SMART Goals for Weight Loss: 15 Examples to Copy

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SMART goals for weight loss are goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, which turns “lose weight” into an action you can check off this week. Below are 15 examples of a smart goal you can copy, what the research says about goal setting and tracking progress, and where the evidence runs thin. I am not a doctor, so the health statements here come from the CDC, the NIH and published reviews, linked where they appear.

This page is the template shelf. If you want the bigger picture of how outcome goals and process goals fit together, my guide to weight loss goals that stick covers that, and the weight loss motivation hub ties the rest together.

Table of Contents

What are SMART goals for weight loss?

A SMART goal names the action, puts a number on it, and sets a date to check it. The letters stand for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Specific: who does what, and where.
Measurable: a count you can write down.
Achievable: a size you could hit in your busiest week.
Relevant: tied to something you care about, such as energy or blood pressure.
Time-bound: a start, an end and a review date.

The CDC’s page on losing weight puts the same idea in plain words: effective goals are specific and realistic, and its example is walking 15 minutes, 3 days a week for the first week.

How do you turn a vague goal into a SMART goal?

You swap the wish for an action, a count and a window. Here is the rewrite side by side.

Vague goal	SMART version	What changed
Get in shape	Strength train twice a week for 20 minutes, for six weeks	Action, count, window
Eat better	Put a vegetable on the dinner plate five nights a week for the next month	One food, one meal, one month
Lose weight	Lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks, weighing in every Friday	Number, date, how it is checked
Sleep more	Lights out by 10:30 on four weeknights, for three weeks	Clock time, nights, length

How do you create a SMART goal step by step?

Start with what you want, then shrink it until a day of the week can hold it. Five steps:

Name what you want. For example, more energy, lower blood pressure or a smaller clothing size.
Pick one specific action that moves you toward it, such as a 15 minute walk at lunch.
Measure it. Count days or minutes, and write the count down so you can see progress.
Check that it is achievable and relevant. If you would miss it in a bad week, make the smart goal smaller.
Set the time frame. Choose a start date, an end date and a review date.

Success on this plan means hitting the action, not hitting the weight. Keep each smart goal short, leave vague wording out, and put a number in.

What are 15 examples of SMART goals for weight loss?

Copy one, change the numbers to fit your week, and put the review date on your calendar. These are examples of goal wording, not medical advice and not a plan for anyone with a health condition.

Eating goals

I will swap one sweetened drink for water or unsweetened tea at lunch on workdays for the next four weeks.
I will put a vegetable on my plate at dinner five nights a week for six weeks.
I will write next week’s dinners on a sticky note by Saturday noon for six Saturdays in a row.
I will write down everything I eat for 14 days, with no changes, just to see the pattern.
I will eat breakfast sitting down at the table three mornings a week for a month.

Movement goals

I will walk 10 minutes at lunch on three workdays a week for four weeks, then raise it to 15. My guide to walking for weight loss goes deeper.
I will add 10 minutes to my weekly moderate activity every week for eight weeks, working toward 150 minutes if my clinician agrees.
I will do two 20-minute strength sessions a week for six weeks. See strength training for women over 40 for how to start.
I will schedule three workouts on my calendar every Sunday evening for the next eight weeks.
I will stand up and move for five minutes once every hour of my workday for two weeks.

Tracking, sleep and support goals

I will weigh in once a week, same morning, write the number down, and change nothing based on a single reading.
I will rate my energy from 1 to 5 each evening for four weeks.
I will be in bed with the lights out by 10:30 p.m. on four weeknights for three weeks.
I will spend 10 minutes stretching or reading before bed four nights a week for a month.
I will text a friend a one-line check-in every Friday for eight weeks.

Should a weight loss goal be about the scale or about habits?

Use both, but give the habit goals most of your attention, because you control them directly. An outcome goal such as “lose 10 pounds” says where you want to land. Process goals such as the 15 above say what you will do on a Tuesday.

The NIDDK lists several factors that affect weight, including lifestyle habits, where you live, sleep, medicines, health problems, and family history and genes.

How fast should you aim to lose weight?

The CDC says a gradual pace of about 1 to 2 pounds a week is better, because people who lose weight that way are more likely to keep it off. It warns that unrealistic goals, such as losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks, can leave you feeling defeated. Source: the CDC’s losing weight page.

