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3 January 12
Is Your Weight Goal SMART? Happy New Year, Everyone!  A New Year means a New Year’s Resolution for many of us. If you struggle with meeting the same weight goal year after year, then it is time to rethink how you set your goal. Start the New Year off on the right foot by setting a SMART weight goal. That is, set a weight goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, and Time-Bound. Specific, Measurable, and Time-BoundSince MyNetDiary is a calories tracker that requires a specific target weight and target date to work, the “Specific” and “Time-Bound” parts of a SMART goal are addressed. The “Measurable” part is also covered since body weight is easily measured by a scale. Where people get into trouble is the “Attainable” and “Relevant/Realistic” parts of their goal.Attainable Goals First of all, your weight loss goal has to be possible to achieve. Losing 10 lbs in 10 days is not an attainable goal for most people. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb of body weight yet the body still requires an amount of fuel to sustain basic metabolic functions (BMR). That is, you can’t create too large of a calories deficit without compromising your body’s ability to sustain basal metabolic functions. An average weekly rate of weight loss that is safe for most people is 1-2 lbs/week. However, if you are very close to your goal weight, and/or are not burning calories from exercise, then a lower rate of weight loss might be more appropriate for you. Perhaps a 1-2 lbs weight loss per month is a better goal. I typically recommend that a target weight and date be adjusted so that the target calories do not dip below one’s BMR. You can see your estimated BMR in the Details tab of MyNetDiary web or in My Plan in MyNetDiary mobile apps.Relevant/Realistic Even if it is technically possible to lose the weight you have set for yourself, the target weight still needs to be realistic and relevant given your life. For instance, if you work long hours in a sedentary occupation and have a long sedentary commute, then you are going to find it very difficult to make time to burn a lot of calories through exercise. In that case, it is not smart to create a goal that requires you to burn 1000 calories every day from exercise to meet the needed calories deficit to reach your stated target weight by your target date.  Instead, choose a goal that requires a lower calories deficit. For instance, a 125-250 calories deficit per day results in a 1-2 lb weight loss per month. This calories deficit is possible with a simple 30 minute walk per day (even if the 30 minutes is accrued in 10 minute chunks of time).Another example of an unrealistic goal is the complete switch from dining out to consuming foods made from scratch.  If you are a busy person who currently relies on dining out, then you are going to have to set multiple goals to make the time to shop, cook, and organize your new eating life. A more realistic short term goal is to reduce the frequency of dining out for specific meals. For instance, instead of dining out for lunch 5 days a week, plan to dine out only 1-2 days a week and bring lunch from home on the other days.Short Term vs. Long Term Goals Have a short-term weight goal as well as a long term goal, but enter your short term goal in MyNetDiary.  I recommend that you use a step-by-step approach to goal setting. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then start by setting a goal to lose 10% of your body weight (0.10 x body weight). Once you reach that goal, CONGRATULATE yourself since that weight loss is a critical milestone. Even if you never lose a single pound thereafter, you will reap permanent health benefits from losing that amount of weight if you can keep it off.For longer term goals, the time frame could be years. Be patient. The goal is to lose weight and keep it off, not just to lose it. For instance, if I needed to lose 150 lbs, I would expect that this goal would take me about 1½ - 3 years if I lose an average of 1-2 lbs/week. I would set a series of shorter-term SMART goals in order to achieve that ultimate long term weight goal.Good luck with your new SMART weight goals for 2012! Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page. I would love to hear from you!Best,Kathy Isacks, MPS, RDConsulting Dietitian for MyNetDiaryMore ResourcesPaul Meyer. What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn’t Fail? Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals.  Excerpt from “Attitude is Everything” 1/2/12.Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD. MyNetDiary Blog. Setting a Healthy Target Weight. 12/14/10.Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Is Your Weight Goal SMART?

Happy New Year, Everyone!  A New Year means a New Year’s Resolution for many of us. If you struggle with meeting the same weight goal year after year, then it is time to rethink how you set your goal. Start the New Year off on the right foot by setting a SMART weight goal. That is, set a weight goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, and Time-Bound.

Specific, Measurable, and Time-Bound

Since MyNetDiary is a calories tracker that requires a specific target weight and target date to work, the “Specific” and “Time-Bound” parts of a SMART goal are addressed. The “Measurable” part is also covered since body weight is easily measured by a scale. Where people get into trouble is the “Attainable” and “Relevant/Realistic” parts of their goal.

Attainable Goals

First of all, your weight loss goal has to be possible to achieve. Losing 10 lbs in 10 days is not an attainable goal for most people. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb of body weight yet the body still requires an amount of fuel to sustain basic metabolic functions (BMR). That is, you can’t create too large of a calories deficit without compromising your body’s ability to sustain basal metabolic functions.

