Set Process Goals

Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.

Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.

Commonly, when someone sets their health and fitness goals they start with the outcome they want:

I want to lose 5-10 kgs

I want 6 pack abs

I want to snatch 100kgs

There are outcome goals.

Outcome goals describe how we want things to be at the end of the process. There’s nothing wrong with wanting things. Or talking about what you want. Or starting with the end in mind.

But we can’t stop there ...

Wanting things isn’t enough. Even if you really, really, really want them. However, we often can’t control outcomes. Outcomes are affected by environmental things. Like:

Your job gets crazy busy

Your kid gets sick

Your gym closes for renovations

You have exams or assessments to do

They’re also influenced by physical things:

Your hormones.

You have a chronic illness. (Or even just a cold or flu.)

You’re stressed.

You’re travelling a lot.

You’re getting older.

You’re having problems sleeping.

You tripped over your dog and sprained your knee.

You can’t always make your body do what you want it to. But you can control what YOU do.

That’s why SYSTEMS are so important —They focus on the things we do have control over.

SYSTEMS represent our habits and behaviours. Our daily practices

SYSTEMS represent your commitment to practicing a particular set of actions or tasks every day, as consistently as possible.

Here is how:

Write down the outcome you want.

Think about all the small steps you can take to move you toward that outcome, and which ones should come first.

Here are a few other examples of how we can turn outcome goals into systems.

Outcome: Lose 5 kilos

System: Eat Protein and Nutrient Dense Foods at every meal. Walk 10K Steps per day

Outcome: Lower blood sugar

System: Eat low calorie fruit for dessert, instead of sweets

Outcome: Squat more weight

System: Squat 3 times a week at various intensities

Outcome: Sleep 8 hours per night

System: Create a calming pre-sleep routine and start it 30-60 minutes before bedtime

Outcome: Have a better relationship with partner

System: Have a date night once a week.

Notice how both goals and systems are trackable. However, systems are usually more effective because they give you something to do (and track) each day.

Creating powerful systems

Write down one outcome you want. Name the thing you want most right now.

Write down some of the systems you need to put in place to move towards that goal

Notice if there are any current systems in your life that are hindering you from achieving your goals

Practice your new system and tomorrow, and the next day. Keep in mind, if you don’t practice that system on a particular day, don’t let it derail you. Each day is a clean slate. Start again the next day.

Plan diet / fat loss phases and breaks

Make a plan for your goal.

Don’t just set a never ending diet.

Plan diet phases and breaks. It’s called “periodising” your nutrition.

Think about a ‘road trip’ analogy. Imagine you’re driving from Melbourne to Brisbane (for our international readers, that’s about a 2000km drive). Ask yourself “what would happen, if I didn’t stop at all”. The answer could be any of the following; micro sleep, fuel runs out, severe hunger, mechanical issues, etc. All of these answers ultimately mean the road trip won’t be completed. Stopping for fuel, food, a service and sleep is clearly a requirement of a road trip. The same idea can be applied to a long term fat loss goal. You need to ‘stop, revive, survive’ if you actually wish to reach the end goal.

How long should each phase be?

We’d recommend that diet phases are 6-8 weeks long

Then take a 1-2 week diet break at your new maintenance.

If tracking your calories, use the same method to work out your maintenance calories again, however now your current weight will be less than at the start of the diet phase, so your maintenance calories will be less.

Our suggest for an 8 week period

Week 1 - maintenance

Weeks 2-7 - diet phase

Week 8 - maintenance

Long term

If you do more diet phases, we’d suggest taking slightly longer breaks as you progress.

The first diet break might be 1 week.

Next time 2 weeks.

Then 3 weeks.

Dieting takes effort, control and discipline. Taking some breaks along the way, taking it slow, may be what you need to hold onto your results long term.

Respect Maintenance

When you reach your goal, it’s not over. Maintaining your weight long term is the real goal and maintenance takes effort.

When you reach your goal, try to maintain the habits that helped you progress, just with slightly bigger portions.

