SMART Goals don't help weight loss

Weight goals can look remarkably clear. Lose ten kilos. Get back to 70 kilos. Fit into a particular clothing size.

 

Free download: Weight Goal Worksheet to discover your weight goals and how they work

​

But a precise weight goal doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve clearly defined the problem we’re trying to solve.

​

In this episode of Before Dieting, Bronwyn looks at what can sit underneath a numerical weight goal, from wanting greater confidence or better health to hoping weight loss will change how we feel about our body. Once those outcomes become attached to a number on the scales, very different problems can start to look as though they have the same solution.

​

The episode also examines SMART goals and an important limitation: making a goal more specific and measurable can make it more precise, but it can’t tell us whether we’re solving the right problem. When repeated weight regain is a complex problem, reducing it to a numerical target can make a simple solution, usually another diet, look more appropriate than it really is.

Before deciding what the next number on the scales should be, this episode offers a different place to begin: understanding what you actually expect weight loss to change, and whether weight loss can deliver it.

​

Looking to solve a complex weight regain problem, take a look at how seeing your weight ecosystem can assist.