I am pretty sure, given my progress to date, that my original goal isn't reasonable anymore. I wanted to reach goal before a wedding that I have to be in on April 4th, and that is exactly two months away. I am 21 lbs away from goal and I don't think that is possible? Or at least not reasonable. My goal at this point is just to do the best I can, to look as good and lose as much weight as possible without blaming myself for not losing faster. I'd still like to have a ballpark figure in mind though...can any of you give me an idea of what is reasonable? I was thinking 5lbs a month would be not outside the realm of possibility. I lost 6 in January, but that was starting from a higher-than-usual weight after a weeklong holiday sojourn off-plan (read: probably at least 1-2 lbs of water). 5 lbs a month would put me at 149, which while still 11 lbs from goal, would be a lot closer than I've been since high school. It would still be a great accomplishment, and mentally right now I'd still like to think it's possible...It's too demoralizing to think I might only be a couple of pounds down by then.

I think that setting up a goal loss in a certain space of time is just going to cause frustration and disappointment. As many people on the board in the KISS challenge are finding, it is better to decide to "Keep It Simple, Sweetie." That means: just stick to the plan you chose and do it strictly.

The good part about losing weight the LC way is that you may BE smaller at a higher weight than you expect. So you can ignore the number on the inexpensive metal machine and just enjoy what the tape measure says.

Our bodies operate according to laws that we don't fully understand, so we can't force them to lose weight consistently and evenly. Wouldn't it be nice if we could?

I think its do-able, Sango, not an unrealistic goal at all. And I am proud of you for being realistic about your original goal.

As the last poster said, it can put too much pressure on us to have this type of goal, but sometimes it can also help motivate us to stick to the plan more cleanly. I have a 'secret' birthday goal. A new number I want to hit by my birthday and having it has keep me away from an extra dessert here and there

Think about your goal when you are planning the balance of your reward meals...but also remember to keep them large and satisfying enough. All you can do anything about is the one day you are living right now, so make it the best you can.

I'm rooting for you, 149 by the wedding!

I think that was realistic of you to reassess your goals, and to make it fit where you are at currently so you dont get frustrated about the whole process.. you look like you are doing just great!

I just reset my goal weight .. I had it weigh( grins) too low realistically....


Cant wait to see your wedding pics!

~~from a fellow georgian ( well, a georgian with a northern ny accent anyways!)

I concor with everyone else. keep it in mind but don't stress. Keep strickly to plan and make that your priority.

I think I would focus on reducing measurements instead of worrying about the weight. Focus on exercise and eating properly. No matter what, I'm sure you will look better. 5 pounds a month is do-able, but it's harder when you are close to your goal.

As an example, I think the picture I posted reflected that I wasn't exercising all that much, where the current picture shows the results of exercise.

I'm agreeing with everyone here -- adding exercise to the mix is a great idea (I just learned that important lesson). The scale reading is just a number. If you feel good, you'll look great!

Thanks everyone! I just wanted to know if it was unrealistic. The idea isn't to use it as a whip to flog myself with, just a flexible goal to keep in mind and use to encourage myself to exercise more and keep RMs more balanced I'm doing better at that, today my only sugar was a starbucks mocha! Usually I carry candy around with me too, but I didn't miss it tonight. I'm going to do some yoga soon, too. If I'm going to be up all night working, I can at least try to stretch and strengthen my muscles so I don't look permanantly hunched over from sitting at my computer for hours...