Setting Nutrition Goals and Tracking Health Progress

‘If your goals don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough’.

You’ve probably heard that one before.

Tracking health progress and setting nutrition goals takes practice. It’s important to push yourself and invest in a long-term vision, but "dream big" goals can lead to feeling overwhelmed and lost along the way if you don’t have a plan in place to make it happen.

How can you gauge progress when your goal’s timeline might take several months or years? 

How can you continue to feel engaged with the process when you might not see physical changes daily or add pounds to the bar every time you’re in the gym?

Quick Tips for Nutrition Goal Setting

Think big, then go small. 

Set your long-term goals (think five to ten years out) and then trickle them back. Draw direct parallels between where you want to be and what stepping stone achievements you’ll need to knock out along the way. Our goal-setting guide will help you set long-term health and nutrition goals and determine actionable, daily steps to get there. 

Let Go of Judgement

Reflecting on your actions is not about judgment. If a tough situation gets the better of you, think of it as a chance to learn for next time. Identifying actions or mindsets you want to employ in a similar future situation can help you head into it with more confidence.

Celebrate Your Successes

People have an unfortunate tendency to minimize their accomplishments. Give yourself permission to be excited about hitting a new milestone, even if it’s ‘only’ half a pound or being able to pass on the second glass of wine confidently. The small wins add up and bring you closer to achieving long-term goals.

When you're confident with how you handled an obstacle, identify what went well so you can double down on those positive actions or mindsets.

How to Track Progress With Your Nutrition and Health

Set Measurable Goals

Your goals need to be ‘check-off-able.” In other (real) words, you need to be able to look at your short-term, daily goals and be able to clearly say, “Yes, I did that” or “No, I didn’t.”. Want to drink more water? How many ounces per day? Want to work out more? How many times per week?

Track Weight Loss and Body Measurements Correctly

Weight loss is not linear, and believing it to be is the fastest way to get frustrated and give up. Accurately measuring your weight loss, body measurements, and body composition change ensures that you have all the information you need when determining if your program is working and when it needs to change.

Take Your Time

Seeing results takes time. Make sure you have clear, realistic expectations regarding how quickly you’ll see progress—this also helps limit frustration and keeps you moving towards your goals. How long it will take you to reach your health goals is extremely individualized, and a 1-on-1 nutrition coach can help you hone in on what to expect based on your body, preferences, and so much more.

Write it Down

Since behavior shifts are less cut and dry than losing a specific amount of weight, keep an ongoing journal to assess and reflect. This could be as simple as sitting down each night to write out a few things you did that day that worked well and a few things you want to handle differently the next day. Wondering how to track progress without the scale? Here’s how!

Work With a Coach

WAG Coaches have years of experience helping our clients set goals in the nutrition, fitness, and health space. Your coach will help you identify your long-term goals and provide actionable stepping stones to get there. Along the way, they'll provide the accountability and program changes needed to keep you moving, learning, and creating sustainable progress. Learn more about working with a WAG Coach here!