How to set a reasonable mini goal

mlyn627

Honestly I am afraid to set a goal. I am so terrified that I will fail again. I don't want to set it too low and I don't want it so high that I'm setting myself up for failure. This is day 5 for me and I feel like I am doing a good job so far, I've got a couple days of some pretty good exercise in and I am under on my calories everyday. I have lost 2 lbs so far, but I know how much weight can fluctuate.

How did you choose your goals small and big?

JustAnotherGirlSuzanne

I make a whole bunch of them. I'm bound to hit at least one, right?

I also set them small with the big ones looming in the background somewhere. Some examples:

5 lbs down
Logged accurately for a full week
Completed a workout DVD such as JM's 30 Day Shred
Completed a military style pushup
and so on.

rand486

Take the pressure off. You will have good days; You will have bad days (ie: you will cheat).

Cheating does not mean you failed. It means you had a day where you ate a bit more. Just keep going, and keep logging your food.

You're seeking a lifestyle change here, not a quick fix. Stop weighing in daily, and just stick to the calorie count MFP calculated for you. You will get there, even if you cheat every now and then. There is no failure, until you give up and return to your old lifestyle entirely.

SlimJanette

Set a goal that will be achievable. 2lbs a week is a great goal. Set a goal of losing 10-12lbs a month. This will change after a few months as it is harder to lose. If you are craving something, set a goal to make yourself wait and at the end of the week you want it, treat yourself to it. Don't ban yourself from things that you want because you will binge and over eat and your 2lbs/wk goal will be blown. Take it slow and you will be successful.

AmyG1982

I set a few that were meaningful to me. I'd recently gained weight so my first goal was to get back to my previous high weight, then I want to get under 200, then 180 (lowest I've ever been as an adult) and then 165 just as a random #. Then I also celebrate every 5% I lose which from where I started its about 12.5 lbs. Right now I've lost 11.5% of my weight and that feels pretty awesome to me

20yearsyounger

I'll just focus on the fitness/weight loss aspect. Why set a mini goal? All you need to do is focus on your calorie intake and exercise to maintain good health while you body stops storing fat and starts using the reserves. Forget the weight. How do you feel about your food choices the last few days? Were you starving or do you feel that they were reasonable?

You just started another path on your LIFE journey. You've done a great job so far. The weight loss will come with good habits.

mlyn627

I guess the reason I want set a goal is because it feels like I am accomplishing something, like checking something of a list, that and I really want to get another tattoo and I want to use that as an incentive.

I am feeling pretty good about the calories and how my hunger level is. I haven't given up anything that I can't live without I just don't mindlessly eat and binge.

Kalikel

I didn't choose my goals. I just had them.

When I started, it was to eat healthier to be healthier, not for weight loss. So I worked on that.

I thought how lovely it would be to get back to a size 20 or even, in my dreams, an 18 and be able to wear the couple of size 18s I'd saved.

As I began seeing the weight come off, I started thinking, "Oh, my God, I want to get under 200!" Then I just wanted to hit 175.

Now that I'm closing in on 175, I'm already like, "Under 150! Can't wait to hit that!" So, after I hit 175, my goal is 149.

My end goal is my high school weight, but is don't know that I can get all the way there. I won't be too disappointed if I can't. I'm enjoying these milestones, though!!!

Just pick what you want. Somewhere in your head, there is a voice saying, "God I'd love to be _______."

That thing you want: That's your goal!

rand486

I guess the reason I want set a goal is because it feels like I am accomplishing something, like checking something of a list, that and I really want to get another tattoo and I want to use that as an incentive.

Check out HabitRPG.com if you're a todo list junkie like me. Think of it as a "Tamagotchi" style game for your to-do list and habits.

I made hitting my MFP goals a "Daily", and it keeps my eating in check. I also use it to keep track of other stuff in my life, but that's outside the scope of this conversation haha.

You could even set up a custom Reward for your tattoo once you've gotten enough rewards to justify it.

If the gamification idea doesn't work for you - make it a policy to post how much you were under/over your calories for the day on Facebook or something. That way, you'll feel accountable to your FB friends.

jrline

I would recommend only weighing twice a month. Log everything on the second weigh in for the month I would be pushing for 8lbs down.

marisas80

I guess the reason I want set a goal is because it feels like I am accomplishing something, like checking something of a list, that and I really want to get another tattoo and I want to use that as an incentive.

