Imagine trying to play a game of snooker while wearing a blindfold. You would feel hopelessly unprepared for each shot, you wouldn’t know where to aim and the odd shot that actually went in the pocket would be totally at random.
That’s a pretty good analogy to describe most people’s when they are looking at how to lose belly fat fast. Their efforts are spasmodic, they don’t have a clearly defined goal and any results that they do achieve are haphazard and, often, temporary. Taking off the blindfold is akin to establishing a goal setting plan. Without one you’re going to be fighting your fat loss battle with one arm tied behind your back. With oneyou will be like a pre-programmed machine – think the Terminator – who is zeroing in an a target and won’t stop until it is achieved.
Goals setting is, simply put, the difference between failure and success. That being the case, it pays to learn how to do it right. Here, then, is a 5 step formula to achieving your every goal.
Set specific goals:
“I want to lose weight” is not a goal. In fact, when thinking of weight loss, it’s important to distinguish between weight loss and fat loss. Weight loss is simple what you weigh on the scale. Weight loss could include muscle tissue, water weight, vitamins and minerals – anything that gets your scale weight down. Losing any of the things just mentioned is not healthy. Fat loss, on the other hand, is just that – and that is the only thing that you want to lose. So start thinking fat loss rather than weight loss. It’s a great idea to talk about goal body-fat percentages rather than weight loss. So, “I will achieve 18% body-fat by March 31st” is a meaningful, measurable and specific goal.
Set measurable goals:
You need to be able to monitor your progress toward your goals. If you are using body-fat as the basis of your goals, it’s obvious that you’ve got to regularly measure your body-fat levels. The easiest way to do this is to purchase yourself a set of scales which has the ability to measure your body fat levels. Be sure to measure yourself at the same time of day on a weekly basis.
Set realistic deadlines:
Now that your focus is on how to lose belly FAT fast rather than simply losing weight, you need to get smart about how realistically you can lose it. Forget the ads that promise a 10 pound drop in 2 weeks – not much of it will be fat. Work on the basis of a 1.5 pound drop per week. That may not sound like much. In a year, however, you will have dropped 75 pounds. Imagine how that amount of pure fat loss will transform your life.
Select stepping stone goals:
You need to establish your ultimate goal. This should be the physique you want to achieve. Find a photo of your ideal body and set that as your ultimate goal. From there work backwards to set one year, 3 month, weekly and daily goals, each of which is stepping stone toward your ultimate goal. The 3 month goal is a really important aspect of your goal setting plan. 12 weeks is a time-frame that we can all focus on – and a lot of progress can be made in that time. A great 12 week goal would be to drop 4-5% of body fat. Daily goals should revolve around your training (to do an extra rep or lift an extra 2 reps and your nutrition).
Write out your goals:
Take your weekly, monthly and 3 monthly goal and write them on a card as an affirmation. Write the goal as a personal factual statement that has already been achieved. For example, a 3 month written goal may be “I am down to 15% body-fat and it feels fantastic.” You should carry your 3 month goal with you everywhere and refer to it often throughout the day.
Conclusion
By making you goals specific, realistic, tied to a time-frame and progressive you will be able to powerfully feed positive messages to your subconscious mind. This powerful brain function will then take over and propel you onward to the unstoppable fulfillment of your goals.
