Incremental Goals or one big one?

hamstermann

When I started MFP, I was 267pounds and the BMI charts told me that healthy for my height would be 190. I set my goal at 240 thinking that'd be a miracle in itself because that was a 27 pound weight loss and doing it in smaller goals seemed like it would be easier.

But as I read the message boards, it seems like so many of you set one major goal and work toward that instead of smaller, incremental ones. Which method is more motivating to you and why? For those of you who have tried both ways, why did you switch?

victorious27

Honestly, I'm going down to a weight that I KNOW I will look decent in. 150 is still technically "overweight", if you want to look at the BMI charts. But when I actually weighed 150, I looked pretty good....if I do say so myself

Kidding...kind of.

Anyways. My original goal is 150, get somewhere that I feel confident. However...if I'm not happy at 150 (and I imagine I won't be), I know that I can change that and get ever lower because I've weighed 128 at one point in my life! But the main goal is getting somewhere HEALTHY. I'm just ready to be healthy again, and even though my goal is still "overweight", it's healthy enough for me as of now.

Weebs628

I set a smaller goal of 150 pounds and now that I'm there, I changed it to 140. I know a lot of people at my height (5'2") have their goal weight set to 120-ish. Last time I was in the 120's I was 16 and 2 inches shorter so that's probably not a realistic goal for me. I'm feeling it out as a go, 5 to 10 pounds at a time.

hamstermann

Honestly, I'm going down to a weight that I KNOW I will look decent in. 150 is still technically "overweight", if you want to look at the BMI charts. But when I actually weighed 150, I looked pretty good....if I do say so myself wink

Kidding...kind of.

Anyways. My original goal is 150, get somewhere that I feel confident. However...if I'm not happy at 150 (and I imagine I won't be), I know that I can change that and get ever lower because I've weighed 128 at one point in my life! But the main goal is getting somewhere HEALTHY. I'm just ready to be healthy again, and even though my goal is still "overweight", it's healthy enough for me as of now.

I'm with you on being happy with "Overweight" - once I drop below 240, I will no longer fall into the "Obese" Category. (judging from your picture, though, I don't think you have that issue.)

I will be VERY excited to just be categorized as "Overweight". I'm already lighter than I was when I graduated High School, but still definitely not the lightest I remember being.

victorious27

Honestly, I'm going down to a weight that I KNOW I will look decent in. 150 is still technically "overweight", if you want to look at the BMI charts. But when I actually weighed 150, I looked pretty good....if I do say so myself wink

Kidding...kind of.

Anyways. My original goal is 150, get somewhere that I feel confident. However...if I'm not happy at 150 (and I imagine I won't be), I know that I can change that and get ever lower because I've weighed 128 at one point in my life! But the main goal is getting somewhere HEALTHY. I'm just ready to be healthy again, and even though my goal is still "overweight", it's healthy enough for me as of now.

I'm with you on being happy with "Overweight" - once I drop below 240, I will no longer fall into the "Obese" Category. (judging from your picture, though, I don't think you have that issue.)

I will be VERY excited to just be categorized as "Overweight". I'm already lighter than I was when I graduated High School, but still definitely not the lightest I remember being.

Pictures can be quite deceiving, dear. While I never hit 200 (only by 10 lbs though!) I'm well into the "obese" range for my height....but I'm definitely taking the compliment! And you can't have it back!

But seriously...just have a goal in mind, big or small. Get somewhere you know you're able to, and then stop and think about it. You'll wonder, "Am I happy stopping here? Or can I go farther?" That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it. With your goal, I'd say it's very realistic...and once you get into a routine, there's a huge chance that you'll stick to it and that you'll lose even more...just because you enjoy the work out!

ETA: Sorry if saying "I never hit 200" came across as rude...it wasn't meant to be...it's just kind of how it came out. :embarassed:

Bess_74

I have my overall end goal posted, however In my head I have it broken up into smaller goals. I intend to give myself a non-food reward with every 25 pounds I lose and focus on that to keep me from becoming overwhelmed & discouraged.

plushkitten

I set my goals to 5 pounds at a time which ultimately add up to one big goal.
Each time that I reach 5 pounds lost, I like to reward myself with something for working hard to getting to that goal.
I find that it's much easier to concentrate a few pounds at a time than one big goal.
It's just a personal preference.

