Has Anyone Adjusted Their Goals Since Beginning?

LMT2012
LMT2012 Posts: 697 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone else had the experience, as they lose, of reevaluating their target loss? I have always said "oh, i'd be happy with 10 or 15 lbs". But as I lose, I realize I could drop double that! Perhaps you have had the opposite situation, and actually are happy losing less than previously thought.
Since charts at the docs office are VERY general (even at a size 8 at 5'7" it said i was "overweight), how do you gauge your own goals?

Replies

  • RDawn7
    RDawn7 Posts: 38
    I have not adjusted my goals. My doctor says I have to lose 25 pounds, so I'm sticking to that goal. Then, I plan to work on maintaining. Maybe I'll feel different when i reach my goal. But, for now, I am more concerned about my health. Good question though.
  • katiefridley
    katiefridley Posts: 151 Member
    Well, I always said 180 because that's what I weighed in high school and I felt great then, but 170 might not be too bad, either. Well see.
  • spramn
    spramn Posts: 67 Member
    Best way to gauge results in my opinion is the mirror or comparing photos.

    Yes i do alter my calorie goals every few months. As you loose weight i think you have to or you will plateau.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I adjusted my goal from being locked on a certain number to instead focus on getting below a certain body fat % (whatever weight that comes with).
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
    I am 22 lbs away from my goal and am thinking I may adjust it down another 5lbs. But in the beginning that number wasn't as "real" as it is becoming now. I hope that makes sense! LOL
  • emaren
    emaren Posts: 934 Member
    When I started my journey I was over 250lbs and pretty unfit.

    I set the following goals
    Goal #0 - Commit to getting back in shape.
    Goal #1 - Cycle up 'That hill' - Achieved December 2nd 2012
    Goal #2 - under 220lbs - Achieved November 30th 2012
    Goal #3 - 34/34 pants - Achieved December 5th 2012.
    Goal #4 - under 200lbs,
    Goal #5 - 32inch waist,
    Goal #6 - cycle 50+ miles in comfort (I am close to this as of December 2012)
    Goal #7 - climb that hill that eludes me on my mountain bike (Portola)...
    Goal #8 - Burn over 1000cals / hour at the gym every visit. (this is mostly true now)

    The goals still stand, but I am less bothered about my weight, because I realize it is way more about shape and tone for me - at 6-2 I can easily carry 220 as long as I am 'in shape'. I'd still like to drop back under 200 but not at the expense of tone.

    I am very happy where I am....
  • brittany103
    brittany103 Posts: 96 Member
    I've adjusted them several times, my first goal was 15 pounds then went every five pounds after that, my new goal will make it a total of 30 pounds, hopefully I'll be happy after I reach that goal.
  • Sweetsugar0424
    Sweetsugar0424 Posts: 451 Member
    Yup! My original goal was to lose 33 lbs, aiming to be 170 lbs, but as I got closer to that I realized that I wanted more so I upped it 10 lbs and am now shooting for 160 lbs. I WILL reach that and might even go a bit lower, but now my goals (as someone else stated) are becoming more about BF% and how I look in the mirror than the number on the scale. I know what I want to look like (tight and fit, not skinny) and that is what I will shoot for in the long run.
  • anothermop
    anothermop Posts: 187 Member
    Yes, I've changed my goal many times. At 1st I just wanted to lose 15 - 20 lbs. But then I realized it still showed me in the "Overweight" category. I couldn't have my "goal" be that I was still overweight, so I changed my goal to be a couple lbs into the "Healthy" category. Once I met that goal, I changed again to maintain the weight. (I haven't mastered this yet, as I'm still losing weight.)

    My point is that I've changed my goal at least 3 times.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    I gave myself a bunch of goals.

    First it was my pre-pregnancy weight. Then I hit that and chose the middle range for what's considered healthy on the BMI scale. Hit that. Then I chose a 'stretch goal' which I am working toward and judging by the look of my body currently, I can probably aim lower.

    So I wouldn't say I've 'changed' my goal, as such, just set myself achievable ones and moved the ticker accordingly. =)
  • athenaheim
    athenaheim Posts: 496 Member
    I have adjusted it,. When I get to my goal weight I will assess it more and see if I should do more.
  • cubsgirlinny
    cubsgirlinny Posts: 282 Member
    Yes, my goals have changed. Focusing more on bf% now than on gw. How do I gauge? I use the mirror and when it lies I use pics.
  • n2thenight24
    n2thenight24 Posts: 1,651 Member
    My original goal weight has definitely come under scrutiny. I initially wanted to lose 33 lbs, and weight 125. But now at 145, it just does not look to me like I need to lose 20 more lbs. I mean I'm not ready to stop just yet. But 135 may be more realistic.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Yes, I think adjusting as you learn more is necessary.

