Some women are eager to take off their pregnancy weight, while others may not be. It is important to lose the weight you gained throughout your pregnancy so you don't find yourself continually packing on the pounds. This can be a great time to set a goal to get to a healthy weight, especially if that wasn't the case before pregnancy. If you plan on becoming pregnant again down the road, you want to be at a healthy weight for a healthier pregnancy. Losing the extra weight can help you feel better; it can also make taking care of your newborn much less stressful.

Discover Your Motivations

Trying to change your lifestyle to a healthier one for better health and weight control can be difficult at times. It is important to have goals that you are working toward to keep you motivated! Before you start setting goals, it is important to identify what your motivation is and how ready you are to make needed lifestyle changes. It is helpful to assess your own motivation by asking yourself some of the following questions:

• What are my reasons for wanting to lose weight?

• Why is this important to me?

• What benefits do I expect to gain from losing weight?

• What would make this “worth it” to me?

• Is now the right time for me? Am I ready to make the commitment?

To help you stay motivated for the long haul, write down at least five important reasons you want to lose weight. Make them long-term goals, such as health and family, rather than short-term goals, such as a party next weekend. Put the sheet somewhere you can see it every day.

Goal Setting: Now and Then

It is important to establish both short-term and long-term goals as part of your weight loss plan. Short-term goals help you reach long-term goals by initiating small steps and keeping you motivated throughout the process. Short-term goals can help change behaviors and/or keep you motivated. Your goals should deal with specific problems, such as the need to eat more vegetables, and should be specific about the what, where, when, and how of your planned changes. In other words, get yourself an action plan.

Short-term goals, such as drinking 64 ounces of water each day, can help change behaviors. Be specific about how you will reach your goal. It is too vague to simply say, “I will drink more water.” This does not give you any specific action to work on. On the other hand, the statement, “I will buy a 32-ounce water bottle and fill it up and drink it twice a day” is specific enough that you can measure each day whether you have achieved your goal.

Short-term goals, such as a class reunion, can also help motivate you through your weight loss process, but make sure you line up another goal as soon as that event is over to keep you going. A specific event should not be your final or long-term goal. Make your long-term goals more than just weight loss. Make them goals that will emerge from the weight loss, such as getting healthy, defining a positive self-image, taking better care of your children, having more energy, improving the quality of your life, eating better, and enjoying physical activity.

One Step at a Time

Work on a few behaviors at a time, and once you have accomplished those, move on to a few more. Trying to bite off more than you can chew can be overwhelming as well as discouraging. Once you accomplish a short-term goal, move on to the next. A feeling of accomplishment can be a great motivational tool. Here's an example:

Long-Term Goal: Improve my health risk factors.

Short-Term Goal: Eat breakfast every day.

Action Plan: Buy healthy breakfast foods to have on hand, and get up fifteen minutes early to make time for breakfast.