I am happy to say I’m down 2.2 pounds this week, for atotal of 13.2 pounds gone so far. My ultimate goal is to lose a total of 36 pounds. I’m over a third of the way there, but I still have a ways to go.

I think I am having better success this time around, not only because I’m blogging about it, but also because I’ve set some mini goals along the way.

For my first 10 pound weight loss, I bought this bathing suit. It’s super cute and I know it will look even better on me another 10 pounds from now.

When I lose a total of 20 pounds, I think I’ll go to the hair salon, and when I reach my goal weight, my mom has offered to take me clothes shopping.

Here are this week’s tips on setting mini goals to achieve success.

1. Break your goal down into smaller increments. A friend of mine once said, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” (I don’t really want to eat an elephant, but you get the picture.) Losing 5-10 pounds seems more achieveable than losing 30+ pounds so it’s easier to imagine success when it doesn’t seem like such a challenge.

2. Set reasonable expectations. It’s unreal to think I’ll lose weight quickly. There are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss – slow and steady wins the race here! It’s best to take it one or two pounds a week rather than trying to lose too much too quickly.

3. Reward yourself. But not with food!! I used to think, “If only I could get to my goal weight I can eat whatever I want!” Not true! Now I’ve learned to reward myself in other ways, like those mentioned above. Keeping fit is for life, so it’s a life-time commitment.

Here’s to another great week! You can read about last week’s progress here.