Particularly in the first weeks after ending a diet, your appetite might be up and exposing yourself to a lot of new foods, flavours and having more social meals and bought meals might make it hard not to over-eat. Give yourself a few weeks to settle into maintenance, keep foods familiar, just with slightly bigger portions and the longer you learn to live at your new weight, the easier you might find the long term.

Also consider that you will be burning less energy with your movement, which is another reason why as a smaller person, your calorie needs are less.

Read more about the why, when, when and how of diet breaks and times at maintenance here:

Maintenance Phases Blog

Periodising your nutrition using the FNC Diet Builder Video

Plan for a Muscle Gain Goal

Firstly, be clear that resistance training is the most important factor for muscle gain, not nutrition.

Basic guidelines for muscle gain are:

• Muscle stimulating training - weights

• Effective protein, 3-5 serves each day, roughly every 3-5 hours, with 20-40 grams of protein each time

• Enough Calories so that your body weight is increasing at a rate of 1-2% each month

That’s muscle building simplified.

Here is a video explaining how to set calorie and macronutrient targets for muscle gain using the FNC Diet Builder.

So check back with the PROTEIN article to ensure your meals are effective.

Check the PLANTS article to ensure you are hitting those minimums for health.

Keep a base of nutrition that reflects protein and plants, mostly whole foods and build 3-5 meals as a lifestyle which you can nail each day.

Your appetite will likely be a limiting factor for your goal and you may need to track your intake and over-ride your fullness signals at some times. Maintain that base of great nutrition but after that you may need to add some calorie-dense foods, some liquid calories and add on regular desserts to allow you to consume enough calories to grow.

Some fat gain is a reality of a muscle gain goal, however aiming to maintain that rate of 1-2% growth in body weight per month, whilst maintaining your training and noticing increases in strength are boxes to tick so that the majority of weight gain is likely to be muscle.

Along with scale weight and your training progress, you could also monitor your waist measurements and take progress photos to keep an eye on your body composition and compare those to the progress on the scales.

Not too many filling foods

Feeling full can be a limiting factor and eating too much food volume may actually negatively impact your progress. Imagine trying to increase your calories for your goal when all you are eating is lean protein and plants. People you know with a fat loss goal will be aiming to reduce the foods that you should look to add on top of your base nutrition. It’s basically the opposite, when appetite is limiting, look to add calories through sauces, liquids and calorie dense foods.

Planning Muscle Gain phases

Nutrition for muscle gain is about being in a calorie surplus that results in the weight gain rates we’ve described for as long as you are comfortable. Some body fat gain is a reality of a muscle gain goal and that’s fine, you’ll likely find the fat loss part of the goal much easier. However don’t plan too many mini-cuts.

Our suggestion is to plan a muscle gain period for at least 12-16 weeks before planning a possible mini-cut after that time, lasting about 4 weeks. We say possible, as you should only do them if you want to reduce body fat a little. If you are increasing in size and love that way you look, you may not need to think about a mini cut until later down the line.

When it is time for a mini cut, 4-8 weeks is a good aim, with a calorie deficit of about 10-20%. During that time keep up protein up, maybe even increasing protein just a touch and keep your training consistent. When it comes to maintaining muscle in a diet, it’s all about training, then protein.

Non-Tracking for Muscle Gain

Ideally, for muscle gain, learning to track your calories/macros can help to ensure you are ticking all the right boxes and are hitting a high enough calorie aim to be driving your body weight up. However if you don't want to track your Calories & protein, try this approach.

Set a regular base of protein, plants, whole-food carbs & fats which fill you up at each meal. If you aren't growing - add some more Calorie dense carbs & fats until you start seeing that scale number creep up.

Measuring Progress

You can't make a judgement on a diet based on a single meal. Nothing in isolation is good or bad. You need the piece to complete the puzzle, but you can’t see a meaningful picture without more pieces.

The more pieces we see, the more we have an understanding of what the puzzle may start to look like.

The end goal of the puzzle is to look at the picture all the pieces together have made.

This is exactly the same when it comes to measuring progress.

