Does anyone feel like their goals are a million miles away?

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  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,415 Member
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    When I started, my goal seemed pretty daunting. And it did take a while. I did what others said, though. I broke it up into smaller goals, and I knew if I didn't start, by that time the following year I would probably be heavier and wishing I had started.

    With 220lbs to lose, even a very optimistic outlook says it will take 110 weeks, or over two years. So I set smaller goals for myself and it's working for me. If anything, the "plan" I am following seems easier than it did earlier on. I am used to it now, got some good habits set and just trucking along :)
  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
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    For me its all about choices.

    Being 1000 miles away is far. I can't argue that.
    But it is better than being 1001 miles away.
    And even better than that? Being 999 miles away. Or 990. Or 950...

    There are so many motivational quotes like this that I like.

    A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
    I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.
    Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

    The distance is there. I can choose to accept it, increase it, or decrease it. And remind myself that every day the distance gets smaller.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Read today's blog from Coach Stevo.
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
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    I get so stoked about reaching my goal and then I'm hit with the realization that it's going to be months before I see my end results and that is very discouraging. I've been trying to make it a day to day thing and that helps. All I can focus on is today. I broke down my goals into smaller ones, so my first goal is just to keep fighting to get under 200 (about ten pounds or less away). Today I focused on increasing the time I spent on the treadmill. One day at a time.
  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
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    Yup. Even though I'm an advocate of being patient. Even though I shoot for small goals, I still get overwhelmed at times. Just push through and don't give up.
  • emmabanks87
    emmabanks87 Posts: 86 Member
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    YES!!!!!! I get annoyed sometimes as im running on the treadmill and working so freaking hard but I feel so fat!! :( I try to tell myself it wont always be like that
  • Ruzuki
    Ruzuki Posts: 136 Member
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    I need to lose like 130+ pounds, it feels like its going to take forever...
    But I have a habit of sticking to something if I really put my mind to it, so I'm going to finally stop making excuses and just watch calories and exercise more. And this morning when I stepped on the scale and realized I was 10 lbs lighter than when I started this a month ago, it was a really good feeling.
  • NK1112
    NK1112 Posts: 781 Member
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    Does anyone else feel like their goals are a million miles away?

    My first goal is to lose 14lbs by mid November. It sounds so achievable but previous failures make me feel like its year away and I am afraid of failing again.

    I am only one day in and this worry is hanging over me.

    Anyone else feel the same? Anyone overcome this feeling and won? My diet perspective is seriously warped after years of the same cycles.

    Yep ... I can relate to that feeling. But it's not something I dwell on cause I don't want to put any more stress on myself than there is already. There are a lot of us on here who, I am certain, have lost and gained and done it again many times over. The trick to finally making some headway is to figure out what works and what doesn't for you .... and certainly logging into your journal for food and exercise (if you do any) is a good thing to do. You can print off, or save to your computer, reports from your food journal that can help you analize what you were eating and doing in the weeks you had good results and in the weeks where you were unhappy about them ... and compare.

    Good luck.

    Oh, yes .. my own journey has been slow but I have been successfull in getting off about 30 pounds and keeping them off ... and it's been a slow ride for me. Lots of weeks on a maintenance like level before the weight starts to drop off again because of all the yo-yo dieting I have done that upset my metabolism and hormones. But I have every intention to keep at it for as long as it takes to get to where I want to be.
  • BevADunn
    BevADunn Posts: 1
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    Yes. I think we all do, sometimes. You are not alone. I find it easier to focus on how good I feel when I eat properly, than to focus on my desired end result. Last October when I started going to a gym, I could barely walk (osteoarthritis in both hips), and the medical system was failing me. I signed up at a gym, got a personal trainer, learned what to eat and WHY, and found foods I liked that were in the "healthy" category. I learned exercises that help me with mobility. Bit by bit, things have improved. I can now walk almost properly again, and I've lost almost 20 lbs. That may not seem like a lot to lose over almost a year, but I feel 100% better than I did last year. And I did it by taking baby steps. My goal is to get back on a motorcycle (had to sell mine last year because I just couldn't ride any longer).

    I'm still a bit away from that goal, but I keep telling myself - "Maybe next year".

