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From "Vibe" to Victory: How to Use SMART Goals to Lose 20 lbs in 2026

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We’ve all been there. On January 1st, we feel a surge of inspiration. We set a big, beautiful intention: "This is the year I finally get healthy and lose the weight."


Intentions are wonderful. They represent your "vibe" and your "why." But intentions alone are like a car without a GPS—you know you want to go somewhere, but you have no idea how to get there. To keep your momentum from fizzling out by February, you need a roadmap.

That’s where the SMART Goal System comes in.


The Anatomy of a Goal: Losing 20 lbs


Let’s take the common intention of "losing 20 pounds" and put it through the SMART filter. Notice how the goal transforms from a vague wish into a concrete plan of action.


S – Specific

  • The Vague Way: "I want to lose weight."

  • The SMART Way: "I want to lose 20 lbs by focusing on high-protein meals and daily movement."

  • Why it works: You’ve defined exactly what you are doing and how you plan to start.


M – Measurable

  • The Vague Way: "I’ll know when I look better."

  • The SMART Way: "I will track my weight once a week on Sunday mornings and use a habit tracker to log my 100g protein daily goal."

  • Why it works: You need data to know if your plan is working. Numbers don't lie, even when your inner critic does.


A – Achievable

  • The Vague Way: "I’m going to lose it all in three weeks by only eating salad."

  • The SMART Way: "I will aim for a sustainable loss of 1–1.5 lbs per week."

  • Why it works: As a coach living with BPD and CPTSD, I know that extremism leads to burnout. Setting a goal that respects your physical and mental capacity ensures you won't quit when things get tough.


R – Relevant

  • The Vague Way: "I should do this because everyone else is dieting."

  • The SMART Way: "Losing 20 lbs will reduce my joint pain and give me the energy to be present with my family/business."

  • Why it works: If the goal doesn't align with the person you want to be in 2026, you won't have the "skin in the game" to keep going.


T – Time-bound

  • The Vague Way: "Someday soon."

  • The SMART Way: "I will achieve this 20-lb weight loss by May 1st, 2026."

  • Why it works: A deadline creates a healthy sense of urgency. It turns "someday" into "Tuesday at 8:00 AM."


The Final Result: Your SMART Sentence

When we put it all together, your vague intention becomes this powerful statement:


"I will lose 20 lbs by May 1st by eating 100g of protein daily and walking for 30 minutes 5 days a week, tracking my progress in my journal every Sunday."

Try This Today


Take one intention you have for this year. It doesn’t have to be weight loss—it could be related to your mental health, your career, or your relationships. Write it out using the SMART steps above.





Does your goal feel more "real" now? If you're struggling to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, remember that my January Specials end on the 10th. I’d love to help you build a roadmap that actually works for your unique life and brain.

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