A weight loss journey is a process of changing your lifestyle habits and learning to make healthy choices over the long term. Often, it takes time to make and maintain these changes. Throughout your weight loss journey, it is important to remember why you want to lose weight. Whether it is to improve your health, fit into old clothes, or feel more confident, these reasons can help you stay focused and motivated when times are tough.

Setting realistic goals can help you stay on track with your program. Generally, it’s smart to aim for 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) of weight loss each week over the long term by cutting calories and exercising regularly. You can also calculate how much weight you need to lose by using a body mass index (BMI) calculator.

Embracing the Process: The Ups and Downs of a Weight Loss Journey

Start by identifying your eating and physical activity habits, which you can do by keeping a food and beverage diary [PDF-127KB] for a few days. This will help you understand your current habits and identify areas where you can make changes. You can also track your sleep, emotions and activity level to better understand how these factors influence your behaviors.

Choose one or two of the eating and exercise habits that you would like to change, and start small. For example, you could try to eat five servings of vegetables daily or log 10,000 steps three days in a row. This approach is referred to as “process goals” rather than “outcome goals,” which are more likely to lead to permanent behavior change than the number of pounds lost.