Steps to Achieve Your Goals for Weight Loss Even If You Have Failed

Can you recall the number of times you have tried to achieve your goals to lose weight and feel good about it?

Regardless of the number of times you have tried and failed, you need to always remember that change is possible.

Never should you give up on your weight loss goals or stop believing in yourself because you failed in the past.

Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone when it comes to trying and failing to achieve your goals.

One study shows that 45% of people in the U.S. who set elaborate goals and resolutions in January derail from their goals and ultimately fail by February (1).

In this article, we will be exploring some strategies that will help you achieve your goals and increase your self-belief.

Find out what makes you tick

If you aren’t working out for the right reason, you are going to give up on your fitness goals as soon as things become difficult.

Irrespective of how many times you have tried losing weight, it is important that you take a moment to think deeply about the reason why you want to lose those extra pounds and improve your health.  

Your reason for working out has to be something that is solid and can keep you motivated, even when you feel like giving up.

One study shows that people who have a strong sense of “why” are more likely to achieve their goals (2).

If for some reason you can’t figure out a solid reason why you should start working out, you should think about the following.

• Think deeply about how strong, fit, beautiful, and attractive you will be if you start working out.
• Think about how obese and unhealthy you will become if you keep doing what you are doing.

Be flexible

See, you don’t have to do what everyone is doing or take the path others took to achieve their weight loss goals.

It is a terrible idea to keep following a diet plan or weight loss strategy you can’t keep up with because your friend could keep up with it.

Always remember that there are other routes you can take to smash your goals.

One study shows that people who are flexible with the approach they take to achieve their goals have a higher chance of success (3).

So if it is difficult for you to work out in the morning or you can’t seem to finish your morning workout, then try working out in the evening.

Again, if you hate your present diet, you should stop following it and put together another one that consists of healthy foods that you like.

Having the mindset that following a diet and exercising is a short term thing you have to endure for a while is going to set you up for failure.

Your focus should be to make eating healthy and working out a part of your life. They should become something you don’t have to think deeply about before doing like, bathing or brushing your teeth.

Monitor your progress

Progress is one of the best motivators.

If your clothes start to fit you better or you start getting lots of compliments from your workmates after working out for a month or two, you are definitely going to be motivated to keep pushing.

The most effective way to know if what you are doing is working is by monitoring your progress.

One study found that people who monitor their progress have a better chance of achieving their goals than those who don’t (4).

There are two main ways you can monitor your weight loss progress.

The first is by doing the following:

• Take pictures of yourself weekly
• Weighing yourself daily or weekly

The second is by using a fitness and food journal.

In the fitness or exercise journal, you should write about how you felt before, during, and after working out. It won’t be out of place to write the challenges you have encountered when you skip a workout.

In the food journal, you should write about everything you eat. You should also pen down the factors that made you eat out of your diet or prevented you from eating healthy.

Make out time to go through your food and exercise journal to see some of the things that are holding you back.

Work on one goal at a time

It is great to have multiple goals that can improve your health.

Working on all of them at the same time may seem like a good idea, especially if you are just starting out.

If you are really motivated and disciplined, you may be able to joggle all your goals for a while. But after some time, it will become more difficult to keep up with them. In the end, you will become overwhelmed and give up on your goals.

So, instead of working on 3 elaborate goals that can help improve your health at the same time, focus on only one.

To achieve the one goal you have chosen to work on, you should learn to take baby steps before walking and jumping.

For example, if your goal is to work out 5 times weekly, you can take baby steps by jogging around your neighborhood and taking the stairs instead of the elevator in your workplace.

As you progress and start to lose a few pounds or become stronger, you will be motivated to keep working hard and even intensify your efforts (5).

Ensure that you are getting enough sleep

If you are not getting enough sleep, it will be difficult for you to work out and eat healthily.

One study shows that our willpower and discipline reduces drastically when we don’t get enough sleep (6).

So if you are really serious about losing those extra pounds, you should make a commitment to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night.

Besides sleeping, there are a few other things you can do to reduce your stress level and calm yourself. Below are a few of them:

• Spend time exploring nature
• Meditation
• Hang out with loved ones
• Relaxation exercises

Tailor your goals to your lifestyle

You don’t always have to start something new because you want to achieve your goals.

Sometimes, it pays to weave your weight loss goals around the activities that you love or are comfortable with (7). Doing this, will go a long way in helping you achieve and sustain your goal.

If for example, you like exploring the outdoors, you should stay away from the gym and pick outdoor activities like jogging, hiking, or outdoor running.

Reward yourself every now and then

After reaching a milestone, regardless of how small, it is vital that you give yourself some sort of reward (8).

Doing this will not only motivate you to keep pushing but will also help you erase the feeling that you are missing out.

While you have the freedom to be creative about the reward you pick, you should always remember that picking the wrong reward can sabotage your weight loss effort.

For example, if your reward is to eat tons of unhealthy foods after losing a few pounds, you are likely going to end up right where you started.

Ditch the all or nothing mentality

See, your weight loss journey isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows.

You are inevitably going to face challenges and even derail from your goal every now and then.

If you have the all or nothing mentality, you will beat yourself up and sob for endless hours. Even worse, you may not be able to get back on track.

Instead of trying to be perfect, try to prepare for failure and be grateful for every victory, even small ones (9) (10).

Always remember that you are a human being and will definitely make a mistake from time to time (11).

You can make things easier by realizing that you aren’t a robot who does things perfectly all the time.  

Change your environment

Do you know that the people you hang out with and the type of food in your home can determine whether you will be able to lose weight or not?

If you hang around negative people who don’t have any interest in working out and improving their health, you are not going to make much progress. These people may talk you out of your goal to lose weight.

One study shows that people looking to lose weight that joined healthy eating communities online have a higher chance of achieving their weight loss goals (12).

The bottom line on steps to achieve your goals for weight loss

Permanent weight loss is possible even for those who have failed many times.  

If the weight loss strategy you are using isn’t working for you, then you should replace it with the one you can keep up with.

As previously mentioned, you don’t have to do what everybody is doing to achieve your weight loss goals.

Weaving your goals around activities that you love will go a long way in keeping you focused and motivated.

If for some reason, you happen to fail or derail from your goal, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, forgive yourself and keep pushing. Your body will reward you someday.