How did you feel when you reached your goal?

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  • erockem
    erockem Posts: 278 Member
    edited April 2015
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    For the first year, like I was still 60-80 lbs over weight. Regardless of that the scale, clothing, or the mirror portrayed. It took a long time for my mental image to match the physical one, and still never made it to 100%.
  • mojohowitz
    mojohowitz Posts: 900 Member
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    It _is_ emotional. For me, it was all about learning to keep myself psychology and emotionally healthy. Most weight loss happens between your ears when you rewrite those old electro-chemical neural pathways that were entrenched bad habits. Now get ready for difficult part. You have chosen a healthier and better lifestyle. Once, you reach your goal it will be very tempting to go back to old habits. Do not. The longer you stick with the new habits the easier they will be to stick with them.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Also annoyed with myself for staying fat for 20 years.

    Indeed. I now wonder why I wasted so much of my life being fat and making excuses. Seems like a waste, but nothing I can do about that now. I'm just glad that long chapter of my life is over.
  • valewhite92
    valewhite92 Posts: 7 Member
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    Hello, @mamatothelils :) congratulations on your achievement!
    Your post made ME emotional, as I can partly relate. I don't know why, but I feel happier about other people's stories than mine own.
    I, too, am just a few "grams" (sorry, being Italian I think in kilos) away from my goal and although I know I ought to feel satisfied I can't really FEEL it.
    What I'm grateful for is the journey that led me to lose weight - the self-consciousness I aquired through yoga and exercise in general. I wouldn't have made it without MFP.
    Still, when I look at myself in the mirror I don't quite realize how the weight-loss affected my body, since I was so focused on feeling better and reaching a goal that - ironically - I made it all about the mental journey. It doesn't really make sense to me, not yet.
    I reckon it takes time to either accept your current image and make it actually yours. But I'm sure we'll do it eventually, just as we managed to lose weight: will-power, time and commitment.
    Good luck! ;)
  • sohmui
    sohmui Posts: 108 Member
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    Pleased - but also amazed because I never thought in my heart it would work, even though, like you, I'd been losing steadily for months. I remember also being a bit afraid that I wouldn't be able to stop and would keep losing weight until I disappeared. It didn't happen! You'll get there, and when you do I hope you are happy and can adjust to the 'new you' by following the maintenance programme.

    I've put on a couple of pounds over the past year but generally satisfied with the result. So to answer your question, I was quietly pleased but didn't throw a party to celebrate; just accepted it quietly.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    rainbow198 wrote: »
    Reaching my goal actually made me want to keep going, stay focused and not gain the weight back.
    This.

    It's like chasing a carrot on a stick. When you actually grab the carrot it's time to get a bigger stick and start the game again. New goals. New opportunities for improvement.

  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    I feel like me again. And I'm motivated to keep it off this time.
  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
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    I felt good, but eager to set a new goal!
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Congrats to you, OP! I guess I'm an odd one because I didn't noticed it TBH. For me it wasn't a big deal and I really didn't think much about it even though it was a fair amount of weight to lose so quickly. When I finally reached that number, a 40lb lbs loss, I was already more interested in my fitness goals and looking past the number to other things.

    Good luck to you as you continue to lose and then go into maintenance and on to other goals.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I reached my goal over a year ago, and I still feel pretty emotional when I think about it. I lost 123 pounds and sometimes I still can't believe I actually did it. After almost 20 years of obesity, I think I am still in shock lol.
  • kern11
    kern11 Posts: 37 Member
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    I'm really happy but its weird, I almost expected to feel like a different person, but I don't. Just still working hard
  • gabylewis22
    gabylewis22 Posts: 41 Member
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    Really odd, but all I thought when I reached my goal weight was 'great, now I need to set a new goal'. Very hard to get out of the mindset of 'dieting' once you've reached it!
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I was shocked the day I passed a mirror and saw my.mom instead of myself. I knew I had lost enough weight even though I was 7lbs from my original goal. (I have always had a weight struggle, my mom never did.) That was almost 16 months ago and I did something yesterday I never would have tried a year ago. I ran 4.5 miles to the gym and then did my lifting. I am definitely in the best shape of my life, and it feels great!
  • TracyV125
    TracyV125 Posts: 100 Member
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    I had set my 1st goal 5 lbs heavier thinking I'd probably never get there. When I got there I decided to try for the last 5. I hit that goal in early Feb 2015.

    I felt happy, energetic and just plain fabulous! I had a renewed confidence and I now believe I can do anything that I set my mind to.

    Happily maintaining continuing my workouts with increased calorie intake.
  • chokeslam512
    chokeslam512 Posts: 78 Member
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    I feel great physically. I also feel very optimistic, thinking about what I can improve next. Can I build more muscle, perform better athletically, there's always something.

    The other thing is that I feel annoyed with people who constantly make excuses as to why they can't and call me lucky. The same ones who ask me time and again what I did and then look disappointed when I tell them the truth.
  • chokeslam512
    chokeslam512 Posts: 78 Member
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    TracyV125 wrote: »
    I had set my 1st goal 5 lbs heavier thinking I'd probably never get there. When I got there I decided to try for the last 5. I hit that goal in early Feb 2015.

    I felt happy, energetic and just plain fabulous! I had a renewed confidence and I now believe I can do anything that I set my mind to.

    Happily maintaining continuing my workouts with increased calorie intake.

    This! I set my first goal at 190 lbs. Once I hit that I thought, why not 185? Then I hit that and was still feeling good so here I am at 180 thinking that I can hit 175 no problem.
  • bennettinfinity
    bennettinfinity Posts: 865 Member
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    BigGuy47 wrote: »
    rainbow198 wrote: »
    Reaching my goal actually made me want to keep going, stay focused and not gain the weight back.
    This.

    It's like chasing a carrot on a stick. When you actually grab the carrot it's time to get a bigger stick and start the game again. New goals. New opportunities for improvement.

    ^^ Agreed... I think it's important to NOT view reaching your goal as an end, but as one step in a life-long process. Set some new goals for yourself and keep yourself motivated. Otherwise, for most, it's too easy to get complacent and fall back into old habits.
  • arussell134
    arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
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    Honestly, I thought I'd be more emotional than I was. I remember the day I reached my goal - Dec 2, 2014. I got on the scale and it read "135." I thought - yeah, OK. Now what? The very next day, I rec'd some devastating news about a family member and it was like - OK, back to life.

    In the year I've been on this journey I'd say I've been more emotional about the following....

    1) PR'ing my 5K and half marathon times.
    2) Being able to do a full pull-up for the first time.
    3) Being able to buy size 6 jeans - and feeling good in them!
    4) Other similar things!!!

    Basically in the end it really was just a number on a scale. The way I feel about myself and my fitness abilities right now - I'm way more emotional about those things. That number on the scale is just the frosting on top. :)
  • sunnydays851
    sunnydays851 Posts: 116 Member
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    Fantastic. My cousin commented " Dang girl, you look good in that bathing suit!" XD

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