Planning is crucial when it comes to achieving and maintaining weight loss and healthy fitness habits. Deciding to lose 30 pounds in a month may sound like a “plan,” but this goal is set up for failure. Weight loss goals must be specific, realistic, and follow a preset timeline in order to have the highest chance of success. Here is a closer look at the best ways to make a fitness and weight loss plan to meet your health goals:
Visit a Weight Loss Medical Center
A medical center weight loss program is the best place to start for planning and achieving your fitness and weight loss goals. Expert nutritionists and doctors can help plan your ideal meals, workout routines, medical treatments or medications such as appetite suppressants, and more. They can also track your progress and help revise your plan if results are subpar.
Replace Calorie Counting with Nutritional Meal Planning
Counting calories tends to encourage undereating, which can negatively impact weight loss. Also, it can be difficult to keep track of everything you eat in a day, especially when you’re out with friends. Instead, a more effective plan is to plan your meals based on nutrition. Nutritional needs vary from person to person, so consulting with your doctor or a nutritionist can be beneficial. The 80/20 Diet, where you only eat healthy food 80% of the time, can also be a useful strategy to help transition from a poor diet to a healthier one.
Use SMART Goals
Making SMART goals is crucial for success. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Your weight loss and fitness goals must be actually possible for you to achieve within a reasonable time frame (6 months to 1 year). You can gradually increase your weight loss goal over time and either change your plan if you didn’t meet your goals, or make your workouts more challenging if you exceeded your goals. It is always better to start small and work your way up, especially if you’re just starting to get into the routine of working out regularly and eating healthy.
Plan to Change Up Your Fitness Routine Weekly
Changing up your workout routine is crucial for avoiding boredom or burnout. Adding new exercises like using cycling videos online, changing up your workout location, or partnering up with friends can help add excitement back into your routine. Collaborating with others is also a great way to hold yourself accountable and ensure that you don’t skip workouts.
Overall, making a plan for your weight loss goals is the best way to stay on track and revise your fitness and eating routine over time. Utilizing weight loss medical center experts, using nutritional meal planning, setting realistic and time-sensitive goals, and adding variety to your workout routine are the best ways to meet your health goals.