Mini-Goals Even if you're not at goal yet, this is the place to share your successes and achievements along the way! Success can be measured in many ways besides the scales. Tell us about your triumphs, including Non Scale Victories

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Old 03-21-2013, 10:55 PM   #1  
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Default Do you think this is a reasonable goal?

I am currently setting at about 280. I lost 20 pounds in January, but only ten from February until today (I have had a few cheaty days slipping in!) I am trying to set a tight, but achievable goal to keep motivated!
My baby boys second b-day in April 27th. Do you think I could reasonably set a goal to lose 25 pounds by then? Today is March 21st! That would put me at 255 in about 5 weeks!

If so, tips? Right now I am walking/jogging a minimum of between 20-60 minutes daily (1-4% incline on treadmill). I am not counting/tracking cals. What are your opinions/experiences with counting vs. not? I was thinking about starting to monitor my intake more closely on My Fitness Pal. Presently I focus on whole grains and veggies, never exceeding 1 piece or 3/4 cup of fruit. I measure things like 1 cup steel cut oats for b-fast or 1/2 cup whole grains w/ dinner. I don't have more than one starch/carb per meal and eat very little meat. My honey and I have beentaking Saturdays "off", and eating what we feel. To help reach this goal, I thought we could drop down to one "free" meal per week?

Good luck ladies (and gents!) I hope you are feeling strong!
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Old 03-21-2013, 11:13 PM   #2  
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I think 25 pounds is a pretty big goal! I lost weight really fast when I was around 270/280 so I'm not saying it's impossible. I just have no idea.

I would totally count your calories! The more I write everything I eat and drink down, the more accountable I am, the more likely I am to make good choices. It's always really refreshing (for me) to see the math behind what I'm working towards, I'm a really number oriented person so it helps me feel like I'm actually doing something :]

Good luck to you as well, and awesome job so far <3
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Old 03-22-2013, 12:48 AM   #3  
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Thank you Dandelioncupcakes (two of my favorite things by the way, the underdog of flowers and well...who doesn't love cupcakes!!

I think you're right. I think probably 20 pounds in the first month was just luck and water weight, LOL! Maybe I'mm shoot for something like 18.
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Old 03-22-2013, 04:25 PM   #4  
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It does sound pretty big.....but I would challenge myself and see how close I'd get. Lots of luck to you on meeting your goal.
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Old 03-22-2013, 06:54 PM   #5  
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I have been doing weight watchers for quite awhile and it's been slow going, for me. I decided to try calorie counting and see how that goes. In my opinion, calorie counting is the best way to do it, especially long term. Myfitnesspal is so great!! There hasn't been one thing I can't find on there! I even found my fiber supplement with the name brand, crazy. I'd recommend using it. Plus, after you plug in your calories and exercise for the day it shows you what you will weigh in 5 weeks if you continue to eat and exercise that way, very motivating! Good luck
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Old 03-22-2013, 09:32 PM   #6  
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Lecomtes,

Don't short change yourself. Your 20 pound weight loss in January wasn't due to luck. Sure, part of it may have been water weight. But you put a lot of hard work and effort into that loss. Give yourself some credit girl!

There is nothing wrong with setting your goals high. Having said that, cut yourself some slack too and don't place too lofty expectations upon yourself. A goal of 25 pounds in 5 weeks would anticipate the same or greater rate of loss as you experienced in the first month. People generally do not have that rate of weight loss continue past the first month. It is normally for the rate to slow down going forward. It fluctuates from person to person depending on a variety of factors. The danger of setting an unrealistic goal is the disappointment you might experience if you don't meet it. If it won't get you down, go for it! But if it will totally depress you to the point of giving up if you don't meet your goal, then I would shoot for something a little lower. I think a more realistic goal would be 2-3 pounds per week. (But don't be disappointed if you lose 1 pound or remain the same weight one week. It happens. And then some weeks you may lose 4). Plateaus or slow downs in weight loss happen to everyone. If you let a slow down or stall in your weight loss bring you down, you run the danger of falling off your plan. As one wise person on this board says, weight loss is not linear. Just because you follow the same plan from week to week does not mean you are automatically going to get the same results. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way.

I know you want to take the weight off as quickly as possible. We all do. It is a huge rush to see the numbers on the scale go down. In fact, I think I am addicted to that. Its a big part of my incentive to stay on my plan. But think about it. Even if you lose 2 pounds per week, that's 100 pounds in a year. We didn't gain all our weight all at once. So, we shouldn't get frustrated if it takes a year or so to come off.

One thing I learned from this experience is that I had to find what worked for me. What works for others may not be best for you. If you have the patience to write down your food intake, count calories, etc. - that is a great idea. Personally I don't have the patience to count points or calories. So a low carb paleo / primal like diet works for me. I don't plan on being that restrictive forever. I will add certain foods back into my diet when I reach my goal. But for now that is helping me lose at a fast pace. For other people, other methods such as calorie counting or weight watchers works. You just have to find out what works for you. In the past I lost weight, but then reverted to my old bad habits and diet. What I have finally realized from years of losing and regaining is that I had to make a change in my eating lifestyle which will last me my whole life. You have to find a way of eating that you can live with long term. But first you have to find a plan that will help you reach your goals. It sounds like you found it since what you've been doing is working. I have tinkered and modified my plan as I have gone along, adding foods, then subtracting some, until I found out what works and what doesn't. I also had to eliminate some bad habits that I developed, like late night snacking. That killed my weight loss.

Anyway, best of luck on your weight loss!

Last edited by joefla70; 03-22-2013 at 09:37 PM.
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Old 03-25-2013, 07:06 PM   #7  
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Thanks Susie, Amy, and Joe! I really appreciate the comments and advice, you have all done fabulously well. I joined MFP and it's pretty fun! (my name there is yesterdayusaid2morrow, feel free to add me!)
Joe- You have no idea what a relief it is for me to hear you say you found a way that worked for you that doesn't involve tracking/counting/journaling. I get concerned about being able to maintain such practices forever, simply because I am so busy. I think to start it will me regain a sense of what 1600 calories looks like, if you know what I mean,
I conceded that my 25lb goal was a bit lofty, and you're right, I am one of those who would not take the failure gracefully, haha. However I am shooting to lose 18, and I am happy to report I lost three last week!
Thanks again for the wisdom, I so admire each of you for your commitment and hard work!
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Old 04-01-2013, 07:43 PM   #8  
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18 is a more achievable goal for sure. I lost 17 pounds last month so I think it can be done. (For reference, I started my journey 45 days ago and have lost 30 lbs total)

I do low carb, intermittent fasting and calorie count, although my calories are quite low because low carb makes me not hungry. I also am excercising (walking or hiking) at least 3 hours a day now, but I know for most people there just isn't enough time. Try excercising as much as you can possibly fit in, it really helps a lot.

Counting calories can be done as easy as writing it down in a daytimer whenever you eat and checking the calories later when you have time. You'll start to get a feel for how many calories you are eating and you will start to remember the calorie counts of foods you eat often. I myself find online calorie charting a bit too time consuming, so I just carry around a daytimer booklet.
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Old 04-10-2013, 09:18 PM   #9  
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What is intermittent fasting exactly? Just skipping a meal each day, or is is not eating for a day or more intermittently? I'm guilty of skipping the oh-so-sacred breakfast many mornings. For some reason I just don't want to eat in the morning. Night=different story.
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