Before we end this module by talking over some simple tactics you can use to improve your adherence to a nutritional protocol, intervention or strategy, we would like to end the section on goal setting by introducing a concept which we’ll refer to as the time/severity spectrum.

This very simple graphic tells you two things, one of which is more obvious than the other. First, it tells you that the shorter the timeframe is on your outcome based goal, the less likely it is that you will be able to attain it and therefore your approach (your process goals) must be more severe. If, for example, you wish to lose towards 1.5% of your bodyweight per week, you are going to need to use a far greater calorie deficit than someone losing 0.5%, and you’ll have to accept all of the consequences of doing so.

Conversely, this also tells you that you are able to use a more severe, rapid approach if you would like to so long as you don’t do it for very long. A rapid initial fat loss approach can improve long-term adherence and success compared to a slow and steady approach, so you could perhaps look to lose 1.5% of your bodyweight for 4 weeks followed by 0.5-1% for 4-6 weeks, and then repeat. There is no right and wrong way to set goals, so long as you make sure your approach is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound without going too far outside of the limitations on weight change laid out in module 1.

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