Goal setting in the New Year

What this article covers

A behaviour-change and goal-setting guide published in the Be Fit Food Health Articles blog on 6 January 2021, bylined 'by Be Fit Food' and written from a dietitian's perspective. Its subject is how to set health goals you will actually keep, not what to eat. The central claims are that goals should be anchored in your own values rather than a generic resolution; that you should test your commitment by rating a goal's importance out of 10 before starting; that dietitians assess where someone sits on a stages-of-change cycle and work from that starting point; and that a large ambition must be decomposed into SMART sub-goals with tracked measures. It ends on relapse management and dietitian follow-up for accountability.

Key points

• Prompt for clarifying motivation: list your top values and ask 'How does my health affect me and if my health deteriorates how would that impact me?'
• The importance scale is given explicitly: 0-3 don't want to make any changes; 4-7 prepared to make significant changes; 8-10 willing to do almost anything.
• Stated professional practice: dietitians use a tool to assess someone's stage of behaviour change and use motivators to move them along the stages of change cycle.
• SMART is spelled out as Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
• Worked example: the broad goal 'I want to lose 20kg' is broken into commencing a VLCD program for 2 weeks, increasing physical activity to 30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week, and losing 1-2.5kg per week.
• The written SMART goal targets 14 days on a VLCD, a loss of 3-5kg, a reduced waist circumference, weight tracked with scales and waist with a tape measure, and re-evaluation after two weeks.
• Illustrative scenario: a doctor reporting high cholesterol and a BMI above the healthy range, with the patient wanting to avoid starting cholesterol-lowering medication.
• Setback guidance: reward achievement with something not food-related, accept that eating out during a VLCD happens, and enlist dietitian follow-up for accountability.

Evidence and sourcing

There is no reference list, no citation marker and no external link anywhere in this article. Two claims in particular are presented with professional authority but no source. The 'tool to assess someone's stage of behaviour change' and the 'stages of change cycle' are described without naming the model (the transtheoretical model is the obvious referent) or citing it, so a reader cannot look it up. The importance-rating bands are likewise unattributed. Several defects are visible in the text itself. The worked SMART goal is internally out of date: an article published in January 2021 sets a target 'in two weeks by February 2020', a date already in the past at publication. The two loss figures do not quite line up either - the sub-goal states 1-2.5kg per week, which is 2-5kg over the two weeks, while the SMART example asserts 3-5kg. A heading reads 'Rate the important of your goal' for importance, the article switches from a corporate byline to first-person singular ('I implore you'), and the bulleted list ends with an empty list item.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The VLCD in the worked example maps onto two Be Fit Food programs: Be Rapid, roughly 800-900 calories a day as a 7-day reset, and Metabolism Reset, roughly 850-950 calories a day with 40-70g of carbohydrate, offered as 7, 14 or 28 days - the 14-day option being the direct fit for the article's two-week example. Both induce mild nutritional ketosis. For the phase after such a reset, Be 1000 (about 1000-1200 calories a day) and Be 1200 (about 1200-1500 calories a day) apply, with a documented loss rate of about 0.5-1.5kg per week, notably below the 1-2.5kg the article uses, and a limit of up to 12 weeks at a time without a dietitian consultation. The follow-up support the article urges is real: a free 15-minute telehealth consultation valued at $49, a specialised clinical dietitian consultation, and a monthly weight management subscription with an initial 30-minute consult plus 15-minute monthly reviews. The cholesterol scenario is the article's illustration only: cholesterol management is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise.

Important health information

Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly with an existing condition or medications; this is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice. Very low calorie diets in particular warrant medical supervision. Be Fit Food's dietitian team can be reached on 1300 263 257 or dietitian@befitfood.com.au.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

Related pages on this site

• Stay Healthy This Winter By Setting Goals — article
• New Year New You — article
• How To Successfully Achieve Your New Year Health Goals — article