Wish I could meet my goals!

amberplant2016

I currently weigh 273. Would really like to reach 250 by September. Is that reasonable? I'm 5 foot 7. My long term goal is 175. So literally 100lbs I would love to lose.

ilex70

Yes, from your starting weight that is a reasonable goal.

Starting now you would have around 15 weeks @ a rough guess, 2 pounds a week would be a 30 pound loss.

caammph

Totally reasonable goal! You can do it!

terbusha

You can do it! Just work on making the small, healthy choices every day. Exercise as you can 5-6 days/week and eat with appropriate calorie and macro goals. It just comes down to persistence. I'm cheering for you!

godlikepoetyes

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

caammph

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

You know, I never thought of it this way. I've always set my weight loss goals in 10-pound increments. I think I would probably feel immense pressure if I used timelines as goals as well. Thanks for sharing this!

ninerbuff

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself.

If the goal is reasonable, why would it be unreasonable and unrealistic? OP's goal is 20lbs in 4 months. That's 5lbs a month and at 273lbs, that's very reasonable and aligns just about within what your opinion is to lose per week.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ilex70

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

Different strokes. I set date goals. I like them and they work for me.

Having a date goal keeps me from procrastinating and half-assing it because I know that if I am not consistent in my efforts I will not reach my goal.

And, if I do my best and it just doesn't quite happen on a schedule then that is okay. Chances are I will have progressed more than if I didn't have a deadline.

YMMV.

zoeysasha37

ninerbuff wrote: »

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself.

If the goal is reasonable, why would it be unreasonable and unrealistic? OP's goal is 20lbs in 4 months. That's 5lbs a month and at 273lbs, that's very reasonable and aligns just about within what your opinion is to lose per week.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This

Op- yes that's a reasonable goal for now ( you won't always be able to lose that fast but for now its totally okay )

lemurcat12

caammph wrote: »

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

You know, I never thought of it this way. I've always set my weight loss goals in 10-pound increments. I think I would probably feel immense pressure if I used timelines as goals as well. Thanks for sharing this!

I set timelines and it worked for me. I didn't always meet them, but I was fine with that, and it helped me visualize and believe in the effect of the weight loss longterm. People are different, so I don't like it when people claim this can't work for anyone when it doesn't work for them. You do have to know yourself.

OP, that's a perfectly reasonable goal, but simply making progress and not the specific number is going to be what matters.

Kait_Dee

Totally reasonable - hold yourself accountable, log your food, drink your water, get some time outside in the beautiful summer air and enjoy the journey. I'm down over 100lbs and honestly didn't think I could do it or sustain it either. Believe in yourself and get after it miss, you can do it!!

caammph

lemurcat12 wrote: »

caammph wrote: »

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

You know, I never thought of it this way. I've always set my weight loss goals in 10-pound increments. I think I would probably feel immense pressure if I used timelines as goals as well. Thanks for sharing this!

I set timelines and it worked for me. I didn't always meet them, but I was fine with that, and it helped me visualize and believe in the effect of the weight loss longterm. People are different, so I don't like it when people claim this can't work for anyone when it doesn't work for them. You do have to know yourself.

OP, that's a perfectly reasonable goal, but simply making progress and not the specific number is going to be what matters.

I still think OP's goal is totally reasonable- as @ninerbuff stated, she's aiming to lose 20-ish pounds in 4 months which is more than doable. If it works for you, great! I've never tried it, so as I said, I think for me it wouldn't be helpful. Never claimed it wouldn't work for anyone!

Packerjohn

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

How is setting a goal of x pounds by a certain date any different that a goal of a pound a week and a certain weight? In both cases if it works the person would weigh the same amount on the same date.

godlikepoetyes

I have issues with food, years of dieting, depriving, punishing. I suspect that anyone who weighs 273 pounds likely has issues with food as well. So if I misspoke, my bad. But all my life I've known people who wanted to lose weight for their birthday, or their class reunion, or their prom, or their wedding. So they go on a "diet" and get to their goal and slip into that special dress. Then they gain all the weight back. Because there was no real shift in lifestyle. The goal wasn't about a change in self, it was about a change in LOOKS, and for me that is an artificial motivation. This is not to say that some people aren't completely motivated by their looks. Some are. Some people on MFP have profile pics of their abs--no face (uber creepy). And perhaps they will lose weight and keep it off the rest of their lives. Good for them. But for someone like me who has, for years, had a very troubled relationship with my body and food, there has to be something more than all the compliments I get when I get dressed up and go out. And believe me I get LOADS of compliments. My motivation is how I FEEL inside--am I stronger? Do I have better balance? Oh my, I just walked up the stairs and am not panting! Oh wow, sex is so much better when you don't sink so far into the mattress! Sweet! I can try on shoes without struggling past my belly to get to the buckles! What a relief-- the seat belt on the airplane goes round me easily. I fit into movie theater seats again. My feet aren't swollen. There's a spring in my step! Those things--they are my motivation.

