1 pound a week

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debalina36
debalina36 Posts: 13 Member
in Motivation and Support
Do you ever wonder if setting goals to lose 5 or 10 pounds in one month is too much pressure? Maybe a goal of 1 pound a week (which is healthy) should be our goal. Then when you lose more than that pound, you can really celebrate.

In my past I always made 5 pound goals and when I didn't meet them I would get upset and give up. Lowering that goal to 1 pound a week should be easier. That's 4 sticks of butter. And if you think about it, 1 pound a week for a year is 52 pounds lost and that's more than my total goal now. Cool!

What weekly or monthly goals do you set for yourself and if you don't make that goal, does it make you angry or motivate you more?

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Replies

  • Julie2402
    Julie2402 Posts: 126
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    Hi, i agree, i used to set my goal at 2lb a week, when it didn't happen i felt like a failure. Now i set it to 1lb a week and anything i lose over that is a bonus!! I think too much pressure to lose too quickly will result in failure.
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
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    I set two goals; First, to weigh in only once a month and to have a 1 pound loss or more (I'm diabetic, so I lose weight pretty slowly). Second, I set a "goal weight date" and adjust accordingly every month. Right now, I have 7lbs left to lose and my goal weight date is the end of March. If I weigh in this month and don't see another 2.4 pound loss like last month, I'll adjust. So far, this seems to be the only way to keep from self destructing. Setting weekly goals crushed me every time!
  • kirstenw1983
    kirstenw1983 Posts: 18
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    I have to agree with you on this one, I would rather set my goal at 1lb a week and go over that and be really happy than set it for more and have the chance of not reaching it and feeling like I failed.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
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    1 lb a week for me. It is realistic and healthy for my size.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    I think it partially depends on your personality. I do best with two (or more) different goals. A base goal that is kind of the minimum I would be happy with but is probably attainable then I have higher goals I set to give me something to strive for. Because if I only had that one attainable one... I would get there and then stop. Or realize I"m ahead of the game and stop doing so well.

    So right now MFP is set to 1 lb a week, but I have a higher goal to try to lose 2 so I try to come out under calories and don't count all forms of exercise (mostly the harder to measure ones, like playing with my kinect)

    So far this is working well for me.
  • tyresank
    tyresank Posts: 174 Member
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    I have mine still set to 2lbs per week, and to date I have been averaging 2.5 per week, but that was because I needed to get the 40lbs I gainned this past year off as soon as possible. As soon as I meet that goal which is 7.4 lbs to go, then I am planning to set my goal to 1lbs per week for my next goal. Lucky for me this time around I have not gotten too discouraged, at least not enough to stop, and I have been very srick with myself. I did not even gain one ounce over the holidays whch was great!
  • Treysar
    Treysar Posts: 34 Member
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    1 pound a week is fine for me - even less is ok. I don't have a specific goal in mind, just to keep being healthy. I freak under pressure. I don't expect to be sporting a bikini by summer (let's face it - I don't expect that ever again - I have twin skin) however I wouldn't mind looking better. Low pressure for me, and sticking to my plan is my goal.
  • _John
    _John Posts: 27 Member
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    I think it's easier to set goals like, I'm not going to buy butter and cheese any more. I think half the battle is won when you do your shopping, if you don't buy calories you can't eat them and the weight loss will automatically follow.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    Do you ever wonder if setting goals to lose 5 or 10 pounds in one month is too much pressure?
    No, I have never set my goals by the month to begin with.
  • fmw123
    fmw123 Posts: 16 Member
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    I don't set targets for myself. I am the same and just get dissapointed if I don't reach them. I'm happy with losing 1lb. This is a long term thing and every pound is one step closer.

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