little goals or one big one?

M

mtnmama

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How do you think is the best way to go about this mentally? I don't feel like I'll be happy until I'm at my final goal, however ANYTHING would be better than where I am. So....should I approach this 10 pounds at a time, 1 month at a time, or the whole she-bang? What has worked best for you?
 
For me? Both. I had (and still have) a long term goal, which is to stand on the beach in my swimming shorts and watch Mrs Ferret beat off the girls that are throwing themselves at me ;)

Goals based on more achievable targets along the journey can be empowering. Those goals can be based on weight, measurements, or activities (miles biked, numbers of crunches etc), etc...

Some people reward themselves each time that they achieve a goal - buy some clothing or whatever they desire..
 
^^I totally agree^^ When you look at the overall picture, it can be daunting. It is also frustrating when you see (as in my case) you lose only half a pound one week and it seems like you're going nowhere when you have 65 lbs to lose. If you have a smaller goal of 5 or 10 lbs, that half a pound looks like a lot more. :)

But I do have a longterm goal as well.
 
I set small goals. I started off at 154.4 I told myself that when I reached 145 that I would get a facial. I reached that goal (144.2 right now) and I have an appointment for Wed. My next goal is I want to reach 138 by March 9th which is my sons first baseball tournament this season. My ultimate goal is AT LEAST 130 but would love to be 122 which is where I was about 2 years ago.
 
Small goals will keep you motivated and don't be afraid to reward yourself with non-food items/activities. My personal opinion is to avoid time based goals as you usually tend to set them too high and you can hit temporary bumps like weight loss plateaus, or if you're just starting to exercise and eat healthy it might take a few weeks before your metabolism really revs up. Granted you want to avoid taking a year to lose 3 pounds but 10 pounds in a month (example goal) is very ambitious if you haven't worked out in years.

Be honest and positive with yourself. If you lose 4 pounds in a month instead of 10, be happy because 4 is better than none or gaining more weight. Just think of how much healthier you're living!

My total goal when I started was about 45 pounds and every 5 pounds or so I've been buying myself a DVD or book to reward myself.
 
Different things work for different people - you really have to do what works best for you and your mind.

I haven't been using goals - but milestones on my journey - doing 10 or 20 lb goals drove me crazy - because the constant resetting to 0 was discouraging for me - so I have one big goal - and then milestones along the way where I might decide to cheer a little - but I don't be satisfied until I hit that final goal...

A goal to me is the end point - and 20lbs isn't close to the endpoint for me - so having that as a goal didnt work for me...

the next two milestones I have - are 254 which is less than 100 to lose and 199 which is under 200 - then it's on to the goal)
 
I came up with a total weight loss, a timeline, a goal date and a goal weight. For me, seeing time tick by and my weight come off (slowly, HOW slowly!) has made it possible for me to survive mentally. I know that as of July 2007, I will be DONE.

Let me tell you, when I began, July 2007 was a long way off.

Along the way, I have bribed myself for doing well. A pedometer, new clothes, sexy lingerie, fancy shoes... it's all there. I begin sentences with, "When I lose ten pounds, I will buy myself a _____."
 
I used to think in terms of big overall goals but now I'm trying to think about this in terms of smaller goals. Right now I'm 171 and my first goal is to get to th 150's. I'm skipping over the 160's because I've been back and forth between 167-173 for a long time now and the lowest weight I've been is 163 so I'm sick of seeing the 160's and I needed to somehow see past it. So 159 it is! I'm not sure what I'll reward myself with but I know the self satisfaction might be enough:)

My over all goal is about 140 so once I hit 159 I'm thinking 149 will be my next goal and then 140 and if I feel like I can do it, I'll keep going :)
 
i am also doing small and large goals. the large goal is in the very back of my mind... i try not to dwell on that, because it seems so far away. i try to focus on the little victories that i have along the way, like finally being able to run, moving up in inclines, my pants fitting a bit looser, etc. but i am doing the february 10 punds challenge, and that is a goal i would love to meet!! :)
 
I'm pretty lazy

I'm pretty lazy, for me my goal is to go to the gym everyday. I have been good for 3 weeks ( i just got back from guatemala and set that goal, so three weeks have gone well.) I have only missed 3 days in 3 weeks. But - if i dont make it to the classes wooooo I am lazy, i will walk on the tredmill go as slow as the machine will let me climbing stairs. But for me - just going to the gym for two hours keeps me off the couch for those two hours. so since I have been excersizing these three weeks I have lost 5 pounds. (thats with my excersize) also in february I cut out heavy cream from my daily coffee, and I am using less cheese in my salads. I also got my mom to throw most of the candy in my house. So next month I am keeping my gym goal, and I am going to use less milk in my coffee, instead of " a lot of milk" im just going to say milk (and no sugar of course) so I make small goals, but for me I dont celebrate, I'm too lazy ( I have lost 20 pounds even with my laziness)
 
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