Do we really need weight loss goals?

spyro88
spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
edited December 26 in Health and Weight Loss
When I tell people I am on here they often say "That's great! How much do you want to lose?" and I'm like... I dunno... I just want to be healthier and feel better.

I don't really like attaching a number to my journey because I don't really know how I will feel at any given point on the scale. I do weigh myself regularly and it does feel good when the numbers are going down, but I've not got an end in sight. I just want to do this until my body feels right - which currently, it definitely doesn't. I feel unhealthy and overweight.

So I guess I do have a goal but it's a lot more vague than a number on the scale... because it's more about the journey!

What are your thoughts?

Replies

  • tnh2o
    tnh2o Posts: 161 Member
    I'd been a bit chunky all my life so I didn't know what a realistic goal was for me. Years ago I joined WW and after 4 or 5 months of really following the plan my weight stabilized. Since it was in the healthy range that became my goal weight. It's my goal weight again.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    Starting a new program/diet/life style can be exciting and in the past when I was excited, I made 10 goals, in all areas and aspects of my life; all will change now with this thing.
    But then something happened at home, or work , some bad days, bad news, bad scale days. When I was down, the plan was overwhelming and I gave up most targets, then all of them.
    Feeling good is an excellent target, but personally I need something measurable too, just to see that I’m going there. Walking for 15 minutes for a week and then increase, going to bed 10 min earlier, brushing my teeth at 10 and no food after. These were my small targets but they made me feel better and my calendar was full of achieved stickers, although these days the goals are bigger.
    Experiment and see what works for you , have fun and results will come.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    I had an initial goal that put me in the middle of healthy BMI. Soon after I reached it, we went in to lockdown, I no longer had an endless supply of snacks on hand as I wasn't in the office plus I was out doing a longer brisk walk every day and I suddenly dropped another couple of kg - which was a step too far. I was still in the healthy range, but towards the bottom end of it and I needed to ensure I didn't go any further.

    I'd be inclined to have an idea of roughly where you want to get to, but know what your lower limit is - otherwise, where do you stop?
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
    my goal is very approximate; it would leave me at a higher than average BMI, but then part of my goal is to develop much more muscle than average, so it should work out. if it doesn't, i can always change it. that's the joy of the MFP goal - you could change it every day if you wanted to.
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    edited August 2020
    My goal weight is just enough to nudge me into the healthy BMI. Once I get there I’ll see how it goes.

    I’m not currently counting calories instead I eat in a fashion that I deem to be healthy as well as maintainable and exercise in a fashion I deem to be maintainable and kind of curious to see what weight that lifestyle will get me to. I know this approach isn’t for everyone and I might change in the future but for now it’s a good low pressure idea and I’m steadily losing at an appropriate rate.

    My mindset is to find a maintainable goal weight rather than an ultimate number on the scale.
  • ALZ14
    ALZ14 Posts: 202 Member
    If you are happy without a specific weight number goal then you are doing it right for you. I like to have a goal weight to work for, it helps me stay focused.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 443 Member
    edited August 2020
    I basically picked a number out of thin air, which I thought would at least feel good when I stepped on the scale. When I reached it I was like 'oh, but seriously, I've got plenty left to go yet'! I have realised I need to lift heavy whatever the number on the scale says if I want to feel really good about myself. But not sure about going back to the gym yet :/
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    Depends on the person. I like being able to measure my progress in numbers. I measure it in other ways too but for me it is helpful/motivational to have a goal weight and see the number on the scale getting closer.
  • Spicy_Bao_Bae
    Spicy_Bao_Bae Posts: 1 Member
    I'm completely in agreement. When I was younger I wanted to acheive a certain weight, which I now know was a near unattainable goal. I am 5' 9" and 335lbs. I know that I want to get at least to 200lbs for my health but thats as far as I can say for sure. After that, it's about acheiving a certain feel and satisfaction with my body. Even if you can't say for sure how much you want to lose, nobody can argue with being healthier and happier.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,632 Member
    spyro88 wrote: »
    When I tell people I am on here they often say "That's great! How much do you want to lose?" and I'm like... I dunno... I just want to be healthier and feel better.

