Am I giving up by changing my goal dates?

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aippolito1
aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
in Motivation and Support
My dates at first were really good and realistic...then I went and drank a lot on my 21st and gained 3 lbs of water weight that took almost 2 weeks to get off. Then I had a visit from TOM and kicked up my strength routine causing me to retain water for 2 weeks... so I know I'm not going to make 150 by June 1st. Or 140 by July 15th - especially since the last 10 is supposed to be the hardest, right? I changed my goals to 150 by June and 140 to July but I honestly don't think it will happen.

Should I just get rid of them altogether? I'm about to change up my cardio to hopefully get this weight loss going again but other than that, I feel discouraged by having to change the dates AGAIN and knowing it will be later... or that I might not reach them again. I haven't even officially gotten down to 160 which was supposed to happen a whole month ago. I'm tired of this and just want to be successful. :(
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Replies

  • sblim
    sblim Posts: 99
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    I would leave your goals as they are and when you get to the first date, don't get discouraged and realize how much progress you've made and then change them based on current info (weight, plans, etc). If you are losing weight, gaining strength, and getting fit, you are really improving on other areas and you don't have to let a weight number get you down!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    But I AM down about it! I haven't lost in a MONTH and I've been working my *kitten* off!! My fiber is up, I've been working on getting more protein, my sodium is down, my water is up, I've been eating MORE veggies & fruits since the very beginning. I do cardio everyday and burn a lot of calories - at least I think so. I never leave a work out feeling like I could have given more. There's no way I can get rid of this water and THEN lose the 10 lbs by June. :(
  • lisacolleen
    lisacolleen Posts: 2
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    Please don't think of changing your dates as giving up. Losing weight is hard and your body sometimes won't let go...it sounds like you are trying to lose 10ish pounds every 4-6weeks. That's not necessarily realistic when you are so close to your goal weight. Give yourself a mental break, keep changing up your workout routines and your food to make it more interesting and keep your body guessing. Have you thought of trying a workout video like "30 day Shred" by Jillian Michaels? I have a friend that lost like 15lbs in a month by doing that video to kick up her workouts and by eating properly.

    And don't forget you've already lost 19lbs...that's amazing. You've obviously worked hard and there is something showing for it.
  • elyse0210
    elyse0210 Posts: 142 Member
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    I don't think you should keep changing them. If by some reason you can't meet those changed goals you may feel discouraged again. Stick with it and just be proud of what you've done so far. I know what's it's like when I look at the scale and I haven't lost a thing. But you told me to hang in there and just be happy that I'm getting healthy. :)
  • sblim
    sblim Posts: 99
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    If you are strength training you might be adding muscle weight which is great.

    I typically take 2-3 days to shed a bunch of water weight from eating lots of sodium, it really shouldn't take you weeks to do it, so it might be you aren't eating enough or you are putting on muscle weight. Just my guesses.

    If by give up you mean go back to how you (I'm assuming here) used to eat and not exercise, I'm not sure that will help in your overall picture. Making a lifestyle change will help you in the long term and hitting or missing an arbitrary weight number in June won't compare to adding 50lbs back by December by giving up.. I'm just saying! Keep up the great work!
  • hill242
    hill242 Posts: 412 Member
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    I think changing your goal dates is just a natural and realistic decision, not a sign of giving up. I would recommend focusing on your immediate daily goals of eating well to fuel your body and exercising. Also, how much weight lifting are you doing? You may want to incorporate some lifting if you aren't doing any now. My fav site that I always recommend is stumptuous.com.
  • tlilly80
    tlilly80 Posts: 27
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    I would change your goals. Changing your goals is NOT giving up and you shouldn't get down on yourself for it :) No one can anticipate how their body is going to react to the lifestyle change. For all you know, you body could be losing fat and gaining muscle which is why you are not seeing much of a difference in numbers.

    So, if looking at those dates is going to make you feel discouraged and depressed even though you KNOW you are on the right track and you are getting healthier. Then, by all means change them.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    hill242, I don't lift that many weights, just for my arms a little bit... I just do routines I found in Shape magazine. It really challenges me and I can tell it's working my muscles ... should I be lifting more weights? I only have 5 lb. dumbbells and can't even pick up a 10. :( I used to use the machines at my gym but I got really bored with it after 3 months and started doing my own routine. I feel better doing this one but maybe it's not enough weight?

    sblim - I thought about that...but I eat enough of my exercise calories to keep my numbers in the positive and to keep myself from being hungry.
    I would change your goals. Changing your goals is NOT giving up and you shouldn't get down on yourself for it :) No one can anticipate how their body is going to react to the lifestyle change. For all you know, you body could be losing fat and gaining muscle which is why you are not seeing much of a difference in numbers.

