Are my mini-goals realistic?
 

Hi!
I'm preparing my mini goals and was just wondering what you all thought of