    I don't really like attaching a number to my journey because I don't really know how I will feel at any given point on the scale. I do weigh myself regularly and it does feel good when the numbers are going down, but I've not got an end in sight. I just want to do this until my body feels right - which currently, it definitely doesn't. I feel unhealthy and overweight.

    So I guess I do have a goal but it's a lot more vague than a number on the scale... because it's more about the journey!

    What are your thoughts?

    In the abstract, a weight goal is 100% optional. Nothing about the weight loss process needs to be different based on goal weight. (That said, someone getting into normal BMI range would be well served by losing more slowly than someone who's still quite obese, and a sensible weight loss rate generally has some interdependency with current body weight.) The only major thing a goal weight tells you is when to stop losing.

    That said, some people are motivated by having a goal, or a series of smaller goals. That's pretty individual.

    If you don't need a weight goal for motivation, there's no reason you should have one, as long as you keep your loss rate sensible for your current stats, IMO.

    Personally, I set a provisional goal weight not for any grand motivational reason, but just to have a rough approximation of where I was going (for use in my weight trending app, in MFP, in talking with my doctor, etc.). I wasn't super committed to it, and planned to re-evaluate. (In my case, it was around 5-10 pounds above where I'd been happy earlier in life, because "everybody says you should weigh a little more when you're older". 😆)

    When I got close, I could tell it wasn't quite right, and I adjusted downward a couple of times as I went along, finally ending up with some benchmark ideas of how I'd look/feel when I was at the right weight. I literally got up one morning, decided I was there, and started trying to dial in maintenance calories. (It turned out to be right around the weight where I'd been happy almost 40 years earlier. 😆)

    As with many things, I think there's no one right answer that works for everyone.
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    I quit weighing myself and just focusing on being healthier. Hitting my calorie goal every day, so the end result should be fat loss. I dont tell me people Im dieting. People have asked if I have lost weight. I honestly tell i dont have a clue since I dont weigh myself. I really enjoy lifting weight and trying to get stronger and faster. Physically getting strong also helps me be mentally strong.
  • suzij27
    suzij27 Posts: 199 Member
    I think the way that you are thinking about it makes sense. Down the road you may want something more concrete. If what you are doing is working for you, stick with it!

    In the past I have self-sabotaged when I got too caught up with the numbers, whether it is the number on the scale, total amount lost, too many comments from people (positive and negative). Whatever. So I have to focus on what is going to keep me on track.

    I like readIng the Success Stories: What mini-goal is motivating you? thread on MFP. I really want to post something. But my journey isn’t like that. Mini-goals don’t motivate me; they make me obsessive in a bad way. Since I am eating healthy and exercising, milestones are going down a pants size.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    I started with the goal to get off medication. I was really not expecting what it would do to my mental state. The food I was eating was making me depressed and caught in a vicious cycle of food and weight gain.
  • RidiriH
    RidiriH Posts: 11 Member
    It all depends on if how people are phrasing their interest in your journey is making you feel bad about yourself and your goals. Sometimes people just need to be educated sweetly and gently. If your goal is not a number and they ask, “How much do you want to lose?” you could answer, “I’m working on losing 50% of my guilt” or “Actually I’m trying to gain 30% more confidence in how I feel “ or some other answer you enjoy! I know one lady who has a hard time talking to me about something we’re both interested in so her standard comment is, “You look good! Have you lost more weight?” She’s just trying to be polite in her way, so I usually answer, “The way I’m feeling now is so amazing!” or something. I respond politely, but on my terms and what’s important to me. Then we can both feel happy that we “talked”! 😂
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I'll know my goal weight when I see it in the mirror, not on the scale.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I never had a goal of a specific weight on the scale. When I started out, losing weight wasn't even really on the radar. I had some pretty nasty blood work going on and my Dr. basically told me I needed to get it together and start eating better and exercising or I would end up very sick and possible dead at a pretty young age.

