Weight loss goal

Lots of people do. They are encouraged by accomplishments. Some even reward themselves for meeting a goal. Like new running shoes. Or a new shirt.

I'd say definitely, and may depend on the situation.

My first go around I was in a different head space, pin-point focus, seeing a big weight loss goal actually fueled me. I had both internal and external motivations, as well as the the whole thing being new and exciting. I was literally 'high' from it.

This time around the external stimulus is not present, but there is some internal force, at least. I'm no longer considered overweight, which I am feeling great about, but this is impacting the internal force to just get on with it and lose the rest.

I've accidentally fell into maintenance mode (currently 5 months), and since I've gotten into what's considered a 'Normal' BMI, suddenly losing a whole chunk just doesn't light me up. I also checked out one of the TDEE Calculator websites and took notice of the 'ideal weight' for my age and height, and it turns out that I am not that far off. This made me reassess the 20 or so lbs that I thought I needed to lose, now looks like I have 4 lbs left.

I keep a spreadsheet outside of MFP with daily weight data, seeing the weeks/days left now on my new goal of 4 lbs left feels nice.

I'm wishing you well on your goals!

Don't lose sight of the big goal. Don't panic either! See the forest through the trees, right?

Maybe think about what your weight loss RATE should be, and if it's a lot of weight, that rate will actually slow down. Then divide things up, perhaps, so you have milestones along the way. When I'm on the treadmill (usually just to warm up and cool down for a workout), it has prompts of "Your workout is xx% complete." Set those as milestones, but keep focused on the big goal.

Keep in mind that when you get to that big goal, and you will get there as long as you stick to it, you'll still have to keep focused. Maintaining weight loss is the same as losing weight except you get a few more calories per day/week. That ultimate goal isn't an endpoint - it is also a milestone along the way.

Remember what Warren Miller said, "If you don't do it this year, you'll be a year older when you do." If you have to walk ten miles, you still do it one step at a time. Each step is closer to the goal, but the goal is still there.

You can find support here in the community, but it's up to YOU to follow your path, and you can do it if you want.

I set my goal in happy scale and weigh myself every day so that I can just look at the trends and not get discouraged if my weigh in day is a high fluctuation day. I broke my goals down into 15 small milestones of slightly more than 4 lbs each. It’s a very motivating way to track your progress. I try to reward myself for each milestone that I reach.

standout00 wrote: »

If I start to panic when I see one huge weight loss goal, is it better to break it into lots of mini weight loss goals?

This is such a great question, I love this. I changed my goal weight as I inched downward until I found a happy place. It definitely built my confidence and knowledge as I progressed. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.

My goal and big win was to come up with a framework and process of incremental exploration and change that would allow me to point my weight level in to the direction I wanted it to head towards.

Without time limits and under the mindset of doing this today aniseed myself doing this for the next five years if not longer

The results were way better for me both in the short and long term as compared to setting either a 10lb or a 125lb goal.

And, fuller disclosure, it was only when the process had started to take shape that I changed my viewpoint from just "trying to see if I can lose some weight even if it is just the 10% that will bring some health benefits" to... hey, maybe I can aim for "normal" weight for the first time in my adult life!