No real end goal?

Back when I lost the "real" weight, my goal weight kept changing. First I just wanted to wear regular sized clothes rather than plus-sizes. Once I hit that goal I wanted to be 150 pounds, then 125, then 110.

The problem with not having a clear, healthy, realistic goal is where do you stop and begin maintenance? I got on this roll with exercise and reduced caloric intake and ended up under 90 pounds, wearing a size 0. I thought I looked "fine" at that weight but when I see the pictures now, I realize how anorexic I looked. Fortunately I got pregnant and had to gain weight - I honestly believe it saved my life.

So now I have a goal I never want to dip below.

I think it's important to have fitness/health/life goals as opposed to weight loss goals.

For example I want to get back to my prepregnancy weight but going from (ahem) 185 to 120 was/is a daunting task. So I started with "well, 10lbs is good. That will help me on my goal of not getting diabetes". And to lose that 10 lbs I exercised more. I walked everyday (as opposed to walking no days)
Then when I had lost the 10lbs I decided to eat more vegetables, run a 5k, give up soda...and so on and so forth. Those goals lLED me to weight loss but it wasn't my primary focus. Doing that I've lost 22lbs. Now instead of the 65lbs I originally had to lose I know have to "only" lose 30. MUCH less scary. I personally have found I've made more progress this way rather than when I was focusing on weight loss...not losing the weight as quickly as I thought I should...and then giving up.

Keeping the health/fitness goals in mind (not getting diabetes, eating more vegetables, looking good in shorts) is much, much more manageable than losing a certain amount of weight. And also it prevents you from saying well if I look THIS good at 120 I'll look better at 110 then 100 then 90 then...

The other way it's nearly impossible to get crazy. Once you give up soda...you've given up soda...you can't give up NEGATIVE soda (as in soda you don't have). I mean, it's not like you can go around stealing OTHER people's sodas for you to look better. :laugh:

Anyone else out there have no real clear end goal set? I started telling myself that I'd be done at 200. Then 180. Then 160. Then 170. Then 160. I think my real goal is looking good naked and being healthy.

Honestly, I don't care so much about BMI and weight, so long as I can run, bike, walk, and play how I want I'll consider myself fit. The rest is just aesthetic.

Plus eating healthy for me is not just a means to lose weight, but since I'm the only person in my family without diabetes and I plan to keep it that way I can't really give things a clear end point, because I can't stop. If I stop, I'll be putting needles in my thigh and living with a blood meter just like mom and dad.

So, I don't really have that much of a clear end goal. I just have to keep going, and when I get there I suppose I'll know? What does everyone else think.

I'm in the same boat as you. I have an end weight goal, and that probably won't change. At 5'8, there is absolutely no reason I should try to weigh less than my goal of 130 pounds. But once I reach it, that doesn't mean I'm done. In fact, the hard part is just beginning. See, like you, I'm working more to stave off disease. Even though I am young and relatively thin, I am a ticking time bomb of heart disease. I have to take medication because without it, I would be in stage two hypertension. I want to get myself off the meds, or at the very least, ensure that they'll never have to up my dosage. So my first step is to lose the extra weight around my middle. And then I'm trying to adopt the DASH diet. That's the hard part, and it's something I can never stop doing.

I set my current goal for healthy BMI weight, I will revaluate after I acheive that. nothing set in stone yet.

Every time I read the thread title, I see....
No REAR end goal.

I can't dumb,
I have the brain.





BUMP

Absolutely! I always thought 160, but now I'm about 155 & thinking 140 is my goal for now. I think I'm going to have a clearer image after I get my tummy tuck because I have so much excesses skin around my stomach that I look the same around my mid section as I did when I was about 265 :noway: I think I agree with you, being able to be healthy, exercise, feel positive, ect. is great for now!

My fear for some is that without a clear end goal, they get "addicted" to this weight loss, and end up like a PP and get into physical trouble. I think that the end goal should be "no lower than" and pick the lowest number for your body type that is recommended. After you hit that goal, and if you still don't like yourself, tone, work on muscles, and work on maintaining that weight. And if you still don't like yourself, the problem is NOT with your body but with your body image. Then go work on that.

One suggestion is to set a healthy goal, meet it, and then do maintenace for a few months, work on your muscles and toning. Get your body image to meet your real body and live with it for awhile, before making more goals.

When you're way overweight, like me, I don't think dropping your goals is a bad thing... I started with my first goal at 200, then I dropped it to 191 because that is "healthy BMI", then down to 165. That is still above the "standards" but I can live with that. As long as you don't go BELOW the standards, that's fine. My first thought was to hit 200 and then re-evaluate, see how far I could go into getting healthy. But I feel so good now and have been so successful that i now believe I can do it (whereas before I didn't think I could achieve it). So my goal changed as my confidence in myself changed.

My end goal is 165, which is still above the "recommended" weight for my body type by a few pounds, but I don't want to be skinny. I dont' care about 6 pack abs and a flat tummy. I want to be healthy. I look forward to the maintenance time when I don't have to work so hard at exercise, and can go a few times a week to an aerobics class or something. I've been overweight all my life and have never been thin or been in the recommended range, although looking back and high school and college, I was overweight but not fat... wish I was that size now!

I'm aiming for 150, but if I look good at some point a little before that, I'll probably stop... don't even know what I'll look like once I get under like 232. that's the lowest I've been that I actually remember.

Banks, we are in the same boat as far as fitness goals. For me, it's all about getting rid of the few remaining lbs of fat and getting stronger. At that time, if I look good in the mirror, the scale weight means nothing. I am also looking to work on my "blood" numbers (chol, glucose, etc...). BTW, what is "Tabata Protocol"? I am always looking for a new and interesting workout routine. Thanks.

I Googled it earlier. Yes, it looks brutal, but I'd like to give it a try. Either running at the gym at noon or tonight on my spinner bike. If I survivie I will give a report later.