Yes, I am one of "those people" who needs to set goals for myself to have some sort of direction in my life. LOL Without goals, I feel completely lost. I used an excel spreadsheet to put pre-filled dates and weight, waist and BMI columns. My ultimate goal is to real my goal weight by the time I'm 40 (April 19, 2014) I know I'll have many ups and downs in that time, especially the holidays.

That said, has anyone else set specific weight loss goals? Here are my goals:

STARTING WEIGHT = Obesity**224.6 pounds** Waist 49** BMI 41.1 on May 6, 2012
Goal #1 = Lose 5% (213.4) by June 3, 2012
Goal #2 = Lose 10% (202.2) by Aug 5, 2012
Goal #3 = Under 200 pounds by Aug 26, 2012
Goal #4 = Lose 15% (191) by Oct 28, 2012
Goal #5 = Lose 20% (179.4) by Feb 3,2013
Goal #6 = Lose 25% (168.4) by Apr 21, 2013
Goal #7 = Leave "Obesity" BMI (164) by May 26, 2013
Goal #8 = Lose 30% (157.2) by July 28, 2013
Goal #9 = Lose 35% (146) by Nov 24, 2013
ULTIMATE GOAL = Normal Weight**134 pounds** Waist 30** BMI 24.5 by Apr 20, 2014

Great goals! Your plan is very organized and realistic!

When I started SBD my first goal was 6 months-100% OP. I accomplished that and my results were phenomenal. I found my life had changed in those first 6 months.

My life has turned more chaotic over the past few years so my goal is more about continued focus on my chosen way of eating (SBD), losing more (accepting that slow is ok), and maintaining my current losses as I deal with the daily ups and downs in my life.

Best wishes!

They seem to be reasonable goals. I set goals as well, but am a bit less specific about the date because I don't want any reason to be less happy and less proud of what I'm accomplishing. Of course, if they work for you, enjoy them!

Wow those are very organized goals I am impressed!
Is there a guideline as to how to figure out an appropriate percentage of fat loss would be for a person?
I just know what BMI I am supposed to be in, not 100% sure of how to calculate late fat loss %..

You totally made the first two and are poised to take Goal #3 early! Congratulations!!

You are smart to give so much time to the last few goals. Maybe you won't need that much time. Some people just cruise steadily right on down to their goal weights. Others, like me, take foreeeeeeever to lose those "last 10 pounds."

Best of luck to you for all your goals -

Body fat percentage is notoriously hard to calculate accurately. The most accurate ways are the water tank dunk and a DEXA scan, neither of which I have done.

At near my high weight, I had a guy at my gym calculate my body fat percentage using calipers at 7 points (I think). That way is interesting because I could see huge differences in where my fat is stored. If you do it this way, you are supposed to try to get the same person to repeat the test in hopes that the inaccuracies of measuring in a slightly different place will be minimized. I moved since then so I don't have another reading to go by.

Online calculators can give you a *very* rough estimate, based on height, weight and waist measurement. This one for example. The disclaimer says that it underestimates % . Also body fat scales and handheld devices can give an estimate, but also can be wildly inaccurate and can fluctuate based on how hydrated you are.

The only way to calculate body fat loss would be to find a method you can use repeatedly. Try to replicate the conditions accurately each time you check.

Here are some interesting visuals of women at different body fat levels (scroll down for the women - this is a body-building site so basically I just look at the photos). Based on these photos, I would love to be 18-20% Even though I have lost weight I am still in the high 20's.

[ETA: I just checked on my body fat measuring scale: it said I am 33% fat. I have a BMI of 21.8. Either I am obese by body fat standards, or this scale is pretty inaccurate]

I HAD written down goals, but my body is just not cooperating. I thought mine were realistic as well - just 5 lbs per month. It's taken me 4 months to lost 12 lbs. I'm doing a cleanse protocol this week to see if I can get the scale moving again, and then I need to get serious about making sure I'm eating enough vegetables, drinking enough water, etc. I also think I need to change my exercise up a bit - I wasn't progressing well with running, and I wonder if it was impacting my weight loss. So, more strengthening exercises are planned as well.
I'm a little discouraged and frustrated, but pushing through.
Cate

YEP I struggle with this as well. I keep setting goals and never making them, then it makes me feel like such a failure ... when in reality if you don't have much weight to lose, it can be painfully slow. My "journey" has included two 6-month plateaus... and I didn't lose any weight at all during the 9 weeks I did Couch to 5K...

Like Lexxiss said, I had to go with goals that were more behavioral (stay on plan, exercise X days, etc) than outcome-oriented.

I think it would have been great if I could have set number goals and achieved them. What a great feeling of accomplishment! (But it didn't work out that way for me at all, in fact it worked against me ...)

Emma - Huh! I was doing Couch to 5k - and that's when my weight loss stalled! I read that the cortisol you create from too intense an exercise plan might stall weight loss. Do you think that's the case? I wonder if I should completely switch up my exercise routine? What happened for you once you finished the plan? I could really use some encouragement right now!