The scale weight is just one piece of the puzzle which can also include:

• Hip & waist measurements

• Progress photos

• How your clothes are fitting

• Your training performance

• Your energy levels

• Your mood

• How happy you are within yourself and with your nutrition

• Your habits

The blank dots are left intentionally to make you think if there are other aspects which you would like to measure yourself as markers of progress.

When thinking of how to measure progress, first consider your goal and what has motivated that goal.

For example, if you have a fat loss goal because you tried on an item of clothing and noticed that it is tighter than you remember, then how your clothes are fitting is a measure of progress which directly relates to your goal and motivation.

If your goal is fat loss to help you improve your training, then your training performance is a measure of progress which directly relates to your goal and motivation.

If your goal is to develop healthy eating habits, then using a habit checklist and how often you tick off the habits you are working on fits perfectly.

So then start thinking, especially if stepping on the scales doesn’t make you feel good, or if you notice that your mood is dictated by the scale in the morning - are the scales a necessary measure of progress for you?

We are not defined by our scale weight, it is only information. If you are comfortable with that, by all means weigh yourself and use it as one piece of the puzzle. Just make sure that you have more than one measure so that you can step back and put things into perspective.

Scale weight

The best time of the day to weigh yourself is second thing in the morning after using the bathroom. As much consistency as possible is important.

You could weigh daily or weekly, however for some people, regular weighing, can have negative psychological impacts with obsession and stress. If you experience any psychological issues like this, stop weighing and use different methods of measuring progress.

The benefit of daily weighing, or multiple times per week, is you can average the weights out over the week and use a weekly average.

There are a couple of great apps which can do this for you:

• Happy Scale - for Apple

• Libra - for Android

Our daily weight can fluctuate 1-2% (more during menstruation) based on stress, digestion and fluid, which is totally normal. So if you weigh daily you will notice some days a little higher, some a little lower but the weekly average over time will show progress.

 If you weigh yourself less frequently, just be aware that you could weigh yourself on a ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ day and numbers over time should be focussed on rather than one particular day.

Females will notice significant fluctuations around their monthly cycle which again is totally normal, especially with fluid retention. So it's important to keep that in mind when comparing weight, comparing to stage of the cycle each month and not worrying that the weight may increase for a few days.

Remember that the scales will show total mass, you might be losing some fat and gaining some muscle which would improve your body composition but keep the scales at a similar number. Before you step on the scale, check in with yourself and your overall progress picture - are you happy with how things are going, do you notice progress in other areas - then just try and take the scale weight as a piece of information, rather than be all and end all.

Our weight also fluctuations depending on how much we are eating. If we have increased our food intake as we are aiming for maintenance or athletic performance, the scale weight will increase as we are digesting more food. If we have increased our fruit, vegetable and fibre intake, this can increase scale weight a little as these foods take time to digest and may add to our total mass.

When we increase our carbs, we store carbs as energy in our muscles (called glycogen). For each gram of this stored energy, we also store 3 grams of water. This is not body fat gain but it will increase our total mass and impact the scale reading.

If we start taking creatine as a supplement, we will hold onto more water in our cells. Not a negative thing at all but again, just increases our total mass and will show up on the scale.

Expectations and Progress with Scale Weight

Fat loss:

0.5 to 1% per week on average is great progress.

For a 70kg person, that’s an average of 350-700 grams per week.

If you are aiming for weight loss but you’ve just started training with weight, just re-started training after a break or your strength is improving, your progress might not show up on the scales for quite some time, up to months. This will be due to increases in muscle mass keeping scale weight consistent whilst you drop body fat. In this case, keep a closer eye on waist measurements and progress photos.

Muscle Gain:

Average increases of 1-2% per month is your aim.

That’s 0.25-0.5% per week.

For a 70kg person that’s an average increase of 175-350 grams per week.

Measurements

If you have a tape measure, take regular measurements of your waist (belly button height) and then hips (at the point where your butt sticks out the furthest). Aim to measure once a week or fortnightly and compare over time.

A sewing measuring tape can be bought cheaply online or from Kmart, variety store, supermarket, etc.

