Lets see...all of you are doing so well. I need a few mini goals.

by 3/17/03:
I want to be at least 2 pounds under 200.

by my churchs Mother Daughter Banquet:
4/4/03 I want to be 190.

There, that ought to do for now, I don't want to tax myself too much




Vicki

GO FOR IT MOM!!!

and be SURE to let us know how it goes

and Hey...If you get stuck along the way, remember we are here and we judge NOT, lest we be judged
Sue

It's good to have goals, but I don't know if I'd put a specific time limit on them. Our bodies have a way of losing at the rate that they are comfortable with and really don't know (or care) about time schedules and deadlines. Setting a time limit can leave you feeling defeated and like you are failing when you don't reach your goal on the date you set, even if you have been successful at losing weight (just not as much as you wanted).
When I first started low carbing, I did a lot of mental calculating along the lines of "let's see...if I continue to lose 2 lbs. per week, I can be at goal on this date...". It didn't work out that way, although I surely wish I could dictate to my body, "you WILL lose 10 pounds this month!" and have it happily oblige.
Set weight loss goals and celebrate when you reach them. One of the ways I celebrate is purchase a new item of clothing in a smaller size every time I can get into a smaller size (my goals are based on sizes, not necessarily weight loss).

I tend to agree. I did not take any measurements around (although I had the opportunity) because I am more concerned with just achieving my goal weight at whatever pace works, and improving my overall health.

That said, I do have a symbolic goal it would be nice to reach. I crossed over 200 pounds in my 20th year. I'm 38 now, and I want to see a "1" in front of it by my 40th.

I thought it was a good thing to have goals. Yall make me feel dumb.

S_Hysmith
You will succeed(SP?) I just turned forty so I've got two years on you. You will be in the 100's by your 40th!!! Keep up the good work.

vicki

Don't feel dumb!!! It's good to have goals, but I would not make them weight ones like that. I would do things like

50 situps per day or 84 oz of water.....you get my point. Don't give up on goals!!!

I need to make goals myself. I fell off the wagon bad tonight. Part my fault, part not my fault (my tuna went rotten on me, fell victim to the vending machine cause I was starving)

Hang in there!

Don't feel dumB! I do the same thing with mini-goals. Here are mine.....

March 14th 275 lbs

October 12th 240 lbs

January 1st 2004 225 lbs

Basically as you can see, I am not going to hit my first goal. I will probably come in at around 285 instead of 275. That is fine with me, because I KNOW I will hit my 240 goal in Ocotober The Jan 1st goal would mean I lost 112 lbs in 12 months....that would be my ultimate goal

My very modest goal is to lose at least 2 pounds every month! It may mean that I won't be in that slinky bikini this summer, but I know I'll be in a size 10 dress by Christmas!

Don't feel dumb!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having goals! I just want to encourage you to make sure that they are realistic and to not completely gauge your success or failure on them. Ask yourself: How will I feel and what will I do if I don't reach my goal by the date that I set? Will you be celebrating because you lost 5 pounds by that date or beating yourself up because you didn't lose 10? Would losing only 5 pounds as opposed to 10 be a success or a failure? What if you don't lose any weight for a month but lose 4 or 5 inches instead? Take measurements now...they are a much better gauge of how you are doing, especially when that dial on the scale isn't budging for a while. You can lose inches and not pounds!
My personal opinion for me is that any loss of weight or inches means that I am being successful in my WOL. I stopped setting deadlines for my weight loss a long time ago because I would wind up feeling frustrated and defeated for not losing as much as I had determined I should by the date that I had set instead of being happy that I had lost the weight that I had.
At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to be 30 pounds less by the end of the year, but I don't plan on quitting low carb or beating myself up if I don't make that. I'll be celebrating next New Year because I'm healthier than I was and smaller than I was and medication free instead of being sicker, bigger and taking a handful of pills every day.

I think goals are good. I did set some goals for myself except i didn't put any time frame, so therefore no pressure. I did give myself till the end of the year to reach my last goal of 145lbs. I look forward to reaching my 2nd goal soon.