I've set getting a new tattoo as a reward for reaching my "perfect body" goal. It hasn't happened probably because it's too big of a goal and not measurable. So, now new goal is to log every day and reduce my body fat percentage to where I want it. Then maybe I'll get that tattoo/

Rochester_mom

Sometimes my goals are very specific and small. Because sometimes I can't think about exercising 5 times "this week." To me that seems so unattainable. But I can and do follow through with the goal of working out "today". Today I will put in a Jillian Michaels DVD and get in 24 minute workout. Oftentimes, those small daily goals add up to the bigger goals that seemed to unattainable. Good luck!

babushka700

I think setting mini-goals has really helped me not get overwhelmed. I'd like to lose about 75 pounds total and was completely overwhelmed about it so focusing 5 or 10 pounds at a time has really helped. When I get anxious looking further down the road I have to calm myself down and think about my current goal. For instance, I started at 216 so the first 10 pounds "proved" to me something was actually working. Then getting under 200 was a major goal. Then at 196 I was 20 pounds down, then 195 was mid 190's, then fitting into a smaller size etc. So every 4-5 pounds I have something to get excited about. Also, I like to reflect on non-scale victories...good choices becoming less of a struggle on average, more energy. I have a long way to go still so I think the biggest thing for me was excepting and re-excepting that a healthy sustainable weightloss is going to take time. Mini goals can be totally up to you with what you think will keep you motivated, maybe it's trying out one dietary switch for a week or working in more activity.

mlyn627

I guess the reason I want set a goal is because it feels like I am accomplishing something, like checking something of a list, that and I really want to get another tattoo and I want to use that as an incentive.

Check out HabitRPG.com if you're a todo list junkie like me. Think of it as a "Tamagotchi" style game for your to-do list and habits.

I made hitting my MFP goals a "Daily", and it keeps my eating in check. I also use it to keep track of other stuff in my life, but that's outside the scope of this conversation haha.

You could even set up a custom Reward for your tattoo once you've gotten enough rewards to justify it.

If the gamification idea doesn't work for you - make it a policy to post how much you were under/over your calories for the day on Facebook or something. That way, you'll feel accountable to your FB friends.

That actually sounds really cool! I will check it out! Thanks!

mlyn627

I need to set goals I think I need small ones to keep me motivated. I will set small goals and see how I do, then I will adjust accordingly.

Thanks for all the replies, you guys are great!

jwol80

Take the pressure off. You will have good days; You will have bad days (ie: you will cheat).

Cheating does not mean you failed. It means you had a day where you ate a bit more. Just keep going, and keep logging your food.

You're seeking a lifestyle change here, not a quick fix. Stop weighing in daily, and just stick to the calorie count MFP calculated for you. You will get there, even if you cheat every now and then. There is no failure, until you give up and return to your old lifestyle entirely.

This is excellent advice, I'm stealing it for myself

happieharpie

I knew myself well enough to know that I had always been crazed by numbers, so my goal, from the very beginning, was to eat one delicious meal planned to be packed with my nutritional needs, and not eat after it until it was time for my next meal.

This has proven more powerful and more successful than anything I have ever done. I never go off and on, I'm never a failure or a success, and Glory Be, I'm never focused on the damn number.

I suffered the loss of a loved one in the spring, and my number loss slowed to a crawl, but with very few exceptions, my goal remained stable and manageable.

Give it a try. See if this perspective could work for you!

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

My only goals when I was losing weight were to accurately track what I ate, review my little weekly mfp graph to see how I did, and to to average a deficit by the end of the week. Even if my deficit wasn't perfectly on target, as long as I didn't go over TDEE I was satisfied. It's simple which make it easier to adhere to, it's specific and measurable so I can be objective, and I'm more likely to feel successful if I don't put too many high expectations on myself. It worked beautifully.

markrichtsspraytan

Set a goal that will be achievable. 2lbs a week is a great goal. Set a goal of losing 10-12lbs a month. This will change after a few months as it is harder to lose. If you are craving something, set a goal to make yourself wait and at the end of the week you want it, treat yourself to it. Don't ban yourself from things that you want because you will binge and over eat and your 2lbs/wk goal will be blown. Take it slow and you will be successful.

2lbs per week is more than most people will reasonably lose each month. 10-12 lbs per month is more than 2 lbs per week. Unless OP has a very large amount of weight to lose, setting her goals like this will be unrealistic and end up getting her down if she can't meet them (most people could no meet these goals).

