Weight Loss Rhythm

dedkev

I have a weird kind of question, I guess it mainly depends on how an individual is goal-orientated. But which method of goal setting works better?

"I will lose 50 lbs in one year"
or
"I will lose 10 lbs in two months"

nossmf

This may seem unrelated, but bear with me a second. Financial guru Dave Ramsey recommends paying off debts by first tackling the one with the smallest balance, regardless the interest rate. He acknowledges that mathematically you save more by focusing on interest first, but he points out we are human beings, with a human's natural tendency to lose focus over time. But if you focus on the smallest debt, then you are able to reach the important milestone of paying it off faster, which gives natural endorphin rush and a re-dedicated desire to repeat the effort that worked on the next goal, the next smallest debt.

Translating to weight loss, a large goal with a timeframe set way in the future is achievable by some. But a lot of people may lose energy, lose focus, lose drive unless they see immediate results proving they are on the right path. By breaking down large weight-loss goals into smaller chunks, a person may be more inclined to remain faithful to their goals when they can hit that first goal after only a short time, realizing they can make the next goal as well.

Which method works best for YOU? It does largely depend on the individual, but whether your goal is to lose 100 lbs, or play in the NFL, or own your own business, I daresay most would benefit from having smaller, well-defined goals to reach (lose 1 lb this week, or attend a football camp, or read a book which talks about becoming an entrepreneur, etc).

AnnPT77

Personally, I don't think the calendar is a good weight loss tool at all, so I'd go with "neither".

I'd suggest this: "I will pick a sensibly moderate calorie deficit for gradual weight loss, stick with it as long as it takes to lose the total amount of weight I need/want to lose, and learn new routine habits along the way that will help me stay at that healthy weight permanently."

Definition of "sensibly moderate" IMO: Aiming to lose no more than 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that unless seriously obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or health complications.

FWIW, this is a perspective from year 8+ of maintaining a healthy weight, after just under a year of loss, and around 30 years before that being overweight/obese.

Making weight loss gradual makes it easier, and helps with that "find new permanent habits" idea. Losing weight - people say - is hard, so why make it harder by being overly aggressive? On top of that, many people think maintaining weight post loss is even harder than losing. The statistics suggesting that around 80% of people who lose will regain again . . . well, that kind of suggests the same.

With respect to the calendar comment: Weight loss can be uneven and a little unpredictable. In other words, we don't completely control it. For myself, I like setting goals that I can control. Examples would be logging my food daily, staying within +/- 50 calories of calorie goal, doing some kind of enjoyable physical activity X times per week, and that sort of thing. Those are largely within my control, unlike "lose 10 pounds in two months". I can aim in the general direction of 10 pounds in two months, but I don't control it. Bodies are weird. Defining success in terms of what I can control works better for me.

Just my opinions, though.

Lietchi

Another vote for no deadline at all. Time will pass regardless, I just focused on process goals: logging regularly, sticking to my calorie goal (based on a slow weight loss rate setting), increasing my activity level,...

Alatariel75

For me, setting deadlines was a path to failure. What happens if you don't meet it? Disappointment, self blame... not to mention that for me if I'm approaching deadline and haven't been getting the results, I would start shifting into less healthy methods.

For me, the true change has been to not see my weight loss and improved health as something I need to do by X date, or separate to the rest of my life, but something I have incorporated into my life, sustainable dietary and physical changes which I plan to maintain for life (tweaking intake of course, when I need to slow and then stop weight loss), with no finish line, because I don't see my "goal" as a static number on a scale which will flip me into maintenance mode, it's all the same path and the end point has me in a box haha.

Corina1143

My suggestion is
"I will try to lose 5 pounds a month. If I lose less, I will celebrate the loss."

OnTheMoveWithSteph

I think it truly depends on how your brain works. If you need a short term goal, do that. But if you don't necessarily achieve it, is it going to affect your progress? Do you look at doing body measurements? Sometimes its easier to see the change in body measurement numbers versus the scale?

Personally, I would need a short term goal to keep pushing to. But I also know me, the goal has to be attainable otherwise my investment goes away.

NeedToLoseWeight2000

I don’t think that the goals should be tied to the calendar. I wanted to lose 65 lbs when I started last year, i broke it out into small goals on happy scale, and I celebrate each milestone that i reach. But since this isn’t tied to a calendar I don’t feel that I have failed because it’s a year later and I’m only down 25 lbs. I think of this as a huge success! I have never lost and kept off this much weight.

sollyn23l2

While I understand allowing that it will take however long it takes... part of the reason people fail is not making a solid goal. A solid goal is achievable, appropriate for the individual, measurable, and has a timeline. Timelines are key. With them it's not a goal, it's just a wish. I'm a fan of setting short term goals to get to your long term goal. I.e. I will lose 1 pound every 2 weeks.

springlering62

@nossmf not religious, but I found Dave Ramsay’s advice inspiring and took heed. I think it was hearing people’s stories, similar to hearing weight stories, good and bad, here on the boards, that made it so effective. His techniques definitely carried forward into weightloss, too- something he’s frequently commented on. You may not care for the delivery, but the content is golden.

I didn’t have a timeline. At 223+ I had an initial goal of 40. It seemed like a mountain. I hadn’t been below 200 in a decade, maybe two.

Instead, I broke it down into bite sized pieces as mini goals. 5 pounds here. Then ten, which was 25% of the way to goal.and then back to 5 more. That made it more approachable and digestible.

I ultimately set additional mini goals til I lost far more than that 40.

I also made it a point to reward myself at certain goals. Not food rewards. A foot massage, new leggings, an inexpensive new shirt to tide me over til the next size down.

I use the same mentality working out. I’m a weak swimmer, but started swimming regularly after breaking a toe last year. I could barely do 400 yards without dying of exhaustion on the pool deck. Now when I swim, I try to swim a mile for every hour I’ve lanes booked. (Like I said, weak but enthusiastic swimmer!) That’s 1800 yards.

I break that 1800 down into 200 of this, 200 of that, 200 of this and 300 of that. That’s 900 yards, and breaking it down into smaller pieces means I repeat those small goals twice and voila, a mile is done before I know it.

It even helps when I’m tired or don’t want to. I was ready to get out after 400 a couple of days ago, but kept telling myself “come on, you’ve got that next 200 in you.” I ended up doing 3,000 on one of my yuckiest starts.

This is 5-minute plank month in yoga. Same thing. Break it down into breaths. Same with trainer. She counts 15 or 20 reps, while I’m counting three or four sets of 5.

Anything is doable if you look at it granularly, instead of being overwhelmed by one giant, threatening, overwhelming number.

Numbers you can control. Timelines, not.

AdahPotatah2024

I 💕 Dave Ramsey!😂 I wish he was more into the health/ weight loss industry. Sometimes it helps to have someone tell you straight what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
I'm also a fan of making both types of goals like
"I will lose 50 lbs in one year"
AND
"I will lose 10 lbs in two months"
For me, it's mostly for stress
management- I like knowing have some sort of control over my future while so much in life is unpredictable.