Tips for Achieving Your Weight Loss Goal - focus on the small goals each day. Goal setting is an important part of staying motivated and developing healthy habits. According to the National Institutes of Health, the most useful goals are specific, doable, and forgiving (less than perfect). If one of your goals is to eat less, make it more specific, like no snacks after 8 pm. Make sure it’s doable based on your schedule, and if you slip up, be willing to forgive yourself and try again the next day. Having both short-term and long-term goals help keep you focused and on track. Your overall goal may be to lose 50 pounds, but good short-term goals are essential to keeping you positive about your weight loss each step of the way. This could be no dessert during the week or walking 30 minutes every other day. These small victories will have you feeling good and help in building healthier lifestyle habits.