No goals + No deadlines = weight loss success?

jkb1129

I'm experiencing an interesting phenomenon....when I started my fitness/weight loss journey back in January, I didn't set a weight loss goal or a target date for achieving "a healthier me." Instead, I just decided I would be consistent with my workouts and log food religiously through MFP. As a result of this, I've lost ten pounds and am not waivering AT ALL on my workout plan or eating habits.

This is a completely different approach from anything I've done before - I ALWAYS set a final weight loss goal/deadline and then mini goals along the way. But this time, there's less pressure and instead of saying "my plan says I should've lost two pounds this week and I only lost one," I get to say, "I lost a pound this week!" It's almost as if it's one small victory after another.

I'm curious - has anyone else experienced this or set out on a weight loss/fitness path with no clear goals? And if so, did it end up working for you in the long run? Right now I'm more motivated than I've ever been to continue a healthy lifestyle, and it feels great! But of course the key is to keep that motivation going and not relapse like I've done before...

nikkijennings

I have lost over 24lbs since 3rd Jan.... with no real goal in terms of total loss or deadline!!! It's more about maintaining a healthy diet and increasing activity levels for me...... and how I feel in my clothes!!!

We need to do what's right for us as individuals!!! :-)

SusanleeBee

Yeah, it's been like that for me too. I have a rough idea of my goal weight, but no deadline or anything. I log, I workout, and it happens as it happens. Much less stressful.

jfl613

Yeah, it's been like that for me too. I have a rough idea of my goal weight, but no deadline or anything. I log, I workout, and it happens as it happens. Much less stressful.

That's me to a "T"! I find this approach to weight loss much more realistic since this is teaching me to make better choices either through substituting or portion control. I do need "policing", though. That is why I joined MFP. I need to be held accountable for what I eat and facing my computer screen every week at weight tracking time.

jkb1129

I have lost over 24lbs since 3rd Jan.... with no real goal in terms of total loss or deadline!!! It's more about maintaining a healthy diet and increasing activity levels for me...... and how I feel in my clothes!!!

We need to do what's right for us as individuals!!! :-)

24 pounds since January - you rock!!! You're right on with noticing how you feel in your clothes - that alone is a huge reward.

Good to know this strategy works for others too!

jkb1129

@jfl613 I need policing too which MFP helps with IMMENSELY! Nothing like seeing those calories add up in your diary to make you think twice about what you have to eat.

jfl613

@jfl613 I need policing too which MFP helps with IMMENSELY! Nothing like seeing those calories add up in your diary to make you think twice about what you have to eat.

Glad to hear that I am not the only one who need policing. I love the fact that I can plan my day's intake in the morning and tweak it throughout the day to to make better choices or even cheat a little and still stay within my calorie goal for the day. Thanks for sharing!

Animaniac87

When I first started I made a goal, and mini goals. But if I didn't reach my mini goals I would hate on myself for a while and gain some weight back. Only after I got rid of the goals and just focused on one lifestyle change at a time did I start seeing results. I also have a rough idea of a goal weight, but my plan is to go until I feel comfortable and happy with myself. Without the goals I'm just happy to lose a pound, and I'm not disappointed I didn't lose more. I have found that without hating on myself for not reaching my goals I am a lot more consistent in losing weight and making healthier choices.

jkb1129

When I first started I made a goal, and mini goals. But if I didn't reach my mini goals I would hate on myself for a while and gain some weight back. Only after I got rid of the goals and just focused on one lifestyle change at a time did I start seeing results. I also have a rough idea of a goal weight, but my plan is to go until I feel comfortable and happy with myself. Without the goals I'm just happy to lose a pound, and I'm not disappointed I didn't lose more. I have found that without hating on myself for not reaching my goals I am a lot more consistent in losing weight and making healthier choices.

Wish there was a "like" button for posts! The same thing would happen to me before when I wouldn't meet a goal - how discouraging! I also have a rough idea of what I would "like" to weigh, but am content to take it day by day (or month by month) and see how things shape up. I think we can all agree that you've got to do whatever will help you stick to a healthy lifestyle in the long-term.

chelso0o

People ask me all the time "what's your goal weight?" (which I think is a VERY bold/rude question to ask btw) and I just tell them "I have no idea... whenever I feel like it's a good racing weight for me and I feel good about my body". I find that this frustrates them, but I don't care. Everyone is so focused on time and the finished product. Well, not everyone works like that. It took me a year to lose 50lbs, and then I maintained that loss for 5 months. Now I'm starting up again with losing. I figure however slow I go is my own business So what if it frustrates other people?

pamelad77

Same here, I started in jan with a rough idea of what I'd like to weigh, but that was it. I came into this with a different attitude from previous attempts, that it was a life change, not a diet.
I was fed up with shoving artificial, helically enhanced versions of everything down my neck and wanted to change to a more "wholesome" (sounds corny I know) life.

