Setting goals is the first step into turning the invisible into the visible. – Tony Robbins Whether you’re striving to lose weight, or maintain your current weight and improve your health, you’ll need to start by setting short-term and long-term goals. Your short-term goals (STG) vary from about a week to three months in length. They help you build slowly towards your long-term goals (LTG), which are goals you wish to accomplish in three or more months into the future.