You stand there looking in the mirror at your flabby middle, bulging thighs and double chin and you say, “Geez, I need to lose some weight!” When you set goals for weight loss and fitness as in any other area of life the goal needs to follow the familiar acronym, SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Specific: Instead of saying “I need to lose some weight,” say, “I need to lose 42 lbs.

Measurable: Answers the question of how you will know when the goal has been reached. Our measurement now becomes, “I want to fit into my size eight jeans again.”

Attainable: Make your goal something that you can reasonably attain.

Realistic: If your current weight is 350 lbs., it’s not realistic to think that you’ll lose it by your best friend’s wedding in June of this year.

Timely: Set an actual date for when you will achieve the goal.