An average weekly rate of weight loss that is safe for most people is 1-2 lbs/week. However, if you are very close to your goal weight, and/or are not burning calories from exercise, then a lower rate of weight loss might be more appropriate for you. Perhaps a 1-2 lbs weight loss per month is a better goal. I typically recommend that a target weight and date be adjusted so that the target calories do not dip below one’s BMR. You can see your estimated BMR in the Details tab of MyNetDiary web or in My Plan in MyNetDiary mobile apps.

Relevant/Realistic

Even if it is technically possible to lose the weight you have set for yourself, the target weight still needs to be realistic and relevant given your life. For instance, if you work long hours in a sedentary occupation and have a long sedentary commute, then you are going to find it very difficult to make time to burn a lot of calories through exercise. In that case, it is not smart to create a goal that requires you to burn 1000 calories every day from exercise to meet the needed calories deficit to reach your stated target weight by your target date.  Instead, choose a goal that requires a lower calories deficit. For instance, a 125-250 calories deficit per day results in a 1-2 lb weight loss per month. This calories deficit is possible with a simple 30 minute walk per day (even if the 30 minutes is accrued in 10 minute chunks of time).

Another example of an unrealistic goal is the complete switch from dining out to consuming foods made from scratch.  If you are a busy person who currently relies on dining out, then you are going to have to set multiple goals to make the time to shop, cook, and organize your new eating life. A more realistic short term goal is to reduce the frequency of dining out for specific meals. For instance, instead of dining out for lunch 5 days a week, plan to dine out only 1-2 days a week and bring lunch from home on the other days.

Short Term vs. Long Term Goals

Have a short-term weight goal as well as a long term goal, but enter your short term goal in MyNetDiary.  I recommend that you use a step-by-step approach to goal setting. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then start by setting a goal to lose 10% of your body weight (0.10 x body weight). Once you reach that goal, CONGRATULATE yourself since that weight loss is a critical milestone. Even if you never lose a single pound thereafter, you will reap permanent health benefits from losing that amount of weight if you can keep it off.

For longer term goals, the time frame could be years. Be patient. The goal is to lose weight and keep it off, not just to lose it. For instance, if I needed to lose 150 lbs, I would expect that this goal would take me about 1½ - 3 years if I lose an average of 1-2 lbs/week. I would set a series of shorter-term SMART goals in order to achieve that ultimate long term weight goal.

Good luck with your new SMART weight goals for 2012! Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page. I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources

Paul Meyer. What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn’t Fail? Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals.  Excerpt from “Attitude is Everything” 1/2/12.

Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD. MyNetDiary Blog. Setting a Healthy Target Weight. 12/14/10.

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.
14 December 10
Setting a Healthy Target WeightHow do you determine a healthy weight goal?  Some people rely on their memory of how they felt at a specific weight,  whereas others simply want to fit into a particular size of clothing or belt.  In addition to knowing what weight you feel best at, there are tools to help you set weight goals that are correlated with improved health.BMIBody mass index or BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters (kg/m2).  For example, a person 5’4” tall and weighs 140 lbs has a BMI of 24.0 kg/m2.  Is that okay?  For the general population, a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is correlated with lowest health risk.  Overweight is defined as 25.0 – 29.9, obese is ≥ 30.0, and underweight is < 18.5.  A BMI outside the lowest risk range typically means higher health risk.  For an online reverse BMI calculator, check out Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine’s website.  You can enter your height and desired BMI to get a target weight. BMI & White AdultsOn December 2, 2010, the New England Journal of Medicine published an important study on all-cause death and BMI.  The authors reviewed data from 19 studies and found that in a population of just fewer than 1.5 million white adults, including smokers, the lowest-risk BMI range is 22.5 – 24.9.  However, for adults who do NOT smoke, the healthiest BMI range expanded to 20.0 – 24.9.  [So smokers take note – being super skinny puts you at higher risk.]BMI & Other GroupsThere is discussion that BMI risk categories need to be adjusted for specific populations.  In the future, look for more information on BMI norms for African Americans (healthy BMI range might be shifted higher) and Asian Americans and older adults (healthy range might be shifted lower).  Also keep in mind that athletes with low body fat but high muscle mass will often fall above the healthy BMI range despite not being at higher risk. Lose 10% of Your Body WeightIf you are overweight and find that reaching a BMI of 24.9 seems too daunting a goal, consider a stepwise approach to losing weight.  The American Dietetic Association recommends a realistic, achievable, and sustainable weight loss of 10% within six months, with an average weight loss of 1-2 lbs/week.  This recommendation is part of the Evidence Analysis Library on Adult Weight Loss.  Losing 10% of your initial body weight is enough to help you improve your risk for chronic disease, as well as manage existing chronic disease (e.g. high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes).  To calculate your target weight, multiply your current weight by 0.90.  Example:  210 lb initial body weight x 0.90 = 189 lb target weight.  To lose an average of 1 lb (0.45 kg)/week, one would have to eat less than their total energy expenditure by about 500 calories per day.  One pound of body weight is about 3500 calories.  Could you do the math if you wanted to lose 0.75 lbs/week or 1.25 lbs/week? You can use an online tracker such as MyNetDiary to discover what your personalized caloric deficit needs to be to meet your target weight by your target date.  A calories deficit can be achieved by eating fewer calories, burning more calories from exercise, or a combination of both.  MyNetDiary will also auto adjust your caloric goals based upon your current body weight, target weight, target date, food intake, and calories burned.  So, put your calculator down and just remember to log daily.Have questions about this topic?  Let’s hear from you!  Post your questions on MyNetDiary’s Community Forum.Best,Kathy Isacks, MPS, RDConsulting Dietitian for MyNetDiaryMore ResourcesAmerican Dietetic Association. Evidence Analysis Library.de Gonzalez et al. “Body-Mass Index and Mortality among 1.46 Million White Adults.” N Engl J Med 363:123;2211-2219.National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute.  “Calculate your Body Mass Index.”  U. S. Department of Health & Human Services.  NIH News 12/1/10:  “NIH study identifies ideal body mass index.” Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Setting a Healthy Target Weight
How do you determine a healthy weight goal?  Some people rely on their memory of how they felt at a specific weight,  whereas others simply want to fit into a particular size of clothing or belt.  In addition to knowing what weight you feel best at, there are tools to help you set weight goals that are correlated with improved health.