    That's not it. I'm not getting smaller either, so it's not body fat I'm losing and muscle I'm gaining.

    If it helps, this is my strength routine:

    5 minutes moderate HIGH jumping rope (I lift my legs pretty high to work my thighs, rather than my calves)
    Bicep curls with dumbbells
    Work arms & shoulders with resistance bands 10-20 reps, sometimes 2 reps per "move"
    3 sets of 10 hip raises
    A 6 move set to strengthen abs and lower back
    6 of the 8 moves in 8 Minutes to Slim - 1 minute each of squats with weights, lunges, mountain climbers, and other things that work the hold body)

    then I go for a 25-30 minute walk. On cardio only days, I usually do 30-40 minutes on the Elliptical and try to burn as many calories as possible. I also do a high calorie burn Turbo Kick class once a week.
  • Bearsy08
    Bearsy08 Posts: 16
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    Don't give up. Don't change your dates. You will be fine. you are almost halfway to your goal so your body might just be at a platue. These always suck and are discouraging but you HAVE to work through it. Play what I like to call a mind **** on yourself and switch it up. Do some cross training or different kinds of workouts other that what you are used to. You will step on the scale one day and you will see a change and then it will be rapid after that. Keep moving and stay motivated. You and I have similar goals, I have struggled a bit because I like to drink to much but I am sticking with it and so should you (the workouts that is) :)
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
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    I would forget your weight related goals completely. At least for now. They are not motivating you, they are bringing you down. Set some health related goals instead. Things that are a challenge but that you can meet with hard work:

    Burn 3500 calories a week.
    Start and complete couch to 5k, and/or the 200 situps challenge.
    Eat all of your recommended servings of fruit/veggies every day.

    If you concentrate for a while on your health instead of your weight what is there to feel bad about? Also, put away the scale for a month and buy a measuring tape. Ultimately you want to be a smaller person, not a lighter person, right?

    You've probably read this already, but I probably read it once a week just to metally prepair myself for an inevitable plateau. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    edited to add link.
  • SugarHi
    SugarHi Posts: 452
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    :flowerforyou: You're never giving up. Life style changes last forever. making adjustments is all part of the process.

    Well wishes to you on your journey
  • hill242
    hill242 Posts: 412 Member
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    Only you can tell if the weight lifting you are doing is challenging enough. Again, I highly recommend stumptuous.com to read up on some strength training information and routine ideas. I encourage you to push yourself to lift heavier. Building up some muscle will help you in so many ways, and don't think that "lifting heavy" = "getting HUGE" because it takes a combination of excessive calories, genetics, and supplements to start looking like Arnold ;-)

    I would also recommend, just glacing over your food diary, to look for a little more protein. Perhaps some Greek yogurt in place of the regular yogurt for one place to start.
  • cathcakey
    cathcakey Posts: 288 Member
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    Do you measure your body fat? Chances are it will be decreasing even if the scale doesn't and to be honest I think it's a much better indicator of general health than stepping on the scales or even checking your BMI (which doesn't take into account your body type, gender, how much you exercise etc etc). Don't fret about the scales too much.

    In terms of weight training, women often stay away from it because they're scared it will bulk them up (even though without taking drugs we simply don't have enough testosterone to do so). I'm sure you know this already but weight training increases the metabolic requirements of your muscles, and so increases your BMR - base metabolic rate - meaning that you burn more calories day to day. I think most women could probably bump up the amount of weights they're doing - maybe set yourself a programme to start lifting with the heavier weights you have? Don't forget to do weights for your legs too eg: weighted squats, lunges, deadlifts etc

    The main point really is to try not be down about it - at the end of the day you're doing all the right things - you're eating healthily and getting lots of exercise - the number on the scales can be a pain in the *kitten* but there are lots of other things to focus on.

