1. Weight loss is a marathon not a sprint.

Healthy eating, weight loss and maintaining that weight loss is a long-term process. The number on the scales fluctuates depending on the time of the day, how much water you drink, what you’re wearing, how much salt you’ve consumed and even where you are in a menstrual cycle.

2.  Setting health behaviour goals is better than setting a weight loss goal.

If you’ve made lifestyle changes such as exercising more, sitting less and eating a healthier diet you will feel better and reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, regardless of your weight. Looking at the lifestyle behaviours you can change as goals is better than focusing on an arbitrarily set goal weight. Improved health then becomes your main focus instead of a number on the scales.

3. Weight only tells part of the picture.

When people say they want to lose weight they usually mean they want to decrease their fat stores. Our body is made up of different tissues such as bone, fat, muscle and water. Unfortunately some people lose water and muscle when they diet. Other people get frustrated because they aren’t losing weight but they may be losing fat and gaining muscle. When you’re losing weight it’s recommended you don’t just rely on the scales, but you regularly measure your body composition to ensure that you are losing fat, and retaining the other important tissues.