight goals, and work hard to achieve them.  Unfortunately, even though many people do set weight loss goals, they often fall short of achieving them, even if they have given it a good effort.  That often leaves many people who start a weight loss regimen bewildered, as they don’t know what to make out of it, other than to change their diet, or start a new routine and start over.  This cycle continues indefinitely for many people, and that’s why we need to look at the root causes of why most people don’t reach their weight loss goals.

1. Unrealistic Expectations

The first reason most people don’t reach their weight loss goals is because they set unrealistic goals early on.  These expectations usually stem from a deeper desire to achieve the same results or physiques as men or women found in magazines which can often be unrealistic.  This is because everyone’s body type is unique, and just because certain people can achieve certain physiques doesn’t necessarily mean you will.

You should instead strive to achieve your unique potential for your current body type, and that can vary greatly depending on a person.  For example, if you find yourself naturally thicker than most women due to your muscular structure, then it’s probably not best to strive for a body that model women who are petite and slim.  That’s why it’s important to first set realistic expectations about your body structure and initial size before starting certain weight loss programs.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve similar results to the men and women in magazines, it just means you need to first realize that you cannot compare your body to just anyone.  However, if you find someone that you feel does share a similar body type, and it looks fairly realistic goal to achieve, then by all means use that as a model for your success.

2. Negative Self Image

Another issue most men and women face trying to achieve their weight loss goals is that they have a negative self image or belief.  If you look in the mirror every day, and you detest what you see, then you are simply confirming to yourself that don’t really accept yourself the way you are.  The problem with this is that subconsciously your mind picks up these feelings about your image, and this can usually sabotage your results since you make you feel unworthy.  This can in turn lead to a loss of motivation and diminish will power and energy that could otherwise be channeled towards your weight loss routine.

3. Negative Self Talk

This is in line with negative self image, but has to do with the voice in your head.  These voices are often work against you in everything you do, and resists any sort of positive change.  The negative voice will battle you until the end as it’s core function is to torment you and get you to call it quits.  Most people identify with this negative voice and think it’s crucial for their survival.

However, it’s important to realize that this voice has absolutely no interest in you achieving your weight loss goals, and will do everything it can to prevent you from achieving them.  So next time you’re about to start your routine, or diet, become more conscious of this negative critic that will try and sabotage your efforts to stay positive and efficient.  A simple exercise you can do to counter it is: whenever it shows up, repeat the opposite of what it’s saying.  This will serve as a positive affirmation, and will immediately neutralize the negative voice.

4. Not Specific Enough Goals

Another reason most people fail to achieve their weight loss goals is because they are simply not specific enough with them.  If you are vague about your goals, and say you just want to lose 10 pounds, then it will be difficult to achieve it because you never set a time frame.  When setting weight loss goals — any goal for that matter – it’s important to be specific with both the time and the result.  For example, say if you want to lose 10 pounds so you could fit into a certain pair of jeans, then you could reframe it to say that you’d like to lose 10 pounds in 2 months, and strive to lose a pound to pound a half per week.

You could also get even more specific and take body measurements so that you can really track your results.  But the point is to be specific, and not leave it an open ended goal.  This will ensure that you stay on track with your program, and will be motivated to continue week after week.  And here’s another tip: write your goals and results down! And revisit them weekly so that you can monitor your progress.  This will ensure that you get there sooner rather than later.

So these are just a few, but important, things that can really negatively affect you from achieving your weight loss goals.  If you are going to make your weight loss goals a reality, then you must first set specific, and realistic goals for your body type.  You must also manage your negative self image and talk so that it does not mentally affect you and drain your energy; an aspect which is overlooked by many people.  But like an elusive shadow which lurks in the background, it will covertly control what you do if you’re not conscious of it.  You don’t want to become a victim of your own negative inner voices and critic that can prevent you from achieving your weight loss goals and other dreams.