    Hope that's helpful!!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    You only gave yourself 3 months to lose 30 pounds (I'm assuming since you joined in March & your siggy says your starting weight was 180)? If that's the case I'm not sure how realistic those starting goals were! :wink: I made really aggressive goals to start, too. I think my original goals had me at 180 by my birthday at the end of this month. After battling with a majorly slowed metabolism for the last 3 months, that goal changed to 199 (which I've almost reached now, early) because I decided I really would feel accomplished if I just reached that by my birthday. But in reality, even if I didn't make my 199 goal and I had only lost 60 or 65 pounds, should I be upset with myself for missing my goal?! NO WAY! The ultimate goal here is to get healthier & lose some weight. Have I done that? You bet. Have you done that? Obviously so! (and congrats!)

    Anyway, if you really only have 20 pounds to lose, any goal that has you losing more than 1/2 pound -1 pound per week is probably just setting yourself up for failure. It's great to have aggressive goals, but I think it's more important to recognize how far you've really come rather than focus so much on whether or not you reached some (pretty meaningless) goal. :smile:
  • lknorthstar
    lknorthstar Posts: 132 Member
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    Yeah, I would leave your goals. I hit a plateau for a month but I still just left my goals. Now I seem to be back on track and it looks like even though I was stuck for a month I will still be darn close to my goal date. Just stick with it, you might get back in track fast!
  • lovingmyjaybird
    lovingmyjaybird Posts: 153
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    I'm scared.. with my 21st birthday coming up..lol.

    Anyway's.. I have gained 4 lbs in 2 weeks.. because I got lazy and reverted back to old habits.. My May 1st goal was 210.. I was there on April 27th..Actually I was at 208.4.. now I'm back to 212.2 YIKES!!! My June 1st goal is 205.. I'm not readjusting my goals until I get to May 1st and see where I'm at.. In 4 days I've taken in 438 oz of water (more by the end of the day today) worked out last night (pm workout) and this morning.. back to measuring my food as of this morning.. I'm just trying to get back on track and hopefully lose 7 lbs in 20 days.. YIKES.. But I'm hopeful.. It's only 0.36 lbs a day.. That's 1260 calories more than I eat a day..in an average day I burn 2400 calories BEFORE exercise.. so I'm eating 1400 and burning 260 in exercise a day SHOULD bring me to 205 by June 1st.. HOPEFUL...
  • lculian
    lculian Posts: 313 Member
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    Dates are great if they motivate you. If a set goal date starts to become something that makes you minimize all of your progress then its no longer a positive tool. Maybe just setting goals around fitness, inches lost and weight lost will have a more positive impact. I know I feel great when I notice that my pants are loose even if the scale hasn't moved. Actually I feel even better if the scale didn't budge and my pants get loose, because that means I'm replacing my belly jelly with muscle!

    As far as your progress goes your body may be telling you it needs a couple days of rest instead of just one.

    The last tip I have is if your muscles feel tired or sore at all don't weigh yourself! You will not like what you see. The soreness is a sign your muscles are holding water from your exercises, up to 3 lbs!!!

    Hope this helps. I think you've been doing a great job and you should be really proud of the progress you've made this far! You should be even prouder of the progress you know you will make if you keep up your new healthy lifestyle. One day at a time and you'll be there before you know it:heart:
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    I started January 1st and lost the 19 lbs by April 12. I'd feel better if my pants were fitting looser, but they're not. I don't feel smaller anywhere - otherwise, yeah, I'd feel successful. That's the point I'm trying to make. I'm not losing inches, I'm just retaining water and I can't seem to break it. I've been drinking at least 100 oz. everyday for the last week (save for Sunday, I didn't do so great). My muscles aren't sore anymore but I got on the scale yesterday and still retaining water from 2 weeks ago. I know it's not fat because I haven't eaten enough to have gained anything.
  • lculian
    lculian Posts: 313 Member
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    I started January 1st and lost the 19 lbs by April 12. I'd feel better if my pants were fitting looser, but they're not. I don't feel smaller anywhere - otherwise, yeah, I'd feel successful. That's the point I'm trying to make. I'm not losing inches, I'm just retaining water and I can't seem to break it. I've been drinking at least 100 oz. everyday for the last week (save for Sunday, I didn't do so great). My muscles aren't sore anymore but I got on the scale yesterday and still retaining water from 2 weeks ago. I know it's not fat because I haven't eaten enough to have gained anything.

    OK try eatting upto your calories every day and see what happens. It looks like you are under consistently. Under means you may not be giving your body what it needs which releases cortisol which builds/stores fat. It also won't let you burn your reserves. Start eatting more girl, what do you have to lose, except those pesky extra lbs. I bet you'll see a change in no time.

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