Do my goals seem realistic?

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2

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  • maysflower
    maysflower Posts: 180
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    Your goals seem a little aggressive, especially since you have had a hard time in the past. I personally don't like to set time limit goals, but if that is what you want then shoot for 0.5 lbs per week over X amount of weeks. That is a little more realistic and if you exceed your weight goal it will help keep you motivated. If you set a too aggressive goal and don't reach it, you may have a very negative reaction which is what you want to avoid.
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    Your goals are awesome, and like you, I need a concrete time frame. But instead of listing ALL of them, maybe pick your first one and a date. That way, if your body doesn't quite agree with your time line, like was mentioned, then you use the next date for your goal and just ERASE the first one. That is what I have had to do. :)

    Great, great idea!!! :) I guess for now I am just kind of seeing where I CAN be and where, if I continue at 2lbs/week loss.

    That's a good idea!
  • healthyliving_girl
    healthyliving_girl Posts: 290 Member
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    I like having concrete goals, but I think time limits can be detrimental to motivation if you don't hit it. Some people get disillusioned when so focused on the number of lbs.

    What I've decided to do is to make concrete goals dealing more with exercise (minutes, intensity, types of workouts) and food intake (more raw veggies and decrease in sugar).

    So far, it's been working for me. Without focusing on the weight so much, I've been able to lose almost 15 lbs. in two months.
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    Well it seems to me that you are planning on losing faster at the end when you will probably lose faster in the beginning.

    You're right! See, this is why I need y'all :)
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
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    Off topic but can I just say I love your username?? hehe :P
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    I like having concrete goals, but I think time limits can be detrimental to motivation if you don't hit it. Some people get disillusioned when so focused on the number of lbs.

    What I've decided to do is to make concrete goals dealing more with exercise (minutes, intensity, types of workouts) and food intake (more raw veggies and decrease in sugar).

    So far, it's been working for me. Without focusing on the weight so much, I've been able to lose almost 15 lbs. in two months.

    Great idea! God knows I can work on eating healthier. I'm a terribly picky eater!
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    Off topic but can I just say I love your username?? hehe :P

    Haha! Aww thank you :)
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    Instead of the concrete date, why not just reward yourself after X number of pounds?
  • christy_frank
    christy_frank Posts: 680 Member
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    As you get closer to your goal weight, you will start to slow down your losing and you will find yourself plateau and you will need to mix it up a lot to get the scale moving again. Right now you might be losing quickly. I found that as soon as my BMI was below 'overweight' my weight loss basically stopped. I don't think that the end goal is unrealistic, but I do feel that the time frame is....this is just from my personal experience.
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    As you get closer to your goal weight, you will start to slow down your losing and you will find yourself plateau and you will need to mix it up a lot to get the scale moving again. Right now you might be losing quickly. I found that as soon as my BMI was below 'overweight' my weight loss basically stopped. I don't think that the end goal is unrealistic, but I do feel that the time frame is....this is just from my personal experience.

    Thank you! I guess I forgot about that part, and someone else made the same point. Damn, damn damn! lol
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Your goals are awesome, and like you, I need a concrete time frame. But instead of listing ALL of them, maybe pick your first one and a date. That way, if your body doesn't quite agree with your time line, like was mentioned, then you use the next date for your goal and just ERASE the first one. That is what I have had to do. :)

    Great, great idea!!! :) I guess for now I am just kind of seeing where I CAN be and where, if I continue at 2lbs/week loss.

    That's a good idea!

    Maybe set the goal at 1 or 1.5 a week. That way you can treat yourself to a heavier meal every now and then, but not completely fall of the wagon. I usually plan light meals around a heavier meal, but if I could NEVER have my fettucinni alfredo, I think I would cry.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    10lbs a month is pretty intense, unless you have a ton of weight to lose. 5 is a pretty reasonable goal.

    I do like your 180 by Christmas though. That's a solid timeframe with room for a few slipups.

    Like the girl above said, change it to 'lose x lbs, reward with this'. For example, when I got under 200, I got my nipples pierced.



    That's how I roll.
  • tmiqueen
    tmiqueen Posts: 254 Member
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    I NEVER use time limits. Things happen in your life that will inevitably screw up that goal....plateaus, vacations, illness/injury, unplanned night out with friends at the bar....you get the idea.

    I do, however, like to set reward goals for myself.

    For instance, when I hit my first mini goal of losing 10 lbs, I treated myself to some products to do an at-home facial. I didn't say that I had to lose it by any specific time, I just said that I had to lose it in order to receive the reward.

    My next goal is losing 10 more lbs. I don't have a set time that it'll be lost by. When I lose it, I will treat myself to a professional pedicure, or buy myself a new item of clothing (I like to keep my options open reward-wise...lol).
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    10lbs a month is pretty intense, unless you have a ton of weight to lose. 5 is a pretty reasonable goal.

    I do like your 180 by Christmas though. That's a solid timeframe with room for a few slipups.

    Like the girl above said, change it to 'lose x lbs, reward with this'. For example, when I got under 200, I got my nipples pierced.



    That's how I roll.

    Psst! I don't reward myself with pain.... LOL, that just sounds so painful to me, but I'm a huge chicken LOL
  • LisaKyle11
    LisaKyle11 Posts: 662 Member
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    i think so... although the one timeframe that seems tight is from Christmas to Feb...(about 20 lbs). otherwise, seem reasonable!
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    Anyone that's discouraging dates should educate themselves on real goal setting. The dates are a necessity otherwise you'll simply "keep putting it off". Yes it's going to happen that you might not make a date, but you can't feel bad if you did everything you could. You simply reset your goals and move forward. But not setting dates is a big mistake.

    As far as being doable, they seem to be reasonable. You seem to have set yourself for a 7.5 lbs/month schedule. Just remember that the closer you get to your goal weight, the slower that weight loss gets. So I would change your final goal to either a further date or less weight loss. Maybe consider 2-3 lbs a month for the last couple months instead.
  • Kimberly2212
    Kimberly2212 Posts: 9
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    :smile: I think your goals are great!!! And they are realistic!!! :) Keep your head up and you will do great~!
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    10lbs a month is pretty intense, unless you have a ton of weight to lose. 5 is a pretty reasonable goal.

    I do like your 180 by Christmas though. That's a solid timeframe with room for a few slipups.

    Like the girl above said, change it to 'lose x lbs, reward with this'. For example, when I got under 200, I got my nipples pierced.



    That's how I roll.

    Baha! Well, I need to lose like 75-80lbs, really. So to me- that's a lot! I normally lose weight pretty fast when I exercise and not eat crap. Also, congrats on the nip piercings! I guess I should focus on some rewards, but all mine are tattoo-related and I'm not getting tattoos in places that have fat until I reach my long-term goal (hopefully next summer?!) because I don't want them to look funky.
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
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    :smile: I think your goals are great!!! And they are realistic!!! :) Keep your head up and you will do great~!

    Thanks for the positivity :) Much appreciated!
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Anyone that's discouraging dates should educate themselves on real goal setting. .

    I have my goal weights pencilled in on the calendar LOL. The first was to be 175 by this Thursday. I was 176.4 last Friday, but 178 this morning (Damn my cousin and her cheesecake! LOL)... But I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Maybe I'll hit it by Monday.

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