Where to Start, Part 3: Weight loss Contract

In part 1 of this series I discussed setting goals. In part 2 I went into detail on how to set up an effective rewards system. In this final installment I want to talk about the final step into setting up your success, making a weight loss contract.

Step 4: The Contract

As with rewarding yourself, setting up a contract with yourself might seem a bit cheesy but as with everything else you are putting in your notebook it has a purpose. Having something 'formal' written out that clearly states you only get your rewards once you hit your goals will help you stop yourself from buying that new outfit even though you only ate your veggies 5 days out of 7. Your contract will serve as a reminder that you are doing this for yourself, that you do want this and you are willing to put in the work. As with everything else writing this down and having it in the front of your notebook (or posting a copy on the fridge door) will help you whenever you are feeling discouraged after a binge or a skipped workout.

The contents of your contract can be as simple or as detailed as you feel the need for. However it should include a few basic things.

1. Your contract should state your overall product goal whether it be a certain amount of weight you want to lose or a race you are looking to run so you always know what you are working towards.
2. Your contract should answer the question WHY? WHY are you doing this? Be completely honest with yourself and put some emotion into it. If you are feeling discouraged and are reading this what is going to help push you past the bump in the road and keep you on track? If you want to lose weight because you were walking through the store and overheard someone laugh at your weight and you never want to feel that shame again, write that down. Write down every negative thought you never want to think again that will remind you of the WHY you are doing what you are doing. You are the only one who ever has to read this contract. don't hide from yourself.
3. Include something about your reward system. You can be as brief or as detailed as you feel necessary but mention it so you know that you are bound by a contract get that reward when you reach your goal. It will help ease any guilty feelings of spending money on something that otherwise would seem frivolous. And if a spouse says something about wasting money, you can throw it in his face "it's in the contract damnit!!"
4. Promise to love yourself and remind yourself that you are worthy of losing weight. Yea, it might not seem that important but if you don't start to love yourself now, losing 50 pounds, fitting into a size 2, running your marathon, whatever your goal may be....it wont change the fact that you don't love yourself. No one ever tells you that weight loss isn't a magic pill for self-esteem. Self-esteem is something that you have to work at everyday by changing the negative thoughts into positive ones.

Once you write out your contract, date and sign it, you are ready to start on your successful journey! Remember that losing weight is a lifestyle change. This is not about a diet, or an exercise program, it's about eating healthy for life and being active for life. It's discouraging, hard and upsetting but in the end it's worth it!

Where to Start, Part 1: Goal setting

So you've made the decision to get healthier, be active and eat right and now you're trying to figure out where to start.

Most people dive right into weight loss, head first. They buy all the newest equipment and programs, pick up all the fad diet books and waste money on pills and gimmicks that do little more than dehydrate you or give you the runs. As we all know, most people don't lose weight. Or they lose weight and then gain back even more. The reason behind this high failure rate is simple, you need to have a plan and most people go blindly down a path with the assumption that 'losing weight' is enough of a map to where they are going. 

It's not. 

When people ask me where they should start I generally direct them to caloriecount.about.com and tell them to start logging food and walking a little everyday to get active. Today I'm going to get more in depth about how to begin a weight loss program and setting yourself up to succeed. 

Step 1: Buy a Notebook

I understand that while I prefer the online method of tracking food, a lot of people don't want to take the time or get that in depth with it. So I suggest a notebook to start out with. It's simple, always available and less intimidating and discouraging than seeing all the numbers and math that goes into tracking.

Now this notebook can be as elaborate as you want it to be. A small notebook would work best for someone who is going to be eating outside of the house a lot as writing down your food as soon as you finish is important. We tend to 'forget' what and how much we eat if we don't write it down right away.

I personally have a $3 college ruled spiral notebook I got from Meijers. 

It's my handy-dandy NOTEBOOK!!! 

Step 2: Set goals

The first things that you should write in your new notebook are your goals. As simple as this sounds, this is where most people set themselves up for failure. If I asked you what your goals are right now, your answer is probably one of the following or some variation thereof:

1. I want to lose weight. 

2. I want to be healthy

3. I want to tone up

4. I want to look good.

As far as reasons to start being active go, these are good reasons. When combined with other goals they are even pretty decent, but alone they suck. 

Effective goals should be SMART. And by that I mean they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. In other words a good goal should be something like 'I will lose 20 pounds by August 31st' 

This goal is specific in the amount of weight you want to lose, it's attainable (assuming you have actually have 20 pounds to lose!) it's measurable because you can track the number on the scale, it's relevant for you if your original goal was to look good, be healthy or to lose weight and it has an expiration date of August 31st. 

Now that you have set a SMART product goal you need to break it down into smaller, process goals.

Your process goals should be SMART as well, but instead of being one or two goals that you work towards overall these are smaller goals that you want to work at everyday, or weekly. 

Examples of process goals to work towards your product goal of losing 20 pounds by August 31st would be  

1. Keep a food journal everyday.

2. Walk for 30 minutes everyday

3. Eat 1800 calories a day.

4. Lift weights 3 times a week.

These process goals are specific. They are measurable in that you can track them and see your progress. They are attainable since most everyone can do any one of those goals if they put their mind to it. They are relevant to your product goal and they are time-bound both in the frequency (everyday, 3 times a week) and by the product goals time frame.

Once you decide on your goals write your product goals on the first page of your notebook, followed by your process goals. Whenever you start to feel yourself slipping off of the wagon having your goals clearly written out somewhere always accessible will help you remember what you're working towards, the same as a map will help you figure out where you're going when you're lost in an unfamiliar place.  

In part 2 I will discuss the importance of Contracts and Rewards