Nik's Recipe for Goals that Succeed

Today I have a recipe of a different sort.

So the 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge is coming. Need info? Click that link and read all about it. I’ll wait.

You good? Ok, lovely!

You ever make a goal and it didn’t quite work? Were you left wondering why? I know I have been. But did you know there is actually a “recipe” for effective goals?

Many of you may have already heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals but I wanted to go over the concept so we’re all on the same page. I’d LOVE to see lots of SMART goals during the Pledge because that means you’re making goals in a way that sets you up for success!

S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

Specific: Which, of course, is the opposite of vague. So:

Bad = “I will eat better.”

Good = “I will eat a protein forward diet with plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.”

Measure-able: Because unless you draw a finish line for your goal, how do you know if you’ve crossed it?

Bad = “I pledge to eat less carbs and more protein.”

Good = “I pledge to eat less than Xgrams of carbs per day and more than Xgrams of protein”

Achievable: This is where most New Years Resolutions go wrong. Too lofty.

Bad = I want to weigh 75 lbs.

Good = I want to reach a healthy weight according to the Body Mass Index.

Realistic: This one often confuses people. I am a big believer in long vs. short range goals. Long range goals are made up of a bunch of short range goals. When looking at your short range goals, it can be bad to bite off more than you know you can chew, so:

Bad = I want to run a marathon this summer (when you’ve never run before).

Good = I want to complete the couch to 5k program and jog my first 5k by this summer.

Timely: Open-ended goals are goals that stand a very high chance of never getting achieved. Make yourself accountable to the goal by either setting a due or benchmark dates.

Bad = I’m going to lose these last five pounds someday.

Good = I want to lose this last five pounds within the next four months.

The examples I gave are exaggerations, of course, but there are many ways you can incorporate the SMART goal mentality in your personal goals and to your pledges. By following this simple template you do more than just make goals you can achieve — with each small goal, you build momentum to take on bolder goals. Before you know it you’re doing things you never thought you could do!

So…start thinking about it. What might some of your SMART goals be for the Bariatric Foodie Pledge?