| In my previous intro email I asked what your goals are for your keto diet, and the response has certainly been enlightening. In this email I'm going to talk about goals, and why you need to take them seriously if you're going to find success with the keto diet. This is a long one, but I think it's such an important subject for anyone serious about losing weight well. This Isn't Going to be Easy What stands out the most for me from the responses I've had is that for a lot of people, the keto diet isn't their first rodeo trying to lose weight. A lot of you have tried dieting plenty of times before and are still looking for that diet that sticks, and can become a natural part of everyday life. A lot of people see the keto diet as a sort of silver bullet, so different to their previous diets that something about it must work. We were told not to eat fat, but people kept getting fatter (and diabetic...) so maybe doing something completely different is the solution. The hard news to have to tell you is that the keto diet isn't a silver bullet. It can't solve all your weight loss issues as if by magic by just eating a bit more fat and cutting down on the sodas. This thing is going to take some real work. Just about any type of diet can be successful in helping people lose weight, so long as people stick to the plan and don't slip/cheat or give up on the diet early. Keto is just the same. The keto diet can be extremely effective for weight loss and energy levels once you've adapted to the diet and are fully in ketosis. But keto can be tough, especially those first few weeks. Cutting out a whole food group and sticking with it is going to take some planning, and certainly some will power. The key to putting together that plan, and finding that willpower, is going to be all about setting yourself goals in the right way. How can you make a plan when you don't know what you're planning for? How easy is it to give up on something when you aren't clear what it is you're working towards? What you need is a clear direction. Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals You may have heard of smart goals before, they're nothing new but they work for a reason. This is a strategy to make sure you stick to your goals and actually acheive them. Often they're used in businesses etc so I've adapted them for our keto journey slightly. So what does S.M.A.R.T stand for? - Specific
- Measurable
- Accountable
- Realistic
- Time Bound Let's run through those: Specific - You need to be clear on what exactly you want to acheive. For a long time my new years resolutions would be along the lines of "go to the gym more" or just a general 'try to lose some weight' type of goal. Instead, I want you to get specific. Maybe you want to get to a certain dress size, or fit into a specific piece of clothing you used to fit into. If you want to lose weight, how much exactly? The key is to have a really clear and definite image of what success to you will look like once you get there. Measureable - How will you know when you've succeeded? How will you know if you're making progress in the right direction? Having a way of measuring how you're doing is critical to keeping you on track. This doesn't have to be a weight measurement, it can be inches round the waist, trying the next dress size down, anything that will allow you to compare this week with the week before. Accountable - Now this isn't the usual 'A' in the smart list but I think accountability is key. So many people keep their goals to themselves, because they know that if they fail at least no one else will know. But it's this lack of accountability that can make failure more likely in the first place. You don't need to tell your nearest and dearest, if you're worried about their attitude, acceptance etc. The important thing is to tell someone, and someone supportive. It may be you join a facebook group or keto forum and post your progress there. You may barely know the people on the other end of the line but somehow knowing that someone out there has an eye on your progress can make such a difference. Looking for someone to keep you accountable? Drop me a message after this with your goals and I'll do my best to keep watch on your progress! Realistic - This may be the most important point of all. Don't make outlandish goals straight from the start. A series of smaller, acheivable goals that you actually manage to do is much better than not quite reaching a much bigger goal. For instance, it's worth noting that a healthy rate of weight loss of 1 - 2lb per week is acheivable. Maintaining 3-4lbs a week for any extended period of time probably isn't/ Set your goals accordingly! Time Bound - Last but not least. You need to put a time limit on this thing. It's easy to lose sight of goals too far in the distance, and without a time limit it's too easy to put things off. I'd generally set my goals between 1 month and 3 months. Once I've reached that I make a new goal. What I don't do is set a goal for 2 years time, and forget about it 6 months later! Don't beat yourself up if you don't reach your target inside that timeframe though. This isn't an exact science predicting how much progress we can make, so dust yourself off and reset the timer. Lose Weight Smarter, not Harder So what was the point of all that goal setting? At some point along the way, you're going to hit a low point. You'll wonder why you're bothering and wouldn't it just be easier to give up. But then you look back at all the progress you've made. How close you are to getting to your target. How supportive those people who hold you accountable have been You think of how good it would be to finish the task, and (hopefully) motivate yourself to keep going. That's where having a great set of well thought out goals really kicks in, at the moment we're weakest. Before I finish, I'd like you to write down what your goal is for the next 3 months. Think about each of the SMART points above, list them out and give an answer against each of how you're going to keep yourself accountable, what your time limit is etc. If you want to send them in to me, for accountability, even better. With a clear set of goals, and a plan of action in hand, there's nothing you can't do. I hope you'll take on the challenge and set yourself up for keto success! Next time we'll talk a little more about putting together your plan of action, and getting started properly on the keto diet. Until next time! Lorcan ps: If you're looking for a place to start and haven't read my beginners guide to the keto diet, then definitely start there. | 
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