So far, it seems to be working. 30lbs down in 60 days. Can't complain at that!

NU2U

Rules..pressure..and stress usually cause me to fail. I've found that if I am more relaxed and easier on myself..I make better decisions (food, exercise)

I'm finally losing weight and inches now, because I'm not so hard on myself. I take it one day at a time...one meal (snack) at a time.....I move more now because I want to...I hardly wanted to do anything when I felt I had to, or was being forced to.

pinuplove

Yes! My goal weight of 140 is completely subject to change and I am not overly concerned about how long it takes (within reason!) This is more about me making a sustainable change from now on.

jlr_12

I'm the same way. Any other time I've tried to lose weight, I've gone into it thinking I would do it in a couple of months. I'd get frustrated because it wasn't happening quickly, and I'd give up. This time I went into it with the mindset that I just want to get healthy. If it takes a year, it takes a year...it's still better than staying overweight! I'm HOPING to be at my goal (which is very vague as well...) sometime this summer...but if it doesn't happen, I won't get discouraged, I'll just keep working until I get there!

hedwighigh

I have a goal weight but it keeps changing so it's nothing set in stone. I've never had a deadline either, that might be why it's taken me more than a year and a half to lose 70 pounds though. Then again it may have been that 4-5 month plateau I went through :noway:

I think the lack of pressure helps though.

em9371

yes me too!
every time ive tried to lose before, ive made a little calendar out with how much i should have lost each week (generally 2lb week), end when i should get to my goal weight. all it takes is onw week when i didnt lose the 'right' number, then every week i would be further and further behind my targets till evenutally i thought *kitten* it and gave up!

since i started on mfp in october ive just said id like to get down to around 140lbs / size 10, and it takes as long as it takes. ive lost 36.8lbs in 24 weeks, which is maybe a little slower than i would have liked, but the higher cal level means i dont feel like im on a diet so i have no reason not to stick with this for life :-)

fisherlassie

Yes!! I've lost 56 pounds just eating mostly whole foods and exercising almost every day. I don't need the stress of goals. I have a general idea about my goal weight but I don't make small goals to stress myself out nor do I have a time limit for the goal weight. Every day I just try to do the best I can and I celebrate every small victory. This is what works for me.

llamalland

I think it works- and probably bodes well for ongoing success! I started Nov 1, and didn't do much exercising, just watched my calorie intake, and I will admit I've had "mini" goals along the way, but they weren't caste in stone, and I didn't do too much extra to insure meeting them.... There are temptations to say things like, "I'd like to lose "this" much by my birthday," or other special occasion, but I've come to realize that it doesn't matter exactly how much I've lost by a certain time, because in any case, it's going to be WAY LESS than I weighed last year on that date!

The eating wisely and working out more becomes such a routine part of your life, when you are not consumed with goals, thus more likely becoming that "lifestyle change" we are all aiming for.... racking up pounds lost is the short-term bonus to a life-long goal of being healthier, feeling better and yes, looking better!

KellyJays

I swear by this weight loss philosophy! I began my new lifestyle on February 3rd and have lost 22 pounds since then. I have an ultimate goal of where I eventually want to be but the time it takes to get there between now and then is not an issue to me. This has helped me immensely in losing weight because I'm not stressed, I'm taking my workouts at a pace that's right for me so I don't dread doing them, and I'm just eating healthier. Having no weekly goal you're forcing yourself to hit takes the stress off and it really does come off on its own. It's been awesome!

9jenn9

When I first started I made a goal, and mini goals. But if I didn't reach my mini goals I would hate on myself for a while and gain some weight back. Only after I got rid of the goals and just focused on one lifestyle change at a time did I start seeing results. I also have a rough idea of a goal weight, but my plan is to go until I feel comfortable and happy with myself. Without the goals I'm just happy to lose a pound, and I'm not disappointed I didn't lose more. I have found that without hating on myself for not reaching my goals I am a lot more consistent in losing weight and making healthier choices.

