For all dieters, goal setting carries utmost importance. If you plan to achieve success with your weight loss efforts, you should always clearly define what you want to achieve before you get started.

What’s important to ensure, however, is that the goals you set for yourself are easily attainable.

A lot of people set unrealistic goals and that’s the biggest reason they give up on their efforts or simply fail.

You can’t expect to lose 10 pounds a week – that’s unrealistic!

• Read More: 4 Important Tips for Weight Loss

Weight Loss is a Journey, Not a Race

Most TV shows, magazines and advertisements show people losing a heck lot of weight in a week. But that’s not the reality for everyone.

You’re not in a wonderland where you’ll wish for something strange and wonderful and it will be done in a jiffy. You’re in the real world where you need to work hard for every bit of success you want.

If you approach weight loss as a 100-meter dash, you’ll only end up setting unrealistic goals and frustrate yourself as a result.

Even if you start losing weight at a drastic rate, do you know what will ultimately happen? Initially, you may feel you’re doing great but eventually you’ll give up.

Set Mini Goals

You should set mini goals because they are attainable. Losing 10 pounds in a week isn’t a mini goal; instead it’s a bigger goal which can be broken in multiple mini goals that are easy to achieve.

Therefore, planning to lose 1-2 pounds in a week is a mini goal. It’s a realistic rate at which you can lose as many pounds as you want. You can decrease or increase it depending on how much weight you want to lose.

Even if you set a mini goal of half a pound in a week and keep on achieving it week after week, you’ll improve and move closer to your ultimate goal.

Setting mini goals provides you the motivation that you need to achieve the bigger or your ultimate goals.

It’s a good idea to reward yourself as you attain a mini goal. For example, going to the gym five times in a week is a good habit but most people can’t make it. If you get to the gym five times in a particular week, you’re up for a reward. Give yourself a treat – go to a movie or at least gift yourself flowers.

Always Be Realistic

When planning to lose weight, and be successful as well, you should start with those kinds of changes that are easy to implement. If you are realistic in your goal setting, you’ll lose weight and enjoy the process too.