Hips: measure around the point where your butt sticks out the most and keep your feet together. Having a different stance each time you measure can affect the consistency of measurements.

Waist: Measure around your belly button and pull so that the tape is flat across your skin but not pulling your stomach in.

Try to keep things consistent; take these measurements at the same part of the day each time, in the morning, after using the bathroom, before eating.

Progress Photos

Roughly every 4 weeks.

Take weekly progress photos. It's hard to notice body changes ourselves day to day but comparing weekly photos can show progress. Try to take the photos at the same time, aiming for the same lighting conditions, same clothing and same angles. You can take them yourself in the mirror, front on and on the side. If you have someone to take them for you, front, side and back is great.

For a fat loss goal, obvious visual progress may not show up after 4 weeks, be patient, looks for small signs like skin creases around straps and waist bands. Have a look at one of our clients progress below - after 4 weeks there are subtle signs of progress but when we compare week 1 to week 8 it’s obvious how much we changed.

Unrealistic expectations of body transformations are common, mostly due to before and after photos which are unrealistic. We might see a transformation like the one below and think it was an 8 week challenge. In reality, it was multiple fat loss phases, with times at maintenance, time building long term habits so that this “after” photo is long term.

Clothing

If a specific piece of clothing was your catalyst to make a change, keep that item of clothing as your measure. Try it on each week or each fortnight, make some notes about how it really feels. “Tight around here, zipper hard to do up, can’t do the button up”. Having recorded comments about the fit of clothing to compare to can make all the difference when piecing together our progress.

Training

Set a particular lift or challenge, like a 2km run or a 10 minute EMOM. Something that reflects your goals but it easy to keep consistent. Then aim to do it every 4 weeks to test your times, test your strength, how you feel and make notes!

Scores and ratings

Each week, complete a simple progress scorecard and rate some specific areas out of 10.

• Sleep quality

• Fatigue

• Energy

• Mood

• Stress

• Satiety (fullness)

• Happiness

Compare your scores week by week to notice if you are making progress in how you feel, your lifestyle and make these measures specific to your goal.

If progress is going really well in terms of body weight, measurements etc but you notice that your energy is dropping, fatigue is increasing, stress is increasing, those are signs that you might be dieting too aggressively and need to increase your food intake or it could be time to take a maintenance break from your fat loss phase and let these measures return to a happy place before starting your next fat loss phase.

If you are an athlete and your ratings are low, that can be a real indicator that you don’t have enough energy available and need to increase your calorie intake!

Highlight the Positives

If you were to do an exam and you got 75/100 I'm sure most of us would think, "Nice I passed!!"

It’s not very often you’ll think “I didn't get 100%, I failed!”

For some reason when it comes to nutrition we tend to focus on the negatives, the slip-ups, the things that didn’t go so well. We think that one slip up, one day off plan means we've failed.

If we hit protein and plants for 3 out of 4 meals, we feel like a failure because we missed once? But it’s 75%!

If we nail our nutrition every weekday but overindulge on a Saturday and then nail it again on Sunday, we only focus on the Saturday? But that’s 6/7 - 86%!

We pay more attention to negative events than positive ones. [1]

It is a fairly common human trait to focus on the negatives. 9 things go well in a day but you’ll probably notice the 1 that goes wrong. It’s known as negative bias.

Let’s shift it to a positive bias!

There is research that suggests that when humans take time to look for the good things that happen to them every day, after one month our brains start scanning the world for positives rather than negatives. Other research shows that when people practise gratitude and positivity it can result in improved sleep quality, greater life satisfaction, and well-being.

But why is this important for nutrition?

Highlighting what went well can help you feel more positive about your nutritional habits.

You may feel less stressed about your diet, you may improve your sleep quality whilst having overall greater health and happiness as a result.

And if you’re feeling good about it, you may be more likely to stick to it.

The next step is to reflect on WHY certain parts went well.

If you nail your breakfasts every day, reflect on why. Is it because you’re prepared?

If you nail your weekdays, reflect on why. Is it because you have a plan?

