Amy woke up on January 1 with a bit of “holiday remorse.” She knew she had overindulged over the holidays, and needed to get back into shape and lose weight. That’s her goal, get back into shape and lose weight. She researched local gyms and picked one, even though she hadn’t actively been in a gym or fitness center for a couple of years.
She packed a gym bag and headed to the gym. She decided to jog on a treadmill and lift some weights to get those biceps and abs popping. She hit it hard, jogging a couple of miles and lifting a bunch of weights. Those weight machines were awesome!
On the way home, she rewarded herself with a cheeseburger and fries from Wendy’s. She repeated this nearly every day for the first week. And she was sore – all those weights took a toll! Maybe it’s time for a rest day. Instead of physical activity, she binge-watched the last 7 episodes of Ozark. And of course, she ordered a pizza, too.
After another week, she was getting tired of this schedule. But worse yet, she didn’t see much of a weight loss. And her biceps and abs weren’t popping like she thought they would.
She quit after three weeks.
And Then It's Over - Amy Failed
And BOOM – Amy and countless others fail to reach their goal of “getting back into shape and lose weight.” Why is that? Here are the most common reasons we fail to achieve our goals:
- Poorly developed goals – I want to lose weight. Yes, that’s a poorly written goal. We’ll dive into why a bit later. But for now, saying I want to lose weight is like saying I want to be the company CEO without a plan on how to get there. It won’t happen.
- We expect to see results quickly – and we don’t. When it comes to transforming our bodies and health, it’s a slow process. After all, if we are overweight, it didn’t happen overnight. It happened over a long time. Maybe years. But we don’t realize our bodies change slowly, lose patience, and quit trying. You’ll find that a realistic timeline is part of your SMART goal!
- Lack of knowledge – we don’t know how to execute the goal we just created. How do we exercise? What do we eat and drink? We search the internet and find tons of information, some of it wrong, some of it conflicting, and some of it complex. It’s a daunting task. But that’s possibly why you’re on this site – I’ll help you figure out the diet & exercise transformations you need to reach your goals.
So…
What Are SMART Goals?
I, of course, didn’t make up the term SMART goal – although it’s one of the best acronyms I’ve come across. The SMART goal concept was first developed by G.T. Doran, A. Miller, and J. Cunningham in 1981. They applied the concept to management goals and objectives, i.e., the corporate world. The concept of SMART goals caught on and is widely used in today’s corporate environments. If you work for a GE company, then you know that GE has mastered the concept of SMART goals.
But SMART goals go way beyond the corporate world. They apply to everything we want to accomplish. To grasp the concept of a SMART goal, think about losing weight. You know you are a bit overweight. You probably have a number in mind, say 10 pounds. You likely have a duration, too – say 2 months. You decide to clean up your diet to make this possible. Worded a bit more precisely:
Lose 10 pounds over 2 months to reduce my risk of developing chronic diseases. I’ll accomplish this by transforming my diet into a healthy diet.
Now, let’s figure out why this SMART goal works and has a much higher chance for success compared to things like New Year’s resolutions.
The Essence of SMART Goals
SMART goals have five elements. These are:
- Specific- and the more specific, the better
- Measurable – you need to be able to measure progress
- Attainable – we can actually do this given our other commitments in life
- Relevant – it’s important to us to reach this goal
- Time-bound – goals without timing aren’t goals, they’re dreams.
We have two goals on this page, one not so SMART and the other SMART:
- Get back into shape and lose weight.
- Lose 10 pounds over 2 months to reduce my risk of developing chronic diseases by transforming my diet into a healthy, sustainable diet.
Let’s compare these in the SMART goal framework.
Specific - Be as Specific as Possible for a SMART Goal
“Getting back into shape and lose weight” might seem specific, but it’s not. How do you define “being in shape?” Different people will define that differently. If I want to be fit, it might target a specific weight and body fat percentage. If it’s training for a marathon, the goal will be the ability to run a marathon in a specific amount of time. If it’s training for a dance competition, then we might specify endurance and strength. So… the phrase “getting back into shape” is not specific at all – and can have many different meanings.
The SMART goal version is very specific – lose 10 pounds in 2 months by focusing on my diet. And it goes a step further by telling why it’s important to me. I want to lower my risk for chronic diseases.
Measurable - Metrics You Can Easily Measure and Track
A “getting back into shape” goal doesn’t give us anything to measure. At least not until you define what “being in shape” is. If it’s weight loss, then we need to say that I’m going to lose 2 pounds per week for 10 weeks. If it’s endurance, then we might say “Run a 5K in under 30 minutes within 10 weeks.” If it’s general fitness for health, then we might refer to our resting heart rate, body fat percentage, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight.
