4 Ways to Create A Personalized Weight Loss Plan
1. Identify Your Weight Loss Goals
When undergoing a weight loss journey, it's important to be clear about your expectations from the get-go. Since losing weight is a timely process, it can be easy to get discouraged along the way. Goals will help motivate you to follow through on your plan. The first step to a personalized plan is to assess your current weight and set realistic short-term and long-term goals.
When setting your goals, keep in mind that these are not hard deadlines but a way to hold yourself accountable and stay on track with hitting your weight loss projections. The overall purpose of setting these goals is to stay motivated along the way.
A good trick to set realistic and achievable goals is to make them SMART. When your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, you’ll increase your accountability and feel more committed to your weight loss strategy.
2. Optimize Your Grocery List
Eating the right foods for your body is one of the most important factors of weight loss. For this step, you'll want to take a close look at the foods you are currently consuming and assess if they are benefiting you on your weight loss journey.
The focus here should be on the nutrition value and your taste preferences. Just because you want to lose weight doesn't mean you need to start eating foods you don't like! Decipher your favorite meals and take some time to understand the ingredients. Here are a few questions to keep in mind the next time you go to the grocery store:
- What is the nutrition value of this item?
- Will I want to eat this once it's prepared?
- Is there a healthier alternative?
Understanding the ingredients of your food is key to a healthy and well-balanced diet. But, it is best to not get too caught up in counting calories. To optimize your grocery list, focus on whole foods and avoid processed foods with high sugar, salt, and/or fat content.
3. Stick to a Fitness Routine You Enjoy
You will see the most progress in weight loss with a strong fitness routine. To burn fat, you will want to build muscle. Cardio can help with burning off calories, but the free weight section of the gym will be your best bet.
Spend some time trying out different fitness exercises to find out which ones excite you and motivate you. But remember: a fitness routine does not mean working out every single day. Pick three or four days of the week to push yourself and take the rest of the week to allow your body to recover.
4. Track and Adjust
Tracking progress is key to any plan. When you get started with your personalized weight loss plan, make sure you start a record of your stats. Tracking your progress will help motivate you to continue on your path and it will help you identify areas of improvement too.
Take some time to write down your current weight and body measurements. You can get accurate measurements by using a tape measure about your waist, chest, biceps/triceps, and thighs. You may see progress when looking in the mirror, but the numbers in your record will be the most accurate information. Those numbers are helpful because they can help you make adjustments as you go along.
Talk to a Specialist About Your Personalized Weight Loss Plan
Need some extra help creating your custom diet and exercise plan? Our trainer, Ashlee at Whole Intent, is your go-to health and wellness coach in Denver. With an extensive background in fitness and nutrition, she is sure to help you get the weight loss results that you are looking for.
Ready to start seeing real results? Contact us to get your custom plan created today!