The key to setting weight loss goals is to follow the standard of goal setting. It needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible. Your first step is determining if you really need to lose weight.
Do You Need to Lose Weight?
If you talk to most people, you'll probably find that everyone feels like they need to lose weight, even people who appear to be at a healthy weight. Often our weight loss goals are based on what we think we should look like rather than what's reasonable for our bodies right now. There are broad parameters to use to figure out if you need to lose weight but, in general, a candidate for weight loss may have the following characteristics:
- A BMI of more than 25
- A Waist-Hip ratio of higher than .8 for women and higher than 1.0 men
- An Abdominal Girth measurement of more than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men
Set Your Goals
If you've determined you do need to lose weight, your next step is to set a reasonable weight loss goal for yourself. You can base your goals on any number of factors, but a great place to start would be the general recommendations set out by the American College of Sports Medicine which are 5-10% of body weight or one to two pounds per week.
You can also use these calculators to set your goals:
- Ideal Body Weight Calculator
- How to Assess your Ideal Body Weight
- Height – Weight Chart
- BMI Calculator
Another way to do this is to focus less on a target weight and more on making healthy choices each day to reduce your calories. One way to look at this is your Lowest Sustainable Weight. In this case, you would create a calorie deficit (with diet and exercise) and let your body respond to that over time. Eventually, you'll get to a weight you can sustain and feel good about.
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