BMI
Body mass index or BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters (kg/m2).  For example, a person 5’4” tall and weighs 140 lbs has a BMI of 24.0 kg/m2.  Is that okay?  For the general population, a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is correlated with lowest health risk.  Overweight is defined as 25.0 – 29.9, obese is ≥ 30.0, and underweight is < 18.5.  A BMI outside the lowest risk range typically means higher health risk.  For an online reverse BMI calculator, check out Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine’s website.  You can enter your height and desired BMI to get a target weight.

BMI & White Adults
On December 2, 2010, the New England Journal of Medicine published an important study on all-cause death and BMI.  The authors reviewed data from 19 studies and found that in a population of just fewer than 1.5 million white adults, including smokers, the lowest-risk BMI range is 22.5 – 24.9.  However, for adults who do NOT smoke, the healthiest BMI range expanded to 20.0 – 24.9.  [So smokers take note – being super skinny puts you at higher risk.]

BMI & Other Groups
There is discussion that BMI risk categories need to be adjusted for specific populations.  In the future, look for more information on BMI norms for African Americans (healthy BMI range might be shifted higher) and Asian Americans and older adults (healthy range might be shifted lower).  Also keep in mind that athletes with low body fat but high muscle mass will often fall above the healthy BMI range despite not being at higher risk.

Lose 10% of Your Body Weight
If you are overweight and find that reaching a BMI of 24.9 seems too daunting a goal, consider a stepwise approach to losing weight.  The American Dietetic Association recommends a realistic, achievable, and sustainable weight loss of 10% within six months, with an average weight loss of 1-2 lbs/week.  This recommendation is part of the Evidence Analysis Library on Adult Weight Loss.  Losing 10% of your initial body weight is enough to help you improve your risk for chronic disease, as well as manage existing chronic disease (e.g. high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes).  To calculate your target weight, multiply your current weight by 0.90.  Example:  210 lb initial body weight x 0.90 = 189 lb target weight.  To lose an average of 1 lb (0.45 kg)/week, one would have to eat less than their total energy expenditure by about 500 calories per day.  One pound of body weight is about 3500 calories.  Could you do the math if you wanted to lose 0.75 lbs/week or 1.25 lbs/week?

You can use an online tracker such as MyNetDiary to discover what your personalized caloric deficit needs to be to meet your target weight by your target date.  A calories deficit can be achieved by eating fewer calories, burning more calories from exercise, or a combination of both.  MyNetDiary will also auto adjust your caloric goals based upon your current body weight, target weight, target date, food intake, and calories burned.  So, put your calculator down and just remember to log daily.

Have questions about this topic?  Let’s hear from you!  Post your questions on MyNetDiary’s Community Forum.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources
American Dietetic Association. Evidence Analysis Library.

de Gonzalez et al. “Body-Mass Index and Mortality among 1.46 Million White Adults.” N Engl J Med 363:123;2211-2219.

National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute.  “Calculate your Body Mass Index.”  

U. S. Department of Health & Human Services.  NIH News 12/1/10:  “NIH study identifies ideal body mass index.”

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

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Themed by Hunson. Originally by Josh