Phoenixchichima

my overall goal is 72 lb loss. always before I lost 3-7 lbs & gained it back. what a great goal. my goal right now? doing really well & whupping the booties off my 4 friends with whom i'm having a 5 wk contest, one of the rules being joining MFP & logging food & exercise. We're 2 1/2 weeks into it & finding that making ourselves log on & keep in touch via email rah rah speeches (we are in 3 different states & none of us know all the rest of the members) is keeping us motivated & its fun. several of us already not only are planning a new contest a week after I return from vacation, but have recruited members who want to join the next time. Incidentally we are all posting good results. Also the winner gets $40.00 at the end ($10 from those who place 2-5th ) so this is working for me. I know I have to lose more & Now I'm feeling like I might, but right now, i'm just interested in getting in extra work outs & keeping my calorie count to a place I dont go crazy & can still lose weight. and you know. giving my friends crap.

CkepiJinx

When I started I weighed 293 at 5'5". I set my original goal at 200 lbs, that would still be obese but I had to lose 93 lbs to get there...
I couldn't fathom past that, until I lost 25 lbs in 2 1/2 months. So I have now adjusted my goal to 175 lbs which will still be overweight but not obese. We will see how the next few months go and I can either leave it or readjust.

meshashesha2012

my overall goal is to be size 6, around 70 pounds loss, be able to do a 5 pull ups.

i break these down into incremental goals

DavPul

Why is every question on this site an either/or? Set both. A major goal and smaller incremental goals so you can have victories along the way.

fitQueenbeast

I set one big goal and then set smaller incremental goals at 10 pounds each. That's much better to deal with than looking at the end result and not being close to it.

ihad

Both. Keep your eye on the big, long term goal, but stay motivated by achieving short term goals. I lost a lot of weight five pounds at a time.

ipsamet

I have one goal weight that I'm hoping to get to, but I have lots of other fitness, non-weight related goals that I have been able to meet along the way: do a triathlon, run a 10k, and ones that I hope to be able to do soon: squat my body weight, do an olympic distance triathlon, do a half iron man, run a marathon. Those mini-goals help keep me focused even when the scale isn't going my way and remind me that ultimately, it's about being a healthier me.

californiagirl2012

When I started MFP, I was 267pounds and the BMI charts told me that healthy for my height would be 190. I set my goal at 240 thinking that'd be a miracle in itself because that was a 27 pound weight loss and doing it in smaller goals seemed like it would be easier.

But as I read the message boards, it seems like so many of you set one major goal and work toward that instead of smaller, incremental ones. Which method is more motivating to you and why? For those of you who have tried both ways, why did you switch?

When I first started on this journey I only wanted to lose weight and get down to a size in clothing that I was when I was younger. As I progressed along I rejoiced in the "decades" of lbs lost. Then I found a workout that had me focus on circumference measurements based on the "golden ration" which I found to be a good ball park goal, and along with this was a "weight range" mainly dependent on height. This got me far beyond my original goal (which was size 8) and down to a size 2-4 because that was where I landed with the metric goals I used. It got me to a level of fitness and leanness I did not ever dream possibly especially for an over 50 year old woman.

So I would say everyone is different. But most people do well with a long term goal and break it down into increments as well, and then you goals can change as time goes on like it did for me.

Everyone is different in what motivates them. Some like to have stickers on a calender for forward calorie days, forward workout days, marking success. Others it's clothing. For me, I liked pictures of clothing I wanted to wear. I had one dress from an athletic catalog (smaller women's clothing that wouldn't have fit when I started my journey). I hung the catalog picture up for about a year, then finally got small enough to order it and it was a tremendous victory for me.

Lrdoflamancha

I agree, I have one major goal and that is 185. But although I keep my eye on that goal I also set smaller goals. Like every time I pass a zero, I reward myself. Also at every 25 lbs is a cause for celebration. At each 50 is a major reward. Finally when I go below 200 will be a biggie.

pkw58

I set my initial goal to the top of my healthy weight range. Once I got there, to the middle. Now it is just to maintain between the bottom of my healthy range and 5 lbs ups.

Xaspar

I do both.
I have the major goal to get down to 140, but I also have minor goals that I can celebrate progress along the way.
Example:

Push 20,000 pounds of weight around in the gym per workout without increasing reps or sets (weight only).

Cut 10 minutes off my 2000 yard swim time.

Master more complicated Yoga moves (one at a time).

Cut down my 12 mile bike time by ANY increment of time.

Reduce body fat percentage by 2% (again).

Loss of any 5 pound increment! Whoot!

MissNations

It's totally up to you. Lots of people break down their loss into smaller increments. If that sounds easier to manage, then do it. I just had one goal, but I didn't have a huge amount (aiming for 30lbs) to lose. If I'd had 100lbs to lose, I probably would've done increments of 20 or something.

