10 Easy SMART Goals Towards Weight Loss

Weight Loss Happens Through Habits

Changing the behaviors that have led to your current weight can seem daunting, but by breaking these down into small, achievable goals, you can reverse your patterns.

SMART goals are reasonable and defined aims. Here are 10 that will help you lose weight.

1. A Daily Walk

Setting the goal of taking one walk each day, regardless of the length of the walk or the pace, will help you lose weight.

Walking is an essential weight loss activity because the body does not view it as intense exercise. Thus, walking does not trigger a hunger response, and the body is able to burn fat as its energy source because oxygen is in abundance.

Getting into the habit of putting on your shoes and going for a daily walk (rain or shine) will set you up for success. Once this habit is established, it will be simple to make a goal to increase your pace or total time.

2. Eat Snacks in One Location

Most people eat snacks in front of the TV, at their computer, at their desk, in their car, and on the couch.

However, if you want to lose weight, a simple goal is to pick one location in which you eat snacks.

This will retrain your brain and turn off those triggers and cravings for snacks unless you are in that one location.

3. Daily Self-Care

It's difficult to lose weight when your stress hormones are high, such as cortisol. That means that daily self-care that helps you calm your nervous system and reduce stress can actually help you lose weight.

Choose a self-care habit, such as taking a bath before bed each night. Or cycle through a variety of self-care options to see what works best for you and your schedule.

4. List Your Vegetables

Make a cheat sheet of vegetables or vegetable dishes you enjoy. This will simplify the process of getting more veggies into your diet routinely.

Vegetables are a great source of fiber, nutrition, and micronutrients. They are essential for weight loss, but that doesn't mean you have to eat things you hate. Just start by focusing on the vegetables you enjoy.

Common favorites include

• Sweet potato

• Cucumber

• Green beans

• Carrots

• Bell peppers

• Squash

• Lettuce

• Sugar snap peas

• Mushrooms

5. Stand Every Two Hours

Sitting is killing humans, but our desk jobs often require us to do so for hours at a time. Make it a goal to stand up at least once every two hours. This could be for a trip to the bathroom, a drink refill, a walk, etc.

Standing more frequently burns far more calories than sitting all day. This doesn't have to be a huge change in habit; just standing for a few minutes every couple of hours is enough to make a difference.

6. Keep Food Off Your Counter

Out of sight, out of mind. Keeping food in a cupboard or pantry rather than on your countertop means that you won't readily see food each time you walk into your kitchen.

The food that people typically store on their countertop is shelf-stable and high in carbohydrates, such as cereal, pastries, and bread. By storing these out of sight, you will inevitably eat less of them.

7. Add Protein to Every Meal

Protein is critical to maintaining muscle mass, and the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns over the course of a day.

Adding protein to each meal you eat is a simple goal. However, rather than just adding meat to each meal, create a list of plant protein options as well. For example, beans and chickpeas are an excellent source of plant protein.

Protein Ideas

Many foods offer protein. Here are a few options:

• Eggs

• Chicken

• Shrimp

• Nuts

• Beans

• Low-fat dairy

• Fish

• Lean beef

• Turkey

• Sardines

• Leafy greens

8. Have Water On Hand

It's nearly impossible to drink enough water if you don't carry a bottle of water or a refillable cup with you. This simple goal is just the aim to have water available.

If you prefer carbonated, flavored, or alkaline water, you could select one of those options, but simple tap water will do the trick.

Staying hydrated is a big part of ensuring your metabolism is working at its highest potential.

9. Identify Your Triggers

Again, stress is going to inhibit weight loss. Identifying what triggers you to feel stressed or emotional is so important.

Triggers might be people, smells, places, or interactions. It could be a difficult co-worker or an unsupportive spouse. Knowing what triggers your stress is the first step to removing or managing those triggers.

10. List Non-Food Rewards

Celebrations often come with food, such as cake. By listing out some ideas for non-food rewards, you can celebrate your wins in life without derailing your weight loss progress.

Some non-food rewards might include a spa day, a massage, a new book, a new outfit, or a vacation.

Succeeding at Weight Loss

Weight loss is a cumulative result. No one expects you to be perfect. Rather, when you add more positive habits than negative habits, you move towards successful weight loss.