Do you know your end Date??

tbrain1989

I notice the majority of people have a ticker on their profiles which show there aims or track there progress.

Have any of you planned your end date?

i have looked at how much weight i want to lose, i know how much weight i should lose a week based on my deficit, then i worked out the total number of weeks.

ive now put a yearly wall planner on the wall behind my desk, i have marked the day each week i weigh myself and i have marked the end date with a big circle.

hopefully this works for me and will be a great track where i can see if im on target or if it slips

facilitators1334

I hope in 3 months. But I know I will set a new health goal.

tbrain1989

thats the thing, if you have a moving goal thats still fine, just keep moving the goal post on your record.

deladypilot

I did something sort of like that. My ultimate goal was to lose 2 lbs per week, which was the high end of what they consider a healthy weight loss. I got out a piece of paper and wrote my starting weight first and then subtracted my 2 lbs on each weigh in date. This helped me to see how long it would take and to see if I was on track. Some weeks I lost more than 2 lbs and some weeks, less but in the end I reached goal weight about the time I thought I would.

I think this works unless someone has an emotional hard time when they do not hit their goal each and every week. I never got upset if I did not lose 2 lbs that week because I understood that the body sometimes does what it wants to do even when we try real hard.

So go for it.

tbrain1989

thats amazing that it worked, when i wrote the topic i thought to myself someone must have tried this.

the biggest thing for me, is realising that the end date isnt that far away, i can actually see it on the same calendar as this year and thats big motivation

thanks for sharing about aiming for 2lbs and sometimes getting more and sometimes getting less

pluckabee

Hmm.. I personally don't think this would work everyone. It wouldn't work for me I'm sure.

You just cant predict how much weight you are going to lose, and the closer you are to your goal, the less weight you are able to lose per week. Even if I start at 2lbs a week, I know by the end I wont be losing 2lbs a week and If I had planned an end date I would get really frustrated that I wont reach it and have to keep moving it.

Its better for me to just acknowledge that this is going to take as long as it takes. It could take me over a year even, maybe two and I have to be ok with that. Trying to plan an end date for me would be a distaster.

blakerb29

Minimum 2 months, maximum 4 but don't know for sure.

There is no true end date as being fit and slim is a lifestyle not just a diet ;-)
Will also be resuming weight-training when the fat is gone.

watfordjc

My original end date (for the weight loss phase) was March 22nd 2014 (134.5 lb/~6-8.5%BF).
My current end date (for the weight loss phase) is December 28th 2013 (155 lb/~8.5%BF).

I assumed 1% weight loss per week (currently 5 pounds ahead of target, or 4.6 pounds behind target, depending on if I ignore early water weight losses or not, respectively).

My original goal weight and date also was based on BMI, and an estimation of body fat using a formula, and the assumption that 20% of my weight loss would be lean mass.

My current goal weight and date is based on data from 3 Bod Pod scans and the fact I'm not losing much lean mass (40.251 lb fat mass loss, 0.63 lb lean mass loss). March 22nd 2014 will probably be a goal date for increasing lean mass in a calorie surplus, but that depends on what the other 12-weekly Bod Pod results say.

ironanimal

No real expectations here. It took me years to get fat so I don't expect it to come off quickly. I'll probably have some kind of estimate once I weigh in this week, since this is only the second week I've actively been trying to lose.

fattyfoodie

I have an end date in mind, basically I chose it based on a 0.5 pound loss per week. Mind you, my average weekly loss is closer to 1 pound averaged over time, so as of right now I am quite ahead of my target. However I do realize that as I progress my fat loss is likely to slow down so that is why I chose that target date.

As I approach my target I will reassess as needed.

PlayerHatinDogooder

I'm a little afraid to know my end date.

If I met my end by having some piano fall on my head three years from now I feel like all I'd be doing is thinking about it.

ndj1979

there is no end date..I am doing this for life..

once you have an "end" you start slacking and putting weight back on ..

make the changes for life OP

momzeeee

My goal was to be my goal weight by Memorial Day weekend. I actually hit it in March and then ended up losing several more pounds after I transitioned into maintenance

Aventuria

As for the weight loss, my goal is to be where I want to be at the end of 2013.
As for the bigger picture: I want to be nicely toned on my wedding next year (May) and then never look back to my bigger self. ;-)

I too counted the end date out when I first started three years ago with 130kg/285lb, but that obviously didn't work out. I'm now to my last 15kg/30lb and don't stress about it as much as I did at the beginning.