Whichever helps YOU, that's what you should do.

rileamoyer

Why is every question on this site an either/or? Set both. A major goal and smaller incremental goals so you can have victories along the way.

This is what I did, then once I hit my major goal, I decided to go for another 10lbs and all was well with the world.

P05T5CRIPT

I have several smaller goals, it seemed like too much to me to just say I needed to lose 100lbs. So I set myself 5 mini goals that I could meet:

1. 1st Goal: 227 (25lbs Lost: 1/4 of the way)
2. 2nd Goal: 202 (50lbs Lost: half way)
3. 3rd Goal: 177 (75lbs Lost: 3/4 of the way)
4. Final Goal: 152 (100lbs Lost)
5. Fitness Goal: Run in a 5K Race

So far I've met goals 1 and 5 and am close to meeting goal 2. It's a great feeling knowing your reaching your goals, no matter what they are. Even fitting into a smaller size top or jeans is a mini goal, in fact, those are the goals I've enjoyed the most!

KarensCanDoIt

Why is every question on this site an either/or? Set both. A major goal and smaller incremental goals so you can have victories along the way.

This is what I am doing as well. Initially I picked a number as an end goal, but my interem goals have been lower dress sizes. Now that I've reached the dress size that I thought was completely unattainable for me, I am aiming for the end goal in pounds. I'm curious what dress size that will actually put me in. But, it really depends on how I feel. I like reaching the mini-goals within the main goal.

ravengirl1611

for me I have my goals set to smaller increments - it throws my numbers off if I try to put the ultimate end goal in and it can seem pretty daunting when I look at the big picture - that and my final goal weight is negotiable - you have to put one in so I did but for me ultimately its the inches and level of fitness that Im working towards - if I get where I want to be and the scale still says 150lbs (rather than my "goal" weight of 130lbs) then I'm ok with that - I focus on each day / week at a time - if I've crept up I look at this week to see what if anything went wrong and what I can change - as long as the inches keep coming off and the weight slowly drops ( it's dropping quite slowly because Im strenght training and eating less so it doesnt fall as quickly) I'm happy - Like others I've got some non- food rewards in place for certain mini-goals met and Im still planning out my final reached my ultimate goal reward (new custom tattoo!) I'm also starting to plan the next big goal for after this one's been met.

FITFORT

For me, it has been smaller goals. In fact, when I first started, I had no idea that I'd be able to stick with it for any amount of time. So in the beginning, I didn't even have a number in mind. My goal was just "to do better tomorrow than I had done today." Gradually, I began to make mini-goals with exercise. Finally, after a couple of months, I started with a 10 pound goal. When I got that one achieved, I set another 10 pound goal. Long story short, and after LOTS of mini-goals, I'm down 41 pounds and I'm running regularly. I completed my 2nd 5K race on September 29th.

IruleMYlife

Both for me. I have my BIG goal of reaching 125. I make very small weekly goals, and slightly bigger monthly goals. Its more motivating for me to see the progress though each small goal. It reminds me that I'm making progress and will eventually reach my big goal.

allison_ortiz

I originally weighed 350lbs and thought that 225lbs was a reasonable amount of weight to lose and that I would feel healthier there so that was my original goal, but along the way I set short term goals reach 5% of my total body weight, then 10%, 15%, 20% and so on so it would give me things to look forward to along the way...then I decided to drop my final goal weight to 175lbs, and now to 150lbs, but I am still doing the percentage and I am currently between 40% and 45% total body weight lost, so I would have to say the end goal is great, but at the same time you need smaller goals that you can strive for that keep you motivated!

Start wt: 350lbs. Ht: 5'8" BMI: 55
5%: 332.5lbs. 10/17/2011
10% 315.0lbs. 11/28/2011
15% 297.5lbs. 01/28/2012
20% 280.0lbs. 03/05/2012
25% 262.5lbs. 04/23/2012
30% 245.0lbs. 06/11/2012
35% 227.5lbs. 07/31/2012
40% 210.0lbs. 09/21/2012
Current wt: 199.5lbs BMI: 30.3
45% 192.5lbs. -- / -- / ----
50% 175.0lbs. -- / -- / ----
55% 157.5lbs. -- / -- / ----
Goal wt: 150.0lbs. BMI: 22.8
60% 140.0lbs. -- / -- / ----

hamstermann

Wow, Great Job on all that success you all are having!
After reading what you're all saying, I changed my goal settings to 190. Who knows if I'll ever get there, but I'll leave that as my written goal and keep 240 as the goal in my mind for now.