Permanent Goal Setting that Works with Weight Loss

How often at the beginning of every year do you set goals, affirmations or new year resolutions that are well intended, yet some how after a few days, weeks or a couple months you find yourself back to some familiar habits that really don't benefit your well-being or that ideal you had in mind?

This isn't as uncommon as you may imagine, however, it is also easier to rectify than most may complain about as well. The first is to realize it is how one is approaching your goal or intention and to take it from there.

Let's take the most common goal of weight loss and maintenance and break it down in realistic, healthy practical steps with you here.

So, you want to lose weight and keep it off and you have done nearly every diet and workout. You have lost weight at times, but its back on and for some, there is even an increase. Sound familiar?

Keep reading because there is solutions that do not involve dieting, counting calories, using measuring cups every meal or being at the gym 2 hours every single day, when you know you won't commit or don't have time or it's just not what you do.

Let's face it, if you're not motivated and don't enjoy what you are doing; you're just not going to do it. That is the reality - even if you do have time. When you truly value what you're doing and enjoy it, it becomes a priority and you always make time, no matter what your schedule looks like - that is also a fact.

Now that we recognize our own mindset honestly, we can work with it, instead of pushing ourselves to do something that doesn't fit our own personalities and inevitably self sabotaging our own goals and ultimate goals and desires.

The following is a healthy plan that can work for most anyone over all. The key is to know and listen to your own body and also coordinate and communicate with your personal doctors and specialists as and when needed, accordingly.

1. Be intentionally conscious of eating more fresh vegetables at each meal. Enjoy the process by looking for colorful vegetables to prepare in the produce department. Try new recipes for the fun of it. If you have to eat out, try new places that offer a variety of mixed green salads with various other ingredients. Try a new veggie you've never had or prepared in a different manner. Have family members take turns cooking or cook together to be creative and fun. Getting a wide range of colorful and deep green veggies into your daily meal plan with support the nutrients your body is continuously seeking to support it self for energy fueling, organ function and thus then fat loss can take place and proper weight maintenance is possible.

2. Eat more frequently throughout the day. In other words, at least have a snack before lunch and before dinner. Be intentionally of preparing snacks ahead of fresh fruit in season, i.e. apples, bananas, oranges, pears, peaches, grapes; or a hand full of nuts such as cashews, almonds or Brazil nuts, or soy nuts, or even some seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Cut up carrots, celery and broccoli florets too. This is not to say don't ever have that cookie or handful of chips; just be willing to say to yourself (or your child), "that's fine; you can have that, but just have the fruit or veggies first." You fruits will support vitamin C and other major nutrients your body needs to maintain health, as well as the fiber. Nuts and seeds support good fiber.

3. Drink water. So often the body is trying to tell the brain it is thirsty, however, we may interpret it as food hunger; but it is just saying it needs fulfillment that water provides. It only takes 21 days or 3 weeks to create a habit, thus, you no longer need to "think" about what you are doing because you now do it automatically or habitually. Each of these steps, even if you just choose one and do it consistently for those 3 brief weeks, will become natural and easy for you. The body is largely made of water, thus needs water to function. Once you actually feel dehydrated, you are overly so and this is considered a danger zone for your health. A good habit is to drink a glass of water prior to each meal and/or in between. If you work or go to school where there are water fountains, stop and take 8-10 gulps equals a glass of water. Your fruits and veggies also contain water and support some fluid intake, and thus is vital for your health in this manner as well. Water also flushes toxins out of the body that may cause ill health and can support weight loss and maintenance.

4. There is a reality to the need for the body to move in order for it to flush and release toxins out of the body, including excess fat cells. The other reality is over working muscle mass and over stimulating the body can also be counter active to your goal as well. Even muscles need down time to recover and regenerate. For those do enjoy and have time to work out at the gym, continue to do so and keep it at 3-4 times a week and a 1 hour visit will be beneficial. Otherwise, small steps such as parking further away from the front door of your office, the grocery store and being consciously intentional of walking each day or taking staircases in any opportunity will be beneficial. Have an office job? During your breaks, walk around the building as often as possible; do squats next to your desk chair; do ankle and leg flexes under your desk; role you head and shoulders periodically. Just spending 10 minutes in the morning doing stretches, leg lifts squats, jumping jacks or whatever combination works for you each morning can still have a positive impact on your health. Realize you are taking deliberate and conscious control over your life to attain and provide yourself with a lifetime change you desire for yourself. You deserve it; you're worth it. Make life fun. Choose activities you enjoy and you're family enjoys; play outside together; go for a bike ride; play ball; walk your pet; work in the garden or yard - just enjoy what you do.

5. Be intentionally mindful about eating, however, you don't have to say no to everything. In other words just make a choice. You know you may love specific foods and even during holidays, vacations and/or special occasions you can choose consciously how you are going to eat and what prior to an outing or the event. Just because you choose to have a piece of cake, doesn't mean you have to excuse or punish your body by allowing yourself to have an extra piece when you taste buds where satisfied with the one. You also can appreciate how good you feel when you don't eat junk food and know that you can also choose the treat of having more veggies or fruit at the special event, vacation or outing. The great thing about food and you is realizing it is there to sustain the body and not feed the wanting or needy mind. Be sure to recognize when you are full and take your time when you eat as well; this will help you and the body to digest better and support your desire for weight maintenance. Out to dinner? Then choose if you are going to have dessert or the bread that meal. Did you splurge one meal? Do some squats within the hour to prevent it from all going to the waist and hips and just choose not to do it the next meal; no need to beat your self up; just stay aware and keep moving forward.

6. Get or create a hobby. Yes, you read that correctly. One of the greatest factors for health issues today, including the inability to loss weight or weight gain due to unhealthy habits that relate to this factor, is stress. The majority of Americans today have a large degree of stress and much of it is self induced because it is internal or mental and emotional manners of processing what is transpiring in life and life events and/or the "what if" syndrome. Having a hobby will allow you to relinquish a part of yourself to total creativity and worldly issues and concerns of your daily living activities thus removing the typical foundation in which the mind will formulate stress factors for you to dwell upon and the body to respond to inharmoniously.

7. Stay aware of your daily habits and sleep well. In other words, pay attention to your body and allow yourself the necessary sleep your body needs to function well daily. When you wake you should feel well rested; take time in the evening for yourself, to clear your mind of the daily events, unwind and distress; reminding the mind you can return to the mental check list when you rise the next day. If necessary do a "brain dump" log at night and/or journal. In the morning, start the same way as a "to do list" and then you will carry less mental and thus less emotional stress as a result for the body to respond to and potentially create physical disharmony. Address any other sleep issues, such as sleep apnea, snoring etc with your doctor, as lack of sleep greatly effects the ability of the body to heal, create energy and even burn fat properly, along with the effects it has on your mental and emotional faculties.

When you awake refreshed and energized, the rest of your day is supported, along with the first meal of your day. Breakfast is your first fueling, thus the most important. Just a vehicle with no fuel will not function; neither will your body. The body has been asleep, thus without a need in those hours, but will be in great demand upon waking and ready for all organs to be "fueled" with nutrition to function for your benefit. So be kind to your "vehicle" and feed it the nutrition, protein and even proper supplements to ensure you are properly satiated throughout your day. You are worth it; it's wonderful to feel energized, healthy and alive - and to even look good for yourself!