Crankstr

NEVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

_Wild_Card_

Everyone has an end date. No need to worry cause, everybody will die.

AllonsYtotheTardis

No end date. I'll be done cutting when I like what I see in the mirror.


My first year here, I was aiming to lose 40 lbs in the year - because I knew I had gained my first 40 extra in one year, so I knew it was possible. I was very happy to surpass that, and I kept going.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

For me there is no end date. I passed my goal weight months ago but now I'm working on body composition. When I hit my goal I'll find a new one.


ETA: I have my doubts about setting deadlines as a good strategy. I'm sure it helps some people but it seems like a lot of pressure to put on yourself, especially since stalls often happen. You're unlikely to lose exactly the amount you plan for the entire time you're losing. Just don't set yourself up to be disappointed if you don't make your goal, and be proud of whatever progress you've made in that time.

Dewdropps

I have something like that for my own eyes (because I am obsessive with planning ahead). It helps to know an approximate time frame. It will most likely fluctuate and move in the end, but I am ok with that.

jim9097

There is no end date; to succeed you must make a lifestyle change. Those who look at this as a temporary thing to meet a goal will ultimatley put it back plus a couple extra for good measure.

CristinaL1983

I have a BodyMediaFit and it gives me a moving end date. I'm down to the last 11 pounds so it's telling me that by the end of June I'll be at goal. If I had started with a end date in mind when I started losing, I would be 3 weeks behind right now (because it would be based on a 2 lb per week loss). I've had a couple slower than average weeks. All in all, not too bad but I just figured it would take as long as it takes to lose and then I'll be at maintenance and set new goals based on fitness and muscle growth.

If you set a realistic goal it could be either motivating or detrimental based on how strictly you view that and how you are with deadlines.

omma_to_3

I've passed up my end date but haven't hit my goal...YET. I just keep resetting the expectation in my head. Now, I'm hoping by end of year I'll be at goal. Things are moving quite slowly on these last 20 lbs.

indyducks

For me, I don't know the end date because I don't know the day that I will die. I don't look at this as a weight loss "event" with an end date, but rather, a significant change in my lifestyle that will last forever.

CristinaL1983

There is no end date; to succeed you must make a lifestyle change. Those who look at this as a temporary thing to meet a goal will ultimatley put it back plus a couple extra for good measure.

I don't understand this mentality. Making healthy choices for life is obviously important but denying that weight loss is a temporary phase of a healthy life doesn't make sense. I'm hardly going to eat at a deficit forever. I'm going to go from eating at a deficit to eating at maintenance at some point. The only way this wouldn't be true is if I was eating at the maintenance level for my new weight (in which case, I could expect to hit my goal weight in something like 3 years).

Mother_Superior

Rather than focusing on just fat loss, I decided to start paying attention to performance and strength goals. Weight loss isn't linear, and doesn't always fall off the way you think it should. I figure that rather than setting goals that depend on something that may or may not happen no matter how well I focus on the numbers, I'd hold on to my sanity much easier if my goals were always 1 more set, 5 more pounds of weight on the bar, or 30 seconds off my last time. Then I'd never settle for my limits and constantly be in a state of improvement.

tuckerrj

Not exactly an "END" date, but I'm losing weight to look my best at my daughter's wedding in Dec.'13. That's a goal date. But my plan is to eat properly and exercise to stay healthy until my own "end date".

palmerar

No end date, but I think it's good to keep adjusting your goals according to your progress and what you want to see. A lot of people start on MFP with magic number in their head as a weight loss goal but I think once you learn more about eating the right foods, being active and how your body reacts to those things your initial goals may change.

Iron_Lotus

When i'm dead

katy_trail

I have an estimate of when I might reach it, but being that it's 6 months away, that could be extended easily. due to many different circumstances. all that really matters is that I keep making progress. stronger, each week, each cycle, without injuring myself or getting sick for as long as possible. along the way, i'll be losing fat. but the process would be the same cutting or bulking. I'm completely addicted to weightlifting. I expect to be in love with it for decades, hopefully the rest of my life. When I'm done smashing this goal, I'll make a new goal. keep training, keep learning and improving. time is going to pass whether I train or not. I want to make the most of each workout. I only get one chance to do it well.

SimplyDenyse

I hope to have reached my goal by September and continue from there.

cals83

I don't know my end date. This whole thing is really just a big experiment to me to try and understand nutrition and my body better. I still haven't figured out what works for me for losing weight vs. maintenance vs. putting on a few lbs of muscle.