IMO goals should not be weight-loss based but rather diet and exercise based. Results will follow as a natural consequence of discipline in those areas. Maybe loss of inches as a goal, but so many things can affect the scale number that it is not a good idea to use that for short term goals.

amy8400

Mini goals are just a way of staying focused and on track toward your end goal. So if you feel your goal is a daunting challenge, mini goals are just stepping stones on the way and keep you motivated and less likely to give up.

I celebrated my one year anniversary (34 pounds lost) with a visit to a piercing and tattoo studio last night. The holes in my ears had closed up when I was 18 and for 36 years I've worn clip earrings. So I celebrated my one year--not so much the pounds lost but the commitment--with newly pierced ears. Now whenever I put on earrings, I'll think to this moment and remember what it took to get here.

I've celebrated other mini goals (every 5 pounds lost and kept off or achieving a new fitness goal) with an ankle bracelet, new workout capris, lifting gloves, hand weights, sexy new shoes and new kitchen storage and organization tools (clear plastic shelves for the refrigerator and some glass storage containers) and lastly a huge bottle of St. Tropez tanning foam (it is expensive at $49 but it is super stuff and covers my veins well.) I basically use my mini goal rewards for enhancements to my new lifestyle.

But honestly, the rewards aren't what I motivates me. More so, they are things that I use to help me see I've reached a new level of success.

_runnerbean_

There is an open group on MFP called "lose 5lb in September" - it runs every month and you post your current weight every week and your aim for the end of the month. I have done it for two months now and found it a great incentive to keep going. There will be a new page starting for October. Other goals that might suit you are to drop a dress size, lose 10% of your body weight, walk 10k steps every day, train for a 5k run.

StaciMarie1974

I would set a midterm goal in my ticker, but each 5 pounds was a mini-goal. When I started (178.5) I looked forward to getting under 175. Then under 170 and so on.

Also set goals for non-weight items. Like to walk for x minutes a week, or to eat so many fruits/veggie servings a day. Find tools that help you. I use a Fitbit and several apps that keep me motivated.

20yearsyounger

The problem with setting goals like lose 2lbs a week is that your body is very adaptable and at some point you are not going to lose weight (you might lose fat, build muscle etc). That will just drive you crazy and make you want to quit. In addition weight loss isn't linear. The beauty of MFP is the logging. I pull up the reports and look at the weekly net calories and if I see > 3500 I am supper happy because that is approximately 1 pound of fat. If I see over 300 minutes of exercise, I know that my heart is getting twice what it needs.

I can't control when the results happen so I'm not going to drive my self batty by putting a time based milestone. All I can do is focus on my activities to get me there and go to bed with a smile on my face everyday knowing that I beat my MFP goal for the day.

maoribadger

Ive set myself a whole bunch of mini goals from now to 4 stone lost and they range from 2lb to 5lb ie im 17-7 atm working on 17-6 (closer to 17 than 18) after which I will aim at 17-4 (2 stone lost) followed by 16-13 (under 17 stone) and so on til I get to 15-4 which would be 4 stone lost. I've not given myself a time frame to do it merely DL a goal setting app so I can tick them off. I'm also in the process of setting some fitness goals on there too ie Start Running, run 100, run 500m and so on that I can tick off. It helps me to have the small victories to focus on each week or cpl weeks so I dont get overwhelmed by the big picture

12_oz_Curls

I am a firm believer in short/medium/long term planning. Therefore I picked a long term goal of being a sexy beast! Now I had to figure out how to get there. short term was getting back down to my natural maintenance weight. Medium was signing up for a 1/2 marathon. Figured the cardio and such would benefit the short and long term goals. As I got down to my first goal weight I started aiming for another 10 lbs. down.

Here's the thing with long term planning. It will restructure short term goals. Now I really that being a sexy beast isn't just hitting a weight on a scale. It's having the confidence in yourself regardless of your physical condition. I also realized that the extra 10 lbs didn't need to come off. I was at a good weight, I just needed to start losing fat. So I am eating at just below my current TDEE now and lifting. Why? because muscular physique was what my long term goal entailed, not just losing weight. And guess what, I found out that the physical aspect still changed my definition of sexy beast. Now it's the ability to pick something I want to do, and just go do it. so I guess that while I haven't reached the physical goal I had set, I did accomplish the long-term!

So goals change, and as long as you keep your eye on the long term end, you can tailor the milestones however you need, and adjust on the fly.