    For me, weight means less than body fat %. Your weight doesn't differentiate between fat and muscle and bone. Due to your bone structure and/or muscle you could be trying to hit a weight that isn't right for you.
  • keeponkickin
    keeponkickin Posts: 1,520 Member
    Yep, that would be me. I started this journey on January 11, 2011 weighing 277 lbs. I wanted to get fit and reach 150 lb. One year later after joining MFP I could say I was fit and lost 110 pounds BUT for the last year I haven't been able to ditch the last 17 pounds. No matter what I do, it's not coming off. I'm trying to readjust my goal mentally to think this is where my body is telling me it wants to be.
  • cloe31
    cloe31 Posts: 75 Member
    I thought I wanted to be 170lbs but after calculating my body fat %. I think I would be happy with 180lbs
  • JennedyJLD
    JennedyJLD Posts: 123 Member
    I started at 202 with a goal of 150. I hit that, and decided to shoot for 145. I hit that, and decided to shoot for 140. Now, though, it's really less about numbers and more about how I look and feel. I've become a runner, so my goals have a lot more to do with time and distance - weight is usually just a side effect! I'm within a few pounds of my new goal and several below my original goal, so now I'm learning how to maintain. I still have little freakouts when I realize I'm not tracking calories half the time, but I try to be sensible!
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I did. My original goal was 136, which was still on the low end of my BMI range. I hit maintenance, and lost 10 lbs past that.

    My body seems pretty happy in the 125 to 128 range, so I'm sticking to it.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Yes, I'm 5'8" and at my heaviest I was 142lbs. Originally I wanted to get to 120-125 but then I kept losing. Currently 114, now I want to build more muscle and get up to 125-130. Gaining muscle is a much slower process than losing fat, so it'll probably take quite a while.
  • kathyk519
    kathyk519 Posts: 197 Member
    I have goals and bumps in the road. I adjust mainly the timeline of when I think that I will achieve my goals. I adjust how I am going to make those goals - changing up the exercise routine, changing how I count my calories, etc. I also do smaller goals in terms of weight or how many miles I want to run, or how fast to be able to run those miles. I do think that originally I wanted to weigh 135, but now thinking closer to 125. I am 5 ft and weigh 157 now and started at 188. I got to 147 at the beginning of June, but got pregnant and gained (and lost the baby a few weeks ago), and now I am trying to get back to where I was.
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
    bump
  • cmpollard01
    cmpollard01 Posts: 246
    I adjusted my goal from being locked on a certain number to instead focus on getting below a certain body fat % (whatever weight that comes with).

    I've done the same thing. I was so focused on the number the scale gave at the beginning of this journey that I didn't pay as much attention to the fact that my clothes were become loose. Now, I focus on the measurements. i still weigh myself, but only so I can pay attention to trends.
  • moicanu22
    moicanu22 Posts: 11
    1 week and i ajusted! xD
  • OkieinMinny
    OkieinMinny Posts: 834 Member
    I have - my goal was to lose 60lbs - but with thyroid issue and an endocrinologist that has told me its an uphill battle - I have focused on lifting heavy and changing my body composition - and getting stronger - since I have shifted to that Im not AS focused on the scale and my clothes are all getting too big!
  • mystikfairy61
    mystikfairy61 Posts: 80 Member
    I started out weighing 225 and am now at 201. I have adjusted my calories after every 10 pounds or so. Besides that I also determined what size my frame was, and was surprised to find that I had a large frame. But my daughter, who weighs only 138 also has a large frame. There is an excellent site that I have found that helps you determine your body frame size, and other things that are helpful in losing.

    http://www.divine.ca/en/ideal-weight-calculator/c_317/?spfb=like helps determine ideal weight by body frame

    http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm this one has several different ideal weight calculators to choose from

    http://www.superskinnyme.com/body-fat-calculator.html and a body fat calculator


    Hope these help...
  • Starla_
    Starla_ Posts: 349
    My original goal was 65kg but I have been smaller than that so I picked a number I thought would be nice to reach first and then I could see from there. Since I started I have adjusted my goal weight up based on my body fat calculations. I'm currently 70kg and the same size I was when I was less than 65kg and I look a hell of a lot better too. I have a goal weight for my ticker based on a body fat percentage I would like to be but I'm not really all that fussed about that number as my goals are now more fitness based instead of weight based.
  • swat1948
    swat1948 Posts: 302 Member
    Yes I had to adjust my goals because I had so much to lose and I made my first goal not too long ago so I sent my sights on another 50 lbs to be lost...and I have to say this second 50 looks so far away, sighhhh. But I will get there one pound at a time!
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    My goal was 140 - to be healthy. When I reached 145lbs I realised I would not be where I wanted to be in 6lbs time so I lowered it to 126.
  • NaughtyForties
    NaughtyForties Posts: 69
    Has anyone else had the experience, as they lose, of reevaluating their target loss? I have always said "oh, i'd be happy with 10 or 15 lbs". But as I lose, I realize I could drop double that! Perhaps you have had the opposite situation, and actually are happy losing less than previously thought.
    Since charts at the docs office are VERY general (even at a size 8 at 5'7" it said i was "overweight), how do you gauge your own goals?

    Good question - I started with some ridiculous number based on my teenage boxing weight. I've only ever wanted to loose one pound per week as I want to improve my muscle definition, so big losses doesn't serve a purpose for me. My aim is a low BF % and not a goal weight on the scales.

    After 6 - 8 weeks I soon realised that I was right on the money and my execution was going well. I changed my weight number to one stone (-14 pounds) which I achieved last week. I've set a new target another -14 pounds but it's the BF % that drives me. After each stone loss I plan to reevaluate and set a new target if required.

    For me it's a sensible approach and stops me getting too obsessed with what the scales say Scales can drive you mad so having a reevaluation works for me. How about you, what's your take on it?
  • Susanthecatwhisperer
    Susanthecatwhisperer Posts: 141 Member
    I haven't changed my goals, but as I approach it, I may want to take off another 10 pounds. But I'm just going to take it 1 step at a time.:smile:

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