ilex70

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I have issues with food, years of dieting, depriving, punishing. I suspect that anyone who weighs 273 pounds likely has issues with food as well. So if I misspoke, my bad. But all my life I've known people who wanted to lose weight for their birthday, or their class reunion, or their prom, or their wedding. So they go on a "diet" and get to their goal and slip into that special dress. Then they gain all the weight back. Because there was no real shift in lifestyle. The goal wasn't about a change in self, it was about a change in LOOKS, and for me that is an artificial motivation. This is not to say that some people aren't completely motivated by their looks. Some are. Some people on MFP have profile pics of their abs--no face (uber creepy). And perhaps they will lose weight and keep it off the rest of their lives. Good for them. But for someone like me who has, for years, had a very troubled relationship with my body and food, there has to be something more than all the compliments I get when I get dressed up and go out. And believe me I get LOADS of compliments. My motivation is how I FEEL inside--am I stronger? Do I have better balance? Oh my, I just walked up the stairs and am not panting! Oh wow, sex is so much better when you don't sink so far into the mattress! Sweet! I can try on shoes without struggling past my belly to get to the buckles! What a relief-- the seat belt on the airplane goes round me easily. I fit into movie theater seats again. My feet aren't swollen. There's a spring in my step! Those things--they are my motivation.

I think a lot of people on the board feel that way.

But not everyone who likes to use date goals is doing so just to look good; though looking better can definitely be motivational. As I stated for me it is mostly to maintain focus.

As far as history I'm 46 and have been thick more than thin...spent a lot of time in the 260 - 270 range myself.

It is a "know yourself" thing, as in life isn't "one size fits all".

godlikepoetyes

True. Everyone does approach things differently. It would be an interesting debate--goal dates or weight goal? I wish Amberplant20 would respond to these comments.

cecsav1

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

I think it's VERY unreasonable and unrealistic to set a date by which to lose weight. I cringe when I read of this on MFP. If I set a date, I would be sabotaging myself. Too much pressure. And losing by a certain date doesn't suggest a change in lifestyle--if you don't change your life you will not maintain the weight loss, if you even lose. My suggestion is to set a 1 pound per week loss (or 2 if you must) and set a reasonable goal. I pretty much started out where you are, 270 lbs. I set my first goal at 190, which worked for me. Took almost a year. And I've had difficulty adjusting to my weight loss because it really happened quickly. If I had lost the weight even faster, I think I would be in a very bad place. Now I have a goal of 170. When, and if I hit 170, I will decide then if I want to lose more.

Parkinson's Law: work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion

SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, *time bound*

It's VERY reasonable to set a time constraint on goals!

amberplant2016

Sorry people. Been dealing with a lot. But back and trying harder then ever to shed this weight!!

amberplant2016

One month later and I'm down only 5lbs but a lot has changed in my life. So I'm taking notes it all as a fresh start

AllSpiceNice

amberplant2016 wrote: »

One month later and I'm down only 5lbs but a lot has changed in my life. So I'm taking notes it all as a fresh start

Five pounds in a month is great progress - congratulations!

I'm with @godlikepoetyes...years of yo yo dieting have taught me that setting a deadline for my weight loss goals resulted in extreme measures to lose the weight by that deadline...followed by an immediate re-gain after I had lost the weight miserably and made no long term changes to my lifestyle. Or, I allowed myself to get very discouraged and give up once I realized that there was no chance of hitting my goal by whatever "magical" date I had set for myself.

I finally removed deadlines from my plan, and instead focused on making healthy, small, sustainable changes to my lifestyle. And in about 1-1/years, I lost 90 lbs and have kept it off for almost a year. I wear size 6 skinny jeans now and can shop in almost any store! No longer have heart burn or knee pain!

This is what worked for me. Sounds like setting deadlines has worked well for others. Do what works for you! If that means a deadline, then be sure to celebrate whatever success you have achieved at that point. You can do this!

amberplant2016

Congrats at your weight loss! And yeah dates help me stay focused! (:

sashayoung72

Don't say only 5, that could have been none or wrong direction, so nice start!!! Also if you are really honest with yourself, log everything you eat, nibble or chew, it will be easy to lose your first goal. LOG EVERY DAY, if you go over, LOG IT. also if you haven't get a digital scale! I love mine!

amberplant2016

I love my scale! Both kitchen and bathroom lol