Goals Goals Everywhere, and Not a 1 to Keep!

JaimeNJ

Help me set a goal and keep it. Does anyone have advice for this? I am terrible at this. It's like setting a goal is an automatic sabotage for me.

Has anyone been able to change this about themselves? If so, how?

shmulyeng

You didn't really specify which goals you're trying to set. Maybe they're too aggressive? Too vague? Not measurable?

I see your forum ticker is set to show how much you have left. Personally, I like to work with how much I already did. Yes, it also shows how much is left but the main focus should be how much was already accomplished. I started MFP with a weight loss goal of about 110 - 120 pounds. Seeing that would have me discouraged before I can lose a single pound. Instead I set my first goal to lose 60. I then increase every time I hit it. I know people think doing that means my goals aren't real but I disagree. If I would have lost 60 pounds and stopped there, I would have accomplished a lot. Adding more goals will just increase that.

To sum it up, keep your goals small, make them very specific and they must be measurable.

Branstin

If you need help with the tools, people are here to help. However, no one can set your goals but you. You know your life and health better than anyone. It has to come from you.

"The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!" - Marvin Phillips

amy_kee

Keeping goals is all up to you, no one else. People can't do everything for you in life. You have to get some backbone inside you, make adequate plans, and simply stick to those plans. It is up to you to be consistent in achievements. We aren't here to wake you up when your alarm goes off for going to a gym. We aren't in your house when you want to eat another big piece of cake. All this is where YOU come from. You've got to try harder at this and learn to depend on yourself to solve problems in life. It's not up to people to solve them for you. Sure, some people on here will cheer you on, but, you've got to be doing the things yourself. Use some mental power and stick with it. It works. YOu've got to learn to keep goals, if you ever want to achieve anything in your life. We can't do that for you on here.

amy8400

Only you can identify and change your behaviors. MFP can't do it for you, nor can your friends here. You need to look back at your past goal-setting attempts and determine what caused you to fail. Like everything in life, we learn from our mistakes.

Make sure you are setting goals that are reachable and measurable. A vague goal won't get you anywhere but frustrated. It needs to be concrete and specific. "I want to look great in a bathing suit by summer" vs "I want to lose 10 pounds by June 30." Hard numbers and a hard date is a specific goal--that's the kind of goal you want.

kiroshino

I see weight loss less as a goal and more as an end result of successfully accomplishing small tasks and goals that are a part of a healthy lifestyle. Taking a quick look at your exercise diary, this would be less of "I'm going to lose 1lb by Saturday", which might be an end result, and more "I will walk 2 miles Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I will jog 2 miles Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday." Do it, log it, lose the excuses.