Once we expand the goal to include measurable things, we’re on our way to a SMART goal. Measurements, referred to as metrics, help us determine if we are on a path to reaching our goal – or not. They need to be periodically measured while we’re on the path to our goal – so that we know we’re on the path to our goal. In the case of our SMART goal, we can weigh ourselves each Monday morning. But that has some pitfalls. If we are lifting weights, for example, we could lose 10 pounds of fat while gaining 5 pounds of muscle. A better approach might be to measure our waist to see if we really are “losing weight” which, as I explained in Part 1, is code for changing our body composition.
The point is, we need to think about what we’re after. If it’s purely weight, then the scale might be fine. But if we’re adding some muscle gains to the mix, waist measurements are much better.
Attainable - Is It Possible To Achieve This SMART Goal?
Where this element really comes to the forefront is when I hear someone say, “I’m going to lose 20 pounds in two weeks, so I look good on the beach.” On the surface, it’s a specific goal. But it’s not healthy to lose that much weight in that timeframe. You’d have to use draconian methods like not eating. I’d say that’s not very sustainable.
I use this element to lay out my plan to reach the goal. Listing the steps makes it easier to determine if I can attain the goal or not.
I had to adjust my SMART goals this year because, while they were all good, there wasn’t enough time in the week to do everything I needed to do to achieve all the goals. You must consider the other activities in your life – family and work obligations tend to be the ones that can submarine a personal goal. But those are important, too. Be realistic.
Relevant - To You
A goal needs to be relevant to you. That means it’s something that’s very important to you. If you set up a SMART goal for something you just don’t have your heart in, then don’t waste your time. You must be committed to make it successful.
The SMART goal above clearly explains that we want to reduce our risk for chronic diseases. That’s an easy reason to keep your commitment.
Time-Bound - When Do I Plan to Achieve This SMART Goal?
There needs to be a time element in the goal (and saying we’re going to “get back into shape and lose weight” doesn’t have a time element). But the SMART version of the “lose weight” goal does.
Don’t leave a goal open-ended without a realistic target date, or you may never get to the point that you hit your goal.
What is Your "Lose Weight" SMART Goal?
Now it’s time to write your own SMART goal to lose weight, or, more properly stated, change your body composition. I give you several to chose from. Or mix and match and create your own.
Some SMART Goal Guidelines for Losing Weight
The “attainable” element of a SMART goal is where, unfortunately, most people fail. They simply have unrealistic expectations. So for weight lose, keep it reasonable (and attainable) by following these guidelines:
- Losing one or two pounds a week is reasonable according to the CDC
- You’ll find that most weight loss occurs in the kitchen, not in the gym. While exercise helps, you can, unfortunately, out-eat any great workout in about 15 minutes. So focus on diet with physical activity thrown in for good measure
- Have a great reason to lose weight – this is your motivation. If you lose motivation, then you’ll likely fail to reach your goal. Put some real thought into motivation!
Actual Weight Loss SMART Goals
Here are some SMART goals to lose weight:
- We already used this one, but I’m repeating it because it’s a good one: Lose 10 pounds over 2 months to reduce my risk of developing chronic diseases. I’ll accomplish this by transforming my diet into a healthy diet.
- Lose 10 pounds over 2 months so I look good on the beach over spring break. I’ll do this by going to the gym three times a week and modifying my diet to the Mediterranean Diet plan. This may seem a little vain, but how we look in a swimsuit is great motivation.
- Lose 20 pounds in 4 months by walking at least 10,000 steps a day at a moderate pace and including at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in my diet. I’ll minimize red meat and focus on salmon and poultry for my protein. I’ll also include servings of whole grains and beans daily.
These are three, but you probably get the idea at this point. Don’t commit to losing more than 2 pounds a week, and focus on your diet. Throw in some physical activity, which can range from an after-work walk with the kids to a gym session with weights and treadmill work.
Staying Motivated
One other thing – there will be days when you just don’t want to do what’s on your goal. And that’s okay – don’t call yourself a failure. But don’t let cheat days take control of your SMART goal, either.
If I find that I’m laying off exercise for more than a couple of days, then I have a talk with myself. Is one day turning into 2 days off, and then are 2 days off turning into a week? If so, I know I’m veering off course. And I have to address that. The first place I go? I read my written down SMART goal.
Keep your written SMART goal handy. Review it often until it’s embedded in your brain. Don’t forget about your motivating “Relevant” element – that’ll keep you going! Because it’s important to you.
Hi, I’m Kirby Chapman, the creator behind The Healthy League. You can read about