If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Most of the people who fail when it comes to weight loss actually do so because their expectations are faulty, not because they cannot lose weight or be healthy. So even if you are experiencing success, you may feel like a failure because your expectations are too high, or are not right for your body or your lifestyle. Expectations are meant to motivate us, not to berate us! Studies have shown that most people are looking to lose around 38-percent of their body weight in order for the results to be ideal. Most dieters claim to be happy with a 31-percent weight loss, and satisfied with a 25-percent weight loss. What is perhaps the most disturbing of all is the fact that many people stated that a weight loss of 16-percent or less would be disappointing to them. No wonder why so many dieters are so frustrated! Even if your program is working, you probably feel like a failure!

The best suggestion for someone who is dieting is to set a weight loss goal for 10-percent of your body weight, no matter how much you currently weigh. A 10-percent body weight loss is enough to seriously boost your energy level and your performance level, in addition to lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease, lowering your cholesterol, and building a large amount of momentum. A 10-percent weight loss goal is a much better goal than anything higher or lower for the following reasons:

A 10-percent goal is a goal that you have control of. You cannot do anything about a 38-percent goal, for instance, until you have dealt with the first 10-percent. It won’t be easy to lose 80 pounds all at once, but losing 15 is a goal which is much more easily attainable.

A 10-percent weight loss goal is a realistic goal. 38-percent does not happen for a lot of people, making it more of a dream and less of a goal. Just about anyone can lose 10-percent of their body weight, so focus on this smaller, easily attained goal and watch what happens. Once you lose the first 10-percent, work on losing 10-percent of your NEW weight.

A 10-percent goal is a much more effective goal, because gradual weight loss goals are much more healthful in the long run. Setting a long series of 10-percent goals is a lot more productive than dealing with a weight loss rollercoaster in pursuit of a goal which is difficult to handle. Focus on smaller goals, and you will meet your big picture goal before you even knew it.