If you do really well-buying food at a restaurant, reflect on why. Is it because you know how to scan the menu for protein and plants?

See if you can use the common traits that lead to your success in the areas of your nutrition that need a bit of work.

Using the FNC Templates to Log your Progress

Here are 2 videos explaining how to log your progress and compare weeks of information using the FNC Progress Log. This is available in each of the templates - Diet Builder, Habit Tracker & Food Journal.

Goals Setting & Finding your why

Reading Time

When we have a goal in mind, it is important to identify the skills and habits we need to implement to achieve that goal. From there we need to think of how we are going to put that habit into practice.

We need to focus on the process to achieve an outcome.

We can’t expect to move towards a weight loss, muscle gain, sports performance, health, business, or personal goal without first understanding what steps we need to take to get there. Much like searching for directions before going on a journey. 

This activity is going to help you map out your directions for your journey to help you move towards your goals.

Once you’ve identified your goal, we need to break it down into the habits you’re going to build.

Once you’ve identified the habits, you’re going to break it down into regular or daily practices you will incorporate to successfully build the habits and make them engrained behaviours. 

From there our formula is:

Practice regularly to build habits.

Build habits to achieve goals. 

If we can do this successfully, we can achieve our goals and maintain our results. Plus, once the habits are ingrained, they’ll require less effort. 

Examples of Habits no matter what your goal is:

Protein and Plants at every meal

Hydration

Manage Stress

Sleep 7-9 hours a night

Specific goals for weight loss:

Manage Hunger

Eat Slowly and Mindfully

High Volume, Low Calorie per bite foods

Be Mindful of Indulgence frequencies/portions

Muscle Gain: 

Protein Spaced evenly across the day

Muscle Building Exercises

Sports Performance:

Athlete Comfort

Energy Availability

Sports Specific Fuelling

Pre Training Nutrition

From there we can break each habit into a daily/regular practice. 

Using Protein as an example, a daily practice to start with could be:

Have a source of Protein at Breakfast (or any meal you currently have that is lacking in Protein).

For Sleep, it could be:

Develop a sleep routine or reduce caffeine intake after 12 pm or avoid screens in the last hour before bed. 

The Practices should follow a formula of the 5 S’s.

Simple: You should be 9-10/10 confident to regularly practice the behaviour. 

Segmental: Break the practice down like it’s a new skill.

Sequential: Try to practice them in the right order where possible.

Strategic: Focus on only one practice at a time.

Supported: You’re supported and kept accountable by a coach and the community. 

Over the next few days, your homework is to:

Identify your goal.

Break your goal into 4-8 Habits you’d like to build that are related to your goal.

Break your habits into daily practices you’ll implement to build the habits successfully and sustainably.

Below are 2 examples for Fat Loss and Overall Health

We’ve got the What and the How. Next is the WHY.

The 5 Whys

Finding your WHY is like finding your PURPOSE.
Finding your CAUSE, your MOTIVATION.

It is about finding the real REASON you want to achieve your goals.
Finding your WHY will give your actions and behaviours over the next 8 weeks (and beyond) more meaning and value.

 
Part of being ready, willing, and able to create change is knowing WHY you're doing something in the first place.


"Where the mind goes, the body flows"

Do your actions match your values? The 5 Whys.

The 5 why’s is very simple and really cuts to the core of why we want something. When you want to accomplish something, you ask one why.

Why do I want to accomplish this?  Then, with whatever answer you come up with, you ask why to that first answer. And so on, five times.

Here's an example:

That’s a lot of insight for a few little questions. For this person, getting in shape really meant being in charge of his life. That’s a crucial insight. He's not just looking for more definition, better arms, or a different weight on the scale. He also wants to feel a certain way at the end of the process. More confident. More assertive. More in control. And that's what's really important to him. The other stuff is just a way to get there.

Your 5 Whys.
Now it’s your turn to play.

Click below to complete today's activity 

*This activity is for you to find deeper meaning for your goals, it won’t be shared by FNC, it’s purely for yourself.