I can relate to this so much. In previous attempts, I would set unrealistic goals and then be angry with myself when I didn't reach them. Instead of focusing on my successes, I fixated on the scale and how long it was taking me to get to that number. This kind of thinking always set me up for failure. I'm trying so hard this time around not to fall into a "diet mentality". Thanks for starting this thread. I needed the reminder!

kileemae

I definitely agree! I think sometimes when we set goals sometimes they are not set being realistic... I tend to think I can do more than reality tells me I can. I've started just eating better...being mindful...getting to the gym and have lost moreweight then when I was hounding myself about it!

sammielealea

After my 2nd child, I decided to set goals, but they're fitness goals. It went from a first 5km race, to trying to beat my last time of my last 1/2 marathon. I reap the health benefits, the satisfaction I feel is like nothing else in the world, and the weight loss is the icing on the cake

ShrinkRapt451

Absolutely agree. I think having no specific deadline (or event that you're working toward) helps keep this a true lifestyle change and not just a diet.

My own story is similar; I am currently at a weight and body fat percentage that is not healthy for my height. I do have a rough goal weight, but it's based on the notion that I'd like to maintain my lean body mass and lose FAT, until my body fat percent is healthy. I'll probably lose some lean mass along the way, though, so it's a fluid goal. And if I keep eating healthier (and fewer calories), I'll lose the weight. If I keep my protein intake up and make my muscles work, I'll maintain most of my lean mass (I hope!). And if I exercise more, I'll have more strength and energy, less stress, and I'll extend my life. And since there is no date by which these things "must" happen, once I get where I'm going, I'll be in a pretty good spot to keep on truckin' in maintenance.

SunnyAndrsn

Interesting...I was just talking to one of my co-workers (she's a doctor), who has recently lost about 20 pounds. She wanted to know where I got my water bottle from, lol. Her son has recently commented that she's lost her booty :-)

Anyway, she asked my if I was on a diet/what was I doing to lose weight (first person to comment/notice) and so I toler her I was going what all those annoying doctors recommend--a healthy diet and exercise. She laughed and told me I needed to talk to a lot of her pts.

I told her this can't be a diet with and end date as I've done that and it doesn't work. I will gain the weight back every single time doing that. I do still need to remind myself of that, and remember that the reason I'm back at the beginning is because I quit.

It does make a difference :-)

bikinibeliever

I am on board with the way you are thinking. I've lost 21 lbs since Feb.1st, and as long as the scale is going down and I am feeling

great, I'll get there when I get there. I wish I would have adopted this frame of mind one of those many times I lost this much and

that much, then quit because I thought it was too slow.

Dawnetta

I do have a goal of 5 lb per month set by my doc, I have just started MFP like 3 days ago and I love it. I have never done the calorie counting always something else. I feel so motivated to lose this is awesome. It feels very relaxed and I am not frustrated at all...normal food and just track it. I have lost 3 lbs. in 3 days and I am sooooo excited !!!!! No goals really no hurry just getting healthier and losing !!!!

freezerburn2012

Oooohh! I like this philosophy! I think I'm going to try this out. I have spent too much time in the past, mapping out my 'expected' weight loss and then being disappointed when I don't make it.

SueInAz

For me this was a lifestyle change. While I had a rough idea of where I wanted to be my only real goal was "fit back into my work wardrobe." I was at the point where I only had three pairs of slacks that fit and they were starting to get too tight, too.

I feel like most of you in that goals are de-motivating when you don't reach them. I try not to set goals when I don't have complete control over the outcome. Weight loss is not something that happens on a linear curve so it's just too easy to get frustrated and upset when it's not going the way you think it should. It's probably a good thing I didn't have any set goals because I spent three months on a dead plateau. :laugh: Once I finally figured out my personal formula for losing weight, I lost the rest in a few months and have been maintaining ever since.

ruststar

But you did set a goal - to be consistent with your workouts and log everyday. You've simply changed your goal to be about your behavior, not an outcome you don't have complete control over (too many variables). Keep at it and you will be successful at your weight loss because you've been able to measure your successes at your stated goals all the way through.

happyheart15

I agree with you. I know I want to lose 90 pounds total, but I won't give myself a time limit/deadline. I started on July 25, 2011, and I'm over a 3rd of the way there.