Proposal for achieving a personal goal

Losing Weight

Setting goals for oneself is one of those human endeavors that are universal. Everybody has goals in life. These can be set for the short-term, medium term, or long-term. In the long-term, a person might work towards a dream job. Medium-term goals might include finishing a college degree, while a short-term goal may involve passing the next test or exam. Weight loss can also be a goal that functions in the short, medium, and long-term. Losing weight has become a goal for many Americans. Indeed, the easy access to unhealthy fast foods such as McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken has created a situation in which many people have become obese or at least some pounds over their ideal weight. Even for me, as a Korean who came to the United States three years ago, the tendency to eat unhealthy foods has created a situation in which I desire to lose weight. I am now 22 years old and feel that I want to do something about my body weight, since I believe that this will make me feel better about myself and also improve my health. To accomplish this main goal, I will set specific weight loss goals for the short, medium, and long-term.

In the short-term, I will make a list of things that need to change in order to accomplish weight loss in the longer term. My current eating habits are under control. Even when I am eating foods that are less than healthy, I make a point of controlling my daily calorie intake. What I could do, however, is to add more healthy foods such as salad and fruit to my diet. My main focus of attention should, however, be on my exercising habits. I do not have any exercise program at the moment, which means that my current control of calorie intake is not enough to control my weight. Exercise will therefore be at the top of my list. In addition to this, I will also make a list of potential exercises that I can fit into my schedule. As a 22-year-old foreign student at an American university, my schedule is often demanding. I will therefore have to find exercises that I can do at home during my busy week. I could also try to find a gym with hours that will fit into my schedule. The final item on my list will be phone numbers for physicians and fitness experts that I can consult about how to best balance my work and exercise schedule. I could, for example, go jogging or walking on campus during the week and supplement this with gym exercises during the weekends.

In the medium term, I will use the information I received from consulting the experts to create my exercise program. If I found a gym that meets my schedule and budget requirements, I will also join this establishment and ask their help to create a good exercise program that would promote weight loss for me. I will then create an exercise program that I can follow over the long-term in order to help me get my weight under better control.

In the long-term, my goal will be to maintain my commitment to my exercise program. Again, being a 22-year-old student in the United States will create challenges for me. Some of my days are very full, not only with my study commitments, but also with my social commitments. Being young, I like to go out and have fun with my friends. I will have to find a balance between this and an exercise schedule that will make my days even fuller. This could result in physical and mental exhaustion. I will have to devise strategies for coping with this.

I believe that experts in the medical and fitness field will be able to help me with the mental process of remaining committed to an exercise program. I will have to maintain a balance in such a way that I get not only enough physical exercise, but also enough rest to prevent burning out and defeating the purpose of my original goal. I will also have to carefully distinguish between mental and physical exhaustion that warrants skipping my exercise program for a day in favor of getting enough rest and sheer laziness because I do not happen to feel like exercising on any particular day.

In my commitment to getting more physical exercise in order to help me lose weight, I will have to begin slowly. I am not used to physical exercise at all, and there is the danger that I may burn out before having in fact accomplished anything. This is also something with which my list of experts can help me.

Another strategy is to keep a weekly record of my weight. Losing weight as a result of exercise will then encourage me to remain with the program and to continue accomplishing my goals. Once I am certain of the amount of weight that I can lose in a certain period of time, such as a month, I can create specific weight loss goals for the future. This will then also encourage me to remain with the program.