Does anyone else find it easier to stick to a plan and lose weight when they don't have a goal amount to lose by "X" date?
In the past I would get all stressed out when I thought about my goal date and how I wasn't going to make it, so I would just quit. Now that my plan is just to be at a normal weight for my height and age sometime in the near future, my anxiety has lessoned. I'm finding it easier to just enjoy the food I'm eating, knowing I'm having a lot more "good days" than bad, so eventually the extra fluffy weight WILL come off. I'm letting myself do it on my body's timeframe, not one that may or may not be attainable, in a rush to be thin. I think my body is liking this "let's take it slow this time" attitude! My cravings and stress eating have almost completely gone.
Anybody else feel this way?
Heidi
180/164/something in the "normal weight" catagory
I don't have a specific date to meet my goal weight, I figure when I get there I get there and I like it that way. I do make mini goals with time frames though, like "I want to lose 5 lbs. this month" or something like that. My latest mini goal was to make it to 195 lbs. by July 4th (and I made it! ).
I never wanted to set goal dates for weight loss, for many of the reasons you mentioned. For me, this needs to be a lifelong journey, so the dates themselves aren't as important.
In fact, I went a long time with no real ending goal either. And I don't have one now. I'm starting to think about fitness goals more than weight goals.
I agree -- every time I set a goal, the stress/anxiety of trying to make it always sabotaged me. Whenever I set a goal, it was like I should be done then as well and this is not true -- this is a lifelong challenge with no ending date. I will admit -- I have a small goal lately -- to make it through one more day
The important thing that I've found about having a goal is that it gets me going in the right direction--and other than that, all bets are off.
Setting a weight goal in FitDay has helped me to figure out my daily calories and keep with the plan I have. But the fact is, I've never hit any of those goals exactly. That said, I've always come within a few pounds of the goal, so no complaints!
For me, not having a set goal leaves me thinking in too open-ended a way. I've always done better with some kind of concrete goal out there. And, I'm not happy with just getting there when I get there, because I tried that in the past and couldn't stay with it. But that's just me.
I do have a target in mind, as you can see by my ticker, and it is just going to take as long as it takes! My FitDay goal was to be at 155 by June 30, and that's not likely. But, I'm closer than I think I would have been otherwise. Am I disappointed? No! I made it up! So, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing until I reach that number (at which time I'm going to do maintenance for awhile).
I like having a goal in mind, but I've always known I'd be ok with it taking longer. So far I've been ahead of schedule but things have slowed down lately so that I'm right on track or slightly behind. My original goal was to reach 165 by August 7. I set that goal back on July 18 of last year, so I knew it could be WAY off. It's still doable, I guess, but I don't really care if I hit it by then, and I'm rethinking that goal anyway. I will probably try to continue losing weight after I hit it, because I have quite a bit of flab still to only lose 11 more pounds!
Anyway, my point is...I like having little mini-goals to motivate me a bit, but I also like taking it slowly and being ok with taking my time. As long as the scale is going down, I'm happy.
The only real goals I've set for myself, now that I think about it, is to end the month less than I weigh now, or the same. For awhile there I was eating like a crazy out of control woman and I saw 200+ in my future. I just won't allow that to happen, so I'm taking control before it's too late.
Which leads to my other "goal"....to end the day without stuffing myself. I chose to try for 1500 calories or less a day, and that's what I shoot for. I figure I do this more and more, and the weight just HAS to come off!
I'm trying to do things I know I will have no problem doing forever. I can't eat fattening desserts everyday or eat large restaurant portioned foods anymore, and I've come to terms with that. These things I used to think I couldn't live without, but now I'm learning I can live without them, and will reap the rewards in due time. I just have to be patient with myself.
I never had a goal weight when I was losing. I watched as the scale crept down, and my only goal was not to see it go up. I just changed the way I ate and exercised and focused on those things. I think I was personally better off without a goal weight because my focus was not eating junk and overall it was a very low stress way of losing weight, free of disappointments.
I have a goal weight but not goal dates. I, too, tend to just leave it as to weigh less at the end of a month than I did at the beginning of the month, even if it's just by 1 pound. But no fixed timetables or anything like that. I do sort of create mini-goals (poundage only, not dates) along the way, like I just recently hit the big 3-0, which was a mini-goal, and now I'm aiming for 31, which will be my halfway mark. After that, I'll probably think, okay, 32 will bring me to 170 even. These little benchmarks are like small victories for me over and over. I might see that 1 pound gone tomorrow or I might see it in 3 weeks. Ultimately, it matters more to me that it goes, not so much when.
I'm like trekkiegirl..I don't make fixed goals like x lbs by x date..for me it would be too stressful, not motivating at all, and actually taking away from the fact I am trying to drill into myself all the time..which is, it's not a race! Not a sprint, oh yes I want to get there, but as long as I see the downward trend I am happy..
but I tend to think to myself ..oh that'll be nice when I get to 20lbs lost, that'll be nice when I'm 150lbs, that'll be nice when I'm no longer "obese" -that one is accomplished..
I have a generalized goal in mind, but nothing concrete and really no time line set for it. My goal is to be at a comfortable weight where I can be really active with my two young kids and be a "fun" mom. Also, I want to be able to shop in any regular clothes store.
I don't have a set date. I vaguely used to have one at first, but I dropped it. There is no way for me to foresee how my body will react, how fast or slowly it will lose the last pounds, if I'll plateau for two weeks or two months, if it will retain more water on TOM n°3 than on TOM n°2... so I am not adding the opportunity of thinking "I am a failure!" just because of something I can't really control. (Yes, I know, I can control my calories intake and exercise and make sure I don't stray, but even with that, you just can't totally foresee.)
Is anybody else "goal less?"
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I might see that 1 pound gone tomorrow or I might see it in 3 weeks. Ultimately, it matters more to me that it goes, not so much when. 
