Mini Goals?

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Cloudfish
Cloudfish Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'd been feeling pretty bleugh about the fact that I have 70 pounds to lose to hit my goal weight, but then I decided to break it down into 7 10 pound 'mini goals' and I feel better already. I'm already half way through one mini goal, when I look at it that way! Does anyone else do this? I feel like it might be a good technique. May even reward myself after each goal!!

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  • mittenswillet
    mittenswillet Posts: 697 Member
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    i feel the same way, i need to lose 35 kg so ive broken it down to 5kg mini goals.... :smile:
  • Cloudfish
    Cloudfish Posts: 30 Member
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    It defo makes it easier doesn't it! Focusing on small bits rather than the whole. I'm hoping if I keep doing that it will be less daunting!
  • wandadars
    wandadars Posts: 25 Member
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    You're definitely on to something! All problems worth solving look impossible when trying to tackle the entire issue at once. (From an engineering perspective this couldn't be more true). Breaking things down into small steps allows for progress to be incrementally made. Incremental steps are much easier than giant steps. I set similar goals for myself. Achieving small goals is also rewarding, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification
  • stutzmanmba
    stutzmanmba Posts: 9 Member
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    I do 10-12 week cycles...(Which could be 10-12 pounds for me)..I do reward myself but not with food. ;)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    It helps. I would also suggest making some fitness goals to work on too. It takes your mind off weight loss quite a bit and gives you a feeling of accomplishment even if you haven't lost as much weight as you'd like to. Some of mine are/were:

    Run a 5K
    Lift X amount of weight benchpress
    Run 50 miles in January
    40 flights of stairs in 30 minutes
    Do a mud run

    You get the idea.
  • pRHOfound
    pRHOfound Posts: 1 Member
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    I think giving yourself mini goals is a great way to tackle your overall goal. Lately, in addition to trying to lose weight I have been trying to make it a goal to drink a gallon of water a day to help with flushing out my system. Well a gallon sounds like a lot of water until you break it down into (6) 4 20 oz cups of water or (3) 33.8 bottles of water 6.6 oz. I like to trick myself into doing it like that.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    The best reward for every 10# lost in a long weight loss journey? New clothes. I was a regular at my local thrift stores and bought a few new outfits every 10# or so, just so I had something that fit and would be motivated to not gain it back.
  • StephyGetsHealthy
    StephyGetsHealthy Posts: 46
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    I reward myself every 10-15 lbs. New running shoes, new clothes, a tattoo are all on my list!
  • mekkzy888
    mekkzy888 Posts: 100 Member
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    The best reward for every 10# lost in a long weight loss journey? New clothes. I was a regular at my local thrift stores and bought a few new outfits every 10# or so, just so I had something that fit and would be motivated to not gain it back.

    This. I bought a pair of jeans from a charity shop (UK version of thrift stores) that were a size too small and kept trying them on once a week to motivate me until they fitted. Now they fit perfectly and I'm looking to buy the next size smaller and do the same thing! :p I found it really encouraging to actually feel the difference rather than just read it on a scale.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    It helps. I would also suggest making some fitness goals to work on too. It takes your mind off weight loss quite a bit and gives you a feeling of accomplishment even if you haven't lost as much weight as you'd like to. Some of mine are/were:

    Run a 5K
    Lift X amount of weight benchpress
    Run 50 miles in January
    40 flights of stairs in 30 minutes
    Do a mud run

    You get the idea.

    I find this works best for me.

    If I am having troubles staying on track, I also make nutrition goals: 5 servings of veggies a day, x grams of proteins....
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    This helps me too! My first mini goal was to get under 200 pounds, which was about an 8 pound weight loss. I'm halfway there and even though my ultimate goal is much bigger, it does feel good to be so close to my first goal. This actually feels like a big goal to me though, since I haven't weighed under 200 since before my kids were born!
  • cindyeagleshamdehaan
    cindyeagleshamdehaan Posts: 5 Member
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    I definitely do mini goals. I have 40-50 lbs to lose and my brother said "that's only 4 lbs a month to do it in 10 months." Light bulb moment. So goal is 4 lbs at a time!
  • Cloudfish
    Cloudfish Posts: 30 Member
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    I love the clothes idea; I've picked out 7 rewards, one for each 10 pound drop, and the last one is a pair of Seven for all Mankind Jeans. At my skinniest I had a size 12 pair from TK Maxx and I loved them, so a shiny size 10 pair is the goal!

    It definitely feels more doable in small chunks; I've easily lost 10 pounds in around 3 weeks before, so I only need to do that seven times and I'm home! Makes it all sound so simple huh!!

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