    I just started eating better...more veg and fruit and things like oatmeal and beans...leaner cuts of meat...using less oils and whatnot for cooking, and I for the most part cut out dairy save for a slice of cheese on a sandwich here or there and I started going for walks everyday and ultimately got into running and hitting the weight room.

    I lost a good 20 Lbs or so before I ever even heard of MFP. I joined MFP largely because I had become a lot more interested in nutrition and I kinda wanted to see what that looked like on paper in regards to how I was eating. I also became more engaged in fitness beyond walking and as a former competitive athlete I knew I needed to properly eat for what I was doing activity wise and was kind of lost on that front.

    I lost another 20 Lbs with MFP and settled in at a weight that I felt good, looked reasonable good aesthetically, and was performing good fitness wise. All in all, I cleaned up my blood work...though I just had my physical recently and it's going south again namely due to the fact that I haven't been able to really exercise...even go for a walk since about mid May, but once I'm better I'll be back on my bikes and in the weight room again.
  • podperson1
    podperson1 Posts: 207 Member
    I have mini goals and I have a vague idea of where I'd like to be on the scales, but I may feel happy before I get there or I may get there and want to lose a little more - I won't know until I'm a lot closer to it I feel.

    I also have NSV goals, like wanting to fit into certain clothes again, being able to do more exercise-wise, having more energy etc.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I've been a user for over eight years and have had vastly different goals at different points. When I started my goal was to just be less fat. I'd gained some weight after starting my first job out of college and wanted to get back to where I had been before that, right around 165 lbs, so that was number was my only goal, which I achieved. A few years later I realized that a given number on the scale or number of pounds lost was no longer cutting it. I wanted to look and feel better (mentally and physically), I got more powerlifting/bodybuilding in lieu of P90x or whatever burned the most calories and my goals became less scale-focused and also more about continuous improvement than about reaching a finish line.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    Well, my initial goal is just the top end of a healthy BMI. I just picked it arbitrarily as I had a lot to lose. Now I'm closing in on it I'm mentally preparing for making myself a new goal depending on how I feel when I reach the initial one. For me, it's just a vague number to aim for, and chipping away at the amount to get there has been more and more satisfying as it helps me to realise how far I've come. I could pick any other number in the healthy range though and I think I'd still feel the same.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    I have a weight loss goal that seems unattainable. I like your approach of wanting to feel better and be healthier.
    It shouldn’t all be about losing weight.
    I think this all depends on where you are in your journey. I do strongly believe this is a journey, with bumps in the road and curves and straight aways. Being fit and healthy is not a destination — no one will ever get there and say ‘ok I’m here, now I can stop’. Being fit and healthy is ongoing and you have to eat well and exercise for your entire life to maintain it.
  • 1poundatax
    1poundatax Posts: 231 Member
    For me I have a general goal weight, it will take me from obese to overweight. I got down to that weight several years ago and I was pleased with how I looked and felt. I will reevaluate when I get to that weight. I want to look better, but mostly I want to maintain/improve my health. I do NOT want to be obsessive about the scale and my weight- been there, done that.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,031 Member
    spyro88 wrote: »
    When I tell people I am on here they often say "That's great! How much do you want to lose?" and I'm like... I dunno... I just want to be healthier and feel better.

    I don't really like attaching a number to my journey because I don't really know how I will feel at any given point on the scale. I do weigh myself regularly and it does feel good when the numbers are going down, but I've not got an end in sight. I just want to do this until my body feels right - which currently, it definitely doesn't. I feel unhealthy and overweight.

    So I guess I do have a goal but it's a lot more vague than a number on the scale... because it's more about the journey!

    What are your thoughts?
    A person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder. You wander aimlessly and occasionally hit land. But with no goals, you really have no accountability to anything. How you feel, isn't really the same as achieving what you set out for. People always feel then don't look that bad in a mirror. But when they see a picture, they can become dissatisfied with themselves.

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