End of 2018

With the end of the year quickly approaching, I can’t help but reflect on the past year. It feels like the year has slipped right between my fingers. I shared these thoughts with my husband and he agreed with me that the year had gone by pretty fast. He also added that this would be a good time to do an end of the year review. I had taken the time to write down my goals at the beginning of the year but had not reviewed and gauged my progress based on these goals. I gauged my progress based on the results I experienced or saw at the time. At times I was frustrated at not accomplishing something that was not even on my list of goals! This year, I actually did an end of year review based on the goals set in January. 

My health goals were to go back to my pre-pregnancy weight (157 pounds) and to make better food choices. 

I would venture to say a quality end of year review relies on good goals set at the beginning of the year. These original goals help gauge productivity or success.

With this in mind, setting good goals is beneficial for success. A good goal is,

• Specific and measurable
• Challenging but realistic
• Has a deadline
• Is long-term but can be broken down into daily or weekly goals.

The above goal setting guideline can be used to set goals in different areas of life like family, career, spiritual, mental, financial or health. Once you have set the goals, it is good to write them down and read them often. I’ve often failed to write down goals that I thought were important and later forgot all about them.

This being a health blog, I will focus on health goals. I believe the success of achieving health goals positively influences all the other areas of life. 

How did I do on my health goals? 

My first goal was to go back to my pre-pregnancy weight, (157 pounds).

This was a specific and measurable goal. This goal felt challenging and intimidating because I had set the same goal four years in a row. Fortunately, I accomplished this goal before the end of the year. Once I hit my goal of going back to 157 pounds, I did not stop there. I challenged myself to go back to my teenage weight, which was the last time I was within the recommended body mass index (BMI). I lost 12 more pounds. I’m currently maintaining my weight at 145 pounds. In this case, I exceeded my own expectations and gained the benefits of no seasonal allergies. I went from brain fog to becoming mentally focused and energized. 

My second goal was to make better food choices. 

This was a vague goal. When I set this goal, I was not sure what better food choices looked like, but I was willing to take up the challenge. I made some drastic changes when I started on the Keto Zone diet. Reducing the number of carbs I ate by over 60 percent was not easy. I cut out sugar and starchy foods and increased my vegetable intake. I also introduced some healthy fats in my diet. Last year you could not find any broccoli, cauliflower or red cabbage in my house. I was depriving my family and I the benefits of these vegetables. These veggies have become a household favorite. My daughter, who is four years old, tells people that she likes broccoli because it’s healthy and it makes you grow! I went for a week without serving broccoli and my husband noticed! He asked me how come we have not eaten broccoli lately. As vague as this goal might be, to me making better food choices is an ongoing goal, which requires making healthy food choices on a daily basis. 

Hitting my goals has provided me with better health, more energy, and mental focus. I have given up some of the foods I like, but It’s very much worth it. Having exceeded my expectations, I’m excited about the health results I have achieved this year and the challenges I overcame. I was fortunate not to experience the Keto flu and got into ketosis within two days. Nevertheless, I still had other things to overcome like,

• Changing my mindset from a high carb diet to a high-fat diet. The book, The Keto Zone Diet by Dr.Don Colbert provided a good guideline on what food choices I needed to make.
• Staying on the healthy Keto plan despite hectic family schedule. Planning ahead and Meal prep helped me to stay within the keto friendly foods. 
• Staying motivated. I was fortunate to have an accountability partner.  My husband and I got on the healthy keto plan together. Seeing the pounds melt away too kept me going. 

I believe I would not have achieved the goals if I had not set them in the first place. I would not have something to shoot for. The keto diet lined up with my health goals.

If you did not set health goals at the beginning of the year, It still helps to take a look at the past year. What were you able to accomplish? Did you have any health challenges?   How do you want next year and your future to look like? Based on that, set goals to help you get the desired results.  Your health will thank you!

If you are setting goals and writing them down for the first time, start with one or two goals. This will help you stay focused. I’m excited for you and the positive steps you are taking towards a healthy life. 

I look forward to hearing your success stories!