    Don't get discouraged. Just do the best you can, every day, and you'll get to your goal.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I don't know what is realistic for me. I am thinking i will celebrate milestones and not how long it took to get there
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
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    It feels like that for me all the time! I totally understand how you're feeling.
  • WarmDontBurn
    WarmDontBurn Posts: 1,255 Member
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    YES!! Almost 7 months in and I cannot lose 20lbs :(
  • skinnywithannie
    skinnywithannie Posts: 6
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    Hello, yes, I do feel that way! But I have just began my 90 day challenge, so I am looking forward to some progress! Patience and motivation! :)
  • paulawatkins1974
    paulawatkins1974 Posts: 720 Member
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    Felt exactly like this at the beginning (with 121 lbs to lose) Now, almost 7 months have passed, I'm happy with my progress, and it seems like just yesterday I started. Believe me it wil become a lifestyle to you and every lb lost will be a victory and before you know it you will be at goal. I knew I had about a year and a half or more to lose it all but the thing is, a year and a half is going to pass anyway, I can choose to stay the way I am because I'm impatient, or journey along and be amazing in a year and a half. You can do this!
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    Yes... If I think about them. Personally, I try to be more process oriented. I know what kind of a life I want... So I eat and exercise accordingly. A successful week for me is one in which I ate healthy and worked out like I wanted to. It's not about a number on a scale or on the label of my jeans. It's not even about the number on the weights I lift. Focus on the process. On changing your life, instead of the weight you want to be. I saw this quote and it's kinda become my motto... "If you focus on results, you'll never change. If you focus on change, you'll get results."
  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
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    One day at a time, you will get there I promise!!!:flowerforyou:
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
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    No. My goals are:

    - Log into MFP every day.
    - Log everything I eat, or a close approximation of it.
    - Based on what I'm eating, get enough exercise to keep me around 1500 net on an average day of the week
    - Lift enough heavy things to keep from losing too much muscle
    - See downward movement on the scale

    Goals: ACHIEVED today, and every other day for the last 10 weeks.

    Ultimate scale goal - not achieved yet, but I'm heading in the right direction and I have the map telling me how to get there.
  • shifterbrainz
    shifterbrainz Posts: 245 Member
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    Yeah but thats probably because I made it my personal goal to be able to see my abs XD

    I could see my abdomen just fine, its my feet I was missing :P LOL

    My goal weight sure seemed like a million miles away until I did some number crunching. It's my understanding that if adding 1lb of body fat takes 3,500 unburned calories, wouldn't adding 300lbs take just over a MILLION unburned calories? :( 300lbs x 3,500 calories/lbs = 1,050,000 excess calories consumed.

    Is that even possible . . . 1,000,000 calories? Is that possible to do in, say 6 years? The math seems to show that 6 years x 365 days/year = 2, 190 days. Divide 1,000,000 calories by 2,190 days = 456.6 unburned calories per day.

    Holy cow, if that's correct, all it takes is to add the equivalent of a single Hostess Fruit Pie or (1) extra slice of a Pizza Hut Bacon-n-Cheese Stuffed Crust Meat Lover's pizza or (1) extra McD's Quarter Pounder to what you already eat every day.

    Well if you want to be a millionaire, there ya go :-/

    To me, the calorie numbers are just that, numbers. But seeing the food that equals those numbers adds a perspective I can do something with.

    Two things I learned: 1.) If it can be added, they can be subtracted and 2.) Given enough time, anything is possible. :)
  • Shirotora88
    Shirotora88 Posts: 121
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    When I first started losing weight I felt like an ant that had to swim across an ocean. I kept trying to set my goals too high and I could not achieve, I wanted to lose 200lbs in one year at the time I was 345lbs I joined MFP when I was 321 I think lol... Anyways that was an unreasonable goal I set myself up for failure. I overcame this with little goals like in 4 weeks I would lose 8 pounds and would check once a month sort of thing. If I failed I just reset my goals.
  • C5North
    C5North Posts: 50 Member
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    I'd be a liar if I said I don't think about it but it doesn't really concern me. It took me 15 years to put all this fat on so it is going to take a few to get it off. And I'm not dieting. I have simply changed the way I look at food. I'll be doing this for the rest of my life. The weight will come off in due time.

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