Me: How have you been doing tracking your food?
Client: I did great for a couple of weeks...I need an event or something to get me going.
That was an actual conversation with a client. I mean it was like a week ago so I paraphrased. I realize it's only two sentences...you get the point.
Anyway, as much as I would love for all of my clients to have some deep seeded reason- like the increased confidence gained from achieving a goal- for wanting to lose weight, the fact is vanity can be a much better motivator.
And that's ok.
We all want to look better. There I said it. Its' also ok to admit that. That's why you spend those extra few seconds checking yourself out in the mirror after tough workout or when the scale tells you you've lost a few pounds. (I've already said it's ok, so stop acting like you don't do it.)
Seriously though, having a vanity goal- like wanting to fit into a particular dress or looking good for your class reunion- can be great to get you started. They're usually very specific and have a firm end date built in; both things any good goal will have to have. Also because they're concrete and tangible, vanity goals tend to provide a sense of urgency that can be missing from more introspective goals.
This urgency is particularly useful in the beginning of your weight loss journey. Like I said earlier, vanity is a great motivator. Motivation is needed at the start when you need to make tough changes and before you start to see progress.
Then as you continue to progress and get closer to achieving your vanity goal, that's the time to start thinking about more intrinsic goals.