Check your outcome goal against that pace. Ten pounds in 12 weeks works out to under a pound a week. The same CDC page says even modest loss can help blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and gives the example that 5 percent of a 200-pound body weight is 10 pounds. My piece on the benefits of losing just 10 pounds looks at that idea further.

Does setting goals actually help with weight loss?

It may, but the research is limited. A 2012 systematic review by Pearson in Patient Education and Counseling looked at 18 studies of goal setting for diet and activity in overweight and obese adults. Goals that were specific, close in time, involved the participant and were paired with regular feedback were common features. The author concluded goal setting can be useful, but could not tell which pieces did the work, because programs bundled goals with education sessions and self-monitoring.

That is the honest limit: SMART is a sensible format, but none of the reviews cited here shows that the acronym itself produces more weight loss than another goal format.

Does tracking your progress make goals work?

Checking progress is one of the better-supported pieces. A 2016 meta-analysis by Harkin and colleagues in Psychological Bulletin pooled 138 randomized studies with 19,951 participants and found that interventions that raised how often people monitored goal progress also improved goal attainment, with an average effect size of 0.40 (95 percent confidence interval 0.32 to 0.48). The effect was larger when progress was physically recorded or when results were reported or made public. The review was about goal progress in general, not weight loss specifically.

For weight specifically, a 2011 systematic review by Burke and colleagues in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association covered 22 studies of tracking food, exercise and weighing. It consistently found an association between self-monitoring and weight loss, but rated the evidence weak because of study limits. In all but two studies, the samples were mostly white women, so it says less about other groups.

How often should you review a SMART goal?

Pick a review date when you write the goal. No source cited here names an ideal interval, so use one that fits: a quick weekly check, and a bigger look at the end of the window. The NIDDK’s healthy living tips suggest keeping a food diary in an app or on paper and scheduling physical activity, and add that setbacks are normal.

At the review, ask three questions. Did I do it? If not, was the goal too big, or did the week get in the way? What is the smallest version I can keep going? Then adjust the number, not the whole plan. My post on how to stay motivated to lose weight covers the weeks when your reason feels far away.

What do the physical activity guidelines say?

If a movement goal needs a benchmark, the CDC’s adult activity guidelines say adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus at least 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening activity. Those are general adult targets, not a weight loss prescription. If you are starting from zero, build toward them in steps and check with your clinician first if you have a health condition or are pregnant.

Which tools help you plan a SMART goal?

The NIDDK offers a free Body Weight Planner that helps adults build calorie and activity plans for a goal weight over a set time. NIDDK says it is for adults 18 and older, is not for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and is not medical advice. A paper notebook or a calendar works just as well for the habit goals in this post.

What mistakes make SMART goals fail?

Too many at once. The CDC suggests focusing on two or three goals at a time.
Goals sized for your best week. Write the version for your worst week too, such as 10 minutes instead of 30.
Only a scale goal. The number moves for reasons that are not on your sheet.
No review date. A goal nobody checks is a note.

If you are weighing options beyond habits, such as medication, that is a conversation for your prescriber. Habit goals are a starting point, not a replacement for medical care.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an appropriate SMART goal for weight loss?

One that names an action you control, a number and a date, for example “I will walk 15 minutes at lunch on three workdays a week for four weeks.” The CDC uses a similar walking example on its losing weight page.

Which of the following is an example of a SMART weight loss goal?

Pick the option with an action, a count and a window. “Eat healthier” fails because nothing can be counted. “Eat a vegetable at dinner five nights a week for a month” passes, because you can check it every night.

How many SMART goals should I set at once?

Two or three. The CDC recommends focusing on two or three goals at a time, so one food goal, one movement goal and one tracking goal is a workable set.

How long should a SMART goal last?

The examples above run 2 to 12 weeks. No source cited here sets an ideal length, so choose a window long enough to see a pattern and short enough to stay interested, then renew or change it.

What if I miss a week?

Treat it as information. The NIDDK says to be prepared for setbacks because they are normal. Shrink the goal for next week, keep the review date, and carry on instead of starting over.

Is 10 pounds in 12 weeks realistic?

It works out to a little under a pound a week, slightly slower than the CDC’s “about 1 to 2 pounds a week” gradual pace. Your own pace depends on your health, medicines and history, so ask your clinician or a registered dietitian what is safe for you.

I am not a medical professional, and this page is not medical advice. If you have diabetes, an eating disorder history, kidney disease, are pregnant or nursing, or take medicine that affects weight, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before setting a weight or calorie target.

Sources