Last Updated on May 22, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
Setting weight loss goals isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as you can keep them realistic. However, you need to be aware of how those goals can fluctuate. This is especially true if you’re aiming for a weight you haven’t seen in over 20 years.
I am having such a situation. As I get closer to my “goal,” I realize that I was setting my sights way too low.
And unfortunately, this is what causes problems for a lot of people.
Changing Weight Loss Goals Helps
Weight loss goals are simple guidelines to help you reach a healthier point in your life. However, they’re not set in stone. In fact, a lot of people will find their goals unrealistic as I have.
And this isn’t because we lack motivation or will power. To be honest, there are simply too many variables at play when trying to reach specific weight loss goals.
Without altering your aims to fit the situation, you can easily succumb to frustration and anxiety. Many of you might even consider starvation or abusing Ex-lax to lose the rest of the weight.
In reality, you should consider changing your goals to match your progress.
Why is Change Necessary?
During your weight loss journey, there are many things that will come into play. For one thing, you could decide to put on more muscle mass while losing fat. This will greatly alter your end goal weight.
Don’t put too much emphasis on a specific poundage and realize you could look amazing even if you weigh 20 pounds more than you’d like.
Putting on Muscle Mass
Replacing fat with muscle will greatly affect the scale. In fact, you could still weigh the same even though your pant sizes are smaller and your gut shrinks. This is often the result of building muscle mass.
For example, my original goal of 180 pounds is no longer my focus. That’s because I am about to hit 220 and I already look far better than I have in the past. I am considering how my arms, back and chest are far more defined than they were 20 years ago.
What does this mean, exactly? It means that my new goal is about the 200 mark. I’ve put on more muscle mass than I had originally thought and now realize that I probably won’t hit 180 pounds because I am simply a “big guy.”
Keeping Your Head in the Game
Like I said, many people feel frustrated when they cannot reach their original weight loss goals. Some will go so far as to cause severe damage to themselves just so they can reach a certain poundage.
Modifying your goals to fit your current situation keeps your mentality in check. Instead of pushing yourself to dangerous levels, you can relish in the thought of being more muscular than you were before.
Perhaps you don’t realize just how much bone density plays into your overall weight.
Keep in mind there are just too many variables that can alter your progression for losing weight. And you don’t want to inadvertently talk yourself into doing something that will cause irreparable damage to your body.
I am confident that 200 is my ideal weight now. Once I get there, I will take a look and see if there is anything more I need to lose. This will involve looking at myself in the mirror and looking at the clothes I wear.
The scale is a tool, not a mandatory element.
Discovering What Works Best for You
Modifying diets, exercises and routines is all part of discovering what works best for your specific needs. And I’m not just talking about weight loss goals. Everyone is different, which means what works for one person may not work for another.
Case in point, my friend decided to try a low-carb diet and then start working out with weights. The end result was putting herself in shock. Why? Because her body wasn’t creating enough glucose to fuel her muscles – a byproduct of consuming carbs.
To counteract situations like this, you need to modify diets or exercise. Either you increase the component the body needs to maintain activity, or you reduce the activity.
Sometimes it requires a bit of trial and error. However, the result is a dietary plan and workout routine specifically ideal for you…not someone else you’re trying to copy.
Changing Your Ideas About Health
Over time, you’ll most likely come across things that will change your ideas about what you want to look like or how you want to feel. Personally, I just wanted to lose my fat. That was until I started defining my arms and chest.
You can be as muscular or as scrawny as you’d like. You can be built to climb mountains or sleek to slip through water like a fish. It’s all about what you want to do and how you want to accomplish good health.
And because you’ll come across these elements, you’ll have to adapt your dietary and exercise routines.
I doubt I will have the determination or the conviction to be a body builder. But it would be nice to be considered as an extra stand-in for a Magic Mike sequel.
All joking aside, though, it’s more about being healthy and being able to walk up a slight incline without gasping for air. A bathroom scale doesn’t take your overall health into account when showing you how much you weigh today.
And keeping yourself flexible when it comes to changing your weight loss goals only helps to succeed at building that perfect body for yourself.
Nothing is Set in Stone
My point is you don’t want to put too much stock in what the scale says. It’s a good tool to help weight loss goals, but it can deliver false information depending on your current activity and body type.
Don’t think of it as losing weight. Focus more on just losing fat mass and building a healthier body. It’s possible to weigh over 200 pounds while having the physique of a Greek god.
Think of it this way. According to the BMI scale, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is obese.[template id=”3591″]
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