Which is worse: having no goal or having a dumb goal?

Ever think about that?

Do goals stress you out?

They would really be a huge waste of time except for the fact that they work.

Unless they are dumb goals and that is the reason for this post.

Some people have an odd nebulous vision that they call a goal. It can be dumb and unrealistic but it is not a goal because a goal isn’t a goal until it is written down.

I have a confession to make. I am one of the worst at goals. I will take a stab at some idea, call it a goal, then change it as the circumstances change. That is just laziness and I admit that.

So if you think I called you dumb, brother I am right there beside you.

But this can all change today. This is my new mindset for this blog. (day three of the blog challenge if you are keeping count.)

I am going to help you figure out realistic goals. You’re job is to write them down and look at them several times a day. I am going to do this myself and hold myself accountable. I will also be accountable to you so feel free to ask me any questions about my goals.

Ready? Cool.

Here are some facts to help.

• You can lose 2 pounds of fat per week safely if you work at it.
• The heavier you are, the easier it will be to lose the weight at first.
• Plateaus are part of the fitness game. Expect them and don’t freak out over them.
• Female clients gain 4-7 pounds of muscle when they start training. This is what you probably call firming up.
• Guys can gain 8-15 pounds.
• So any fat loss the first couple of weeks may be offset by the muscle weight. Again, don’t freak.
• The first 2-5 pounds can be attributed to water weight and other crap (literally sometimes) that your body gets rid of when you start eating cleaner.

So let’s take a look at a goal to lose 50 pounds.

How long can it take?

Here is an actual spreadsheet for a client. Here you can see that the muscle weight will offset the fat loss for the first couple of weeks. If she stays on track she will lose almost 25 pounds in 12 weeks. Taking into account illness, missed workouts etc… I would say it would take about 28 weeks to lose 50 pounds of fat.

Could she lose it faster? Maybe but this is a pretty aggressive goal as it is.

Sample Fat loss sheet

So given that this is a best case scenario, this is a realistic goal to shoot for.

You may need help with nutrition planning. If this is the case I have something you may have an interest in. It is the best nutrition and exercise planner I have come across. Best of all it is free. Yup free. No strings attached. Here is the link.

So here is your homework. Think about how much weight you would like to lose and how long it would take to realistically do it.

In the next couple of posts we will start getting in to the mechanics of how to create an effective program.
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Michael Medvig is a personal trainer and owner of M Factor Fitness Inc., an in home personal training company in Parker Colorado. This blog represents opinions on fitness. Do your own research and draw your own conclusions. All information and materials on this site are provided as is and without warranty of any kind. These materials (including all text, images, logos, compilation, and design, unless otherwise noted) are copyright 2001-2010 M Factor Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2001-2010 M Factor Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. |