Sometimes the number is just too big

I'd suggest breaking it down into mini goals, so they're easier to deal with.

You can do this!

It's not just you.

I keep in mind that I have around 95# to go, but focus on smaller, closer goals. Right now, I want to get to 213 (18 to go) by January 9th so I can brag about losing 100# in a year. Next will be getting under 200, then hitting the 10 increments.

I set my first goal at "getting up and walking a mile". From there, I was elated when I lost 10 lbs.

Know what my goal is now?

1 more. Every day that I reach a goal, my next goal is just 1 more lb lost.

I've lost a ton of weight, gained a MUCH healthier life, and focused on doing everything one step at a time... one day at a time.

Yep. Mini goals. Start with 10% of your current weight, then 20%, or whatever you choose. You won't be losing it all at once, but in time. Just keep consistent and be honest with yourself and you'll do great!

I had the same issue. I have 110+ pounds to lose, and that is a staggering number. However, I broke it into mini goals. Even twenty pounds seemed like too much to me, so I chose ten pound increments. I have a lot of mini-goals, but it is -SO- satisfying to mark each one off on my profile page, and to see that number go down, slowly but surely.

Best of luck to you on your journey. You can do it!

I agree with the others, focus on smaller goals. Go for 10 lbs, or 10% of your body weight first. Just keep trying your best no matter what. And know that some days your best is better than others, and you most definitely are not alone.

Give yourself mini goals...when you lose 10 pounds you get a blah blah
when you lose 20 lbs you get a blah blah and so forth...works for me!

Yup, just break it up into smaller junks. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then the first mile, the next, and so on. Focus on what you need to lose each week and work toward that. Have goals for what you want to have lost after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and work toward those. Make adjustments as necessary.

It can be very eye opening for sure, that's when you approach the facts like an adult and do it one step at a time just like every one else has said...Don't focut on the "How did I get to here" or the "How did I do this to myself" honestly, I think we all know the answer to this and it has to do with eating too much/eating unhealthy and not moving.

If you can change those things, you are ready!!

I would also make sure all my smaller goals along the way aern't just weight/scale related...Give yourself little motivational pushes along the way such as I want to exercise xxx minuts longer or go at a speed xxxx bit faster and keep bumping up those small goals as you meet them...

Very soon you'll be on your way and instead of saying "How DId I get to Here?" You'll be saying "Look how far I've come!!!"

:bigsmile:

I was going to use the "how do you eat an elephant" analogy also, but then I thought... we are trying to lose weight. We shouldn't be eating elephants.

Hang in there, and we are all allowed to whine once in a while. It is a long and sometimes tedious journey! That is why I am here; to support and encourage as well as be supported and encouraged! Like many have said breaking up the big goal with much smaller goals has helped me along the way. I looked at weight goals I wanted to achieve based on personal reasons...ex..friend's weight who at the time weighed less than I did...Weight when I first started my job...weight when I graduated from high school...losing 100 pounds...weight when I started high school...etc. Looking at entertaining and reachable goals made life just a bit easier.

Well. Regardless of whether you set mini goals or not, you still *KNOW* how much you have to lose. Even if you say 'I'm just going to lose 20 pounds, you still know you have 100+ to lose because the number you are at stares you in the face every morning, and just losing 20 pounds? Still doesn't make you healthy. In my case at least mini goals are self defeating.

What about thinking of it like this:

Time inevitably flows by. Regardless of what you do or the choices you make, the next year WILL happen, one day at a time it will go past. When that year is over, do you want to be in the same place you are right now? Or do you want to look back and say, hey, I made healthier choices this past year and I lost X pounds. Every one seems to stress out so much over the numbers (I know I do for sure) when in reality its about changing your decisions a little bit at a time. So when this year is over you can still be at the exact same spot you are right now, or even worse, or you can be better. A little bit better, a whole lot better. It's not like time stops just because you didn't choose healthy options, or the world is just sitting there waiting on you to be healthy. The world happens regardless. There's no deadlines, no time limit on things.

Idk when I'm freaking out about how far I have to go, I just remember I'm going to live the next year anyway, God willing, so why not be better at the end of it then the start of it?

Five years ago, October 1, 2007, I weighed 220 pounds - I wanted to lose 100 pounds! I really just did not think about the ONE HUNDRED. I just concentrated on eating less and more healthy foods and exercising daily. I didn't set mini goals! I lost steadily and by August, 2008 I had reached my goal. I of course gained 45 of it back and have since lost that, but my point is, it is just a number. Don't dwell on on that number, just concentrate on YOU and what YOU are doing on a minute-to-minute basis. It is not insurmountable, it can be done. With determination and stamina and willpower and lots and lots of hard work, you will succeed. Just concentrate on what YOU want to accomplish, YOUR ultimate goal, YOU!! Wishing you much GOOD LUCK!!! :drinker:

Maybe it's just me...maybe I need to grow up, and deal with it...

But lately, the past few days especially, I have been looking at the amount of weight that I need to lose (125lbs) and I just freak out. Like, this can't be done...why am I trying..Why did I let myself get this way...

I'm not giving up, it just seems like it can be a bit much at times...overwhelming...

/whining

If you dont start now, it wont be 125 to lose. It will be 130 or 140 or 150 etc to lose. Think of it that way. I had 70 to lose when I started and said Ill be damned if I let it get to 75-80-100 or whatever as the starting point. The thought of getting heavier yet was worse than the starting number. Give that a thought and ask if you wanna be even more overweight.

Accept that this will be a long journey. I have been told that this a marathon not a sprint.