Question for people who set themselves goals

I set what looks now like an unrealistic goal. When I set it, it was to lose 2 lb/wk, and I knew it would be hard. But I did it because I think it would make a measurable difference in my health and reduce the amount of medication I have to take. (I lost 30 lb. this year, and reduced my meds a little bit.)

What happens if I don't make it? I set a new date, and go on. If I do make it? I set a new goal.

It's a tool.

Hi,
I've been doing this consistently for a little more than 2 months. I've lost about 10 lbs. I've learned that some weeks I don't lose, other weeks I lose a little, like 1/2 pound, but this past week I've lost 3 (I was also sick so that always means a bit more of a weight loss). I've set myself some long-term goals but like yourself, I have at least 50 pounds to lose. It's important to me to keep it all in perspective. I've learned quite a bit in the past 2 months about how much I need to eat eariler in the day and not "save" calories for later in the day. It really helps me to maintain my metabolism. I've learned to exercise more frequently, that 3X week is not enough for me. I've cut back 1/3- 1/2 on my alcohol intake! Wow! Those were a lot of empty calories I was consuming. The results are: I've lost at least 10 lbs, I sleep better, I have more energy than I've had in years, many of the annoying little health problems I was starting to have are gone. Had I known this was possible - in such a short time - I would have made it a goal but it's a benefit of my hard work and dedication. Every day I tell myself, "I can do this." and it's working. My ultimate goal is to be at a healthy BMI by the time I hit 49 (December 2013). I think that's reasonable. And I plan to live like this for the rest of my life. That's my ultimate goal.

I know what you are referring to OP. I don't get it either. I am a lone wolf I guess, ahahah. I like to have goals, but no specific deadline. As long as I am still trucking along, we are doing good. I don't think weight loss is a competition, and I don't think that is a good way to look at it.

I think people who make those kind of goals set themselves up for failure. Most of the time it's a really big amount of weight, and unless you are a large person, you don't tend to lose the weight that fast. At least not in a healthy way. They will either do a yo-yo diet or take pills, but they'll just gain it back shortly thereafter. Most people look for quick ways to lose it without realizing that it a LIFESTYLE change.

I have a goal. I set it at 30lbs back in March, but I didn't give myself a real deadline. I'm 18lbs down in 7months with another 10-12 to lose. While I'd love to lose it by Christmas, I really don't see it happening...and I'm ok with that.

I set a goal to be down to a particular weight by my birthday, which meant I would have to average nearly a 4 lb/wk loss. It was twice what I usually averaged and seemed far fetched. However, like someone else mentioned, it made me a more aware of my choices leading up to the date. I was working out 3x a week and added cardio 2x a week. I got within 2 lbs of my goal and while disappointed, I was also quite thrilled to have gotten so close. My next goal is to lose 25 lbs by Jan 1st, which gives me about 16 weeks to achieve it. I stalled right after the goal mentioned above (losing only 1.4 lbs in 23 days). Thinking of my Jan 1st goal and frustrated with the stall, I re-evaluated what I was doing and discovered I was not accounting properly for the calories I was burning with the cardio I added in and some days my net calorie intake was under 1000. Last time I went below 1200-1300 calories I stalled as well. I have adjusted my eating now to account for the cardio burn and have lost 4.4 lbs in the past 6 days. I am now only 8 lbs away from the goal I had set for Jan 1st!

I'm not doing anything extreme or outrageous and with the extra cardio, I have found myself feeling even more energetic than before. My daily calorie goal is set to 1500 but on cardio days, I get about 1300-1400 and non-cardio I get up to 1700 on occasion. I do strenth training 3x/wk and as of this week, am doing cardio 4-5x/wk.

Overall, if I make a goal - great! If I don't (like above) - well, I just keep trying. It's not like I'm going to quit or give up. I made a lifestyle change 10 months ago and regardless of actual goals & deadlines I set, I know I will get where I need to be in good time.

I set myself goals. for example to be down 15 (now 13 yay!) by xmas. if I reach it then YAY! if I don't I'm not gonna eat any Christmas candy (would only eat one or two anyways). When I reach 200 I'm gonna by a FitBit, when I reach 175 a weekend away in a hotel with my hubby, 150 the tattoo I've always wanted to get... stuff like that

Yes I set days to be at them. it keeps me motivated and moving. if I reach them? yay! my reward! if I don't reach them by that day? darn... time to double the workouts and the reward just has to wait.

If I don't set goals I do yo-yo dieting and just get burnt out and leave... starts seeming like what's the point I'm never gonna make it down those 60+ pounds I'm only 4 down now... it's pointless..... the goals keep me moving in the right direction and excited for the next level.

Many people like to compete. The extra motivation is sometimes beneficial. Stretch goals are great. They can give you that bit of extra motivation to get it done. I'm not a fan of easy goals. I don't know what people do when they don't hit their goals. It's not always about competing, sometimes it's about accountability. If your part of a group trying to accomplish the same thing you have other people looking at your food diary or checking in on how much you exercise. Some people don't want that, other people want all the help and accountability they can get.

I have a weight loss goal. It's the upper end of what my BMI is supposed to be. I haven't been that weight since high school. I don't have a time limit on it. I also have a bunch of smaller NSV goals. I get excited every time I tick one off then I try to add a new one. It's the progress that is most motivational to me.

I found that having a goal to run a 5K was a huge motivator. I picked a race a reasonable amount of time into the future and my goal was to run it in 30 minutes. The 30 minute part was a big stretch. Leading up to the race my best 5k time was 37.5 minutes. On race day I did it in 31.5 minutes. That was this past weekend. Missing my goal isn't going to set me back. Instead the big improvement is a motivator for me. My next 5k will be under 30 minutes, I'm sure of it. I want to be able to run a 10K in the spring. I haven't picked a race yet. I should because then I know I have a date that I need to be ready for it by. That is motivating for me.

