BestDaysAhead Welcome! My past experience tells me the best strategy is to choose a goal that's not overwhelming but it's still challenging. Slow and steady has worked for me even though i get annoyed at times wishing i would just wake up thin already! Lol! If you have absolutely no idea what would be a reasonable goal you could follow Jb1975's sugestion and aim for 10 lbs, which i think would be a good goal. Like she said, you can always set a new goal if you reach your original one or if you change your mind. I myself am setting a smaller goal than last month for September and if i achieve it earlier i'll set another one. Not sure why, but this smaller goal feels more motivating. Some people prefer higher goals, though. It will get easier to set your goal after a few weeks as you get to know what rhythm works best for you.
Welcome everyone! I'll post our goal list in a couple of days, so there's plenty of time to join in and be on the initial list!
BestDaysAhead: I suggest 5 to 10 pounds. I'll be happy to mark your goal as met and set a new goal for the rest of the month! I find that a very motivating way to approach things.
I'm going to have a very strange month, so my goal is to estimate calories in the My Fitness Pal app on my phone every time I eat. I think that will help keep me focused enough to not let things get out of hand when I won't have a scale available.
Goal: Maintaining 135.
Goal: Improve diet: more calcium, vegies, green tea
Ideally, would like to lose a few lbs this month. But exercise (related challenge) is the more important goal this month, and the return to increased activity/strength training may cause some weight/water fluctuations so I'm not focusing on the scale this month. (You know how heavy those new, sculpted muscles will be. Ha! What rationalization!!!!)
If I maintain at 135 for two weeks, my reward to myself is changing my ticker. With the implicit intention of Not. Moving. It. Upward. Again.
Last edited by Mountain Mamma; 09-01-2014 at 02:57 PM.
I spent August recuperating from a car accident that occurred right at the end of July, so I haven't weighed myself in that time. Plus, I've just started my TOM, so I won't weigh myself until next week when it's over.
Ha! What rationalization!!!!) 