When I was losing weight steadily, I set a goal to be in onderland by Dec 1st (which equated to 13-15lbs in 2-3 months). Then I platued 5-6 weeks ago. I know why I stopped losing but its been very hard to fix it.

When I started I refused to set goals out of fear that I wouldnt make it. Then I set goals and Im not going to make it. I think I am gonna quit setting long term goals and focus on today alone.

I have read that losing more than 2 pounds a week is ok when you are obese (which I am) I should be 140 to 170 and started this journey at 236. I lost 3 pounds a week the first 3 weeks, then 1, 2 and then 3 again. Last week I lost almost 4. So that is 19 pounds in 7 weeks. I have cut my calories by a TON, I can't even think of how many I consumed on a day to day basis. I also added 45 minutes or more of cardio, and strength activities 6 or more days a week. Basically I went from a slug to a a little bit smarter and skinnier slug. But I will not be a slug anymore! I am in the biggest loser competition at work and will be done 11/16, I will run my first 5 mile charity event on Thanksgiving, and I will be under 200 pounds by the end of the year. That gives me 8 weeks for 17 pounds. I don't think that it is a crazy goal, just a goal. I have done everything healthy that I can without making choices that I can't keep up with. If I don't get to my goal I will be close, and I will thank everyone who helped push me and keep me going along the way!

I think that a lot of people who set goals have a lot of weight to lose, or are near the end of their goals and just need the goal and or the team challenge to stay accountable and really push through. There are plenty of days that I don't want to get out of bed, but I have a weigh in on Friday and I want that dang thing to show me a smaller number every week, so I push through, sweat and all! There is no failure because I haven't and won't quit!
(grain of salt- I understand some people haven't made the committment, haven't really made the sacrifice to eating better, or really changed their activity- I am speaking for myself and those who have)

I've stopped doing timed goals. I have my eating sorted, I have my training routine sorted. If in a few months I'm not seeing results that I like I'll take a step back and reconsider. I'm not going to make a drastic short term change so I can meet some arbitrary target.

I set aggressive goals for myself. I am a competitor by nature, so this helps me stay focused. Weighing in as a supportive group on here each week is similar to Weight Watchers. It gives you support, focus, and weekly reminders of the behavior that will keep you on track.

When I started on May 1st, my goal was to lose 50 pounds by Halloween, and I've lost 55. My next goal is 15 pounds by the end of the year. This goal will keep me focused during the holidays. If I don't hit a specific goal, then I look back at my diary and see where I can improve, but it hasn't derailed me yet.

To a certain extent, I agree that goals need to be SMART (as mentioned by JasonDetwiler above), and that many of the goals here may not be that. However, I am a strong believer in the motivation that one gets when one has a goal (be it SMART or not). People are generally a lot more motivated when they work towards something. Only downside is that if the goal is unrealistic, the person may get discouraged when the time comes.. But then if that's the case, then make another goal! A more realistic one and keep that motivation going. This goes for every other goal in life, sometimes it is not the goal, but the journey that is really enriching. You may not reach your weight goal by a certain time, but the true effort you put in exercising, eating right etc will show regardless and that's what matters; how you feel about yourself and not just the number on that darn scale.

In short, I am glad people are making themselves goals. People need purpose, and if they need some goal, SMART or not, to feel geared to changing their lifestyles for the better, then why not?

Goals need to be SMART

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time Bound

If you don't have all of those, your goal is BS.

I call BS on that. We all have different ways of defining and working towards goals.

Hm... I LOVE those sorts of challenges. I joined one to lose 10 pounds in October and I lost 8. I did this by consuming 1200~1800 calories per day and getting out for at least an hour of physical activity per day-- usually either by taking a long walk through hilly neighborhoods or jogging (depending on my intake). I don't think that sounds extreme or unhealthy.

I love them because I'm the type of person who works best with a tangible goal. If I decide to lose 2 pounds a week, I will work my hardest to lose 2 pounds a week. I feel accountable to the people I'm doing it with and to myself. It helps me to know that I'll be reporting to somebody at the end of each week. Although before MFP, I just reported to my calendar in bright ink. ;D Also, it helps to set a high goal, because I work harder!! Although I'm not disappointed when I lose less than that. Let's be realistic. I wouldn't even be upset if I lost 4 or 5 pounds in a month. I'm just more dedicated when I set the bar high. (I would be disappointed if I lost way less than that, because for me, that would mean that I probably betrayed my fitness goals on multiple occasions that month. I know how to get my body to lose 1~2 pounds a week and still feel good, so if I don't, I feel like I fell short.)

Also, I love thinking about how I can creatively lose the weight to reach my goal, and I don't really get that thought process if I'm in the mindset of "It will happen as it will..."

Because I've never starved myself, overworked myself, etc. etc. etc. to reach my goals, I don't have problems keeping it off. Developing good habits, exercise, and counting nutrients is big for me. I do gain it back when I stop thinking about nutrition altogether, although not as direly as it could be. I gained 30 pounds over a year when I lived in Kobe, Japan, which I blame on their famous breads and pastries and their heavenly desserts. They have these little things called "mochi" which are to die for, which are basically made of some rice product with the consistency of taffy and filled with 1/4~1/2 c. of sweet red bean paste. So basically it fits in the palm of your hand and packs more than 300 calories.

Anyway, I did challenges before then and I've done challenges since, and they don't inhibit my fitness goals in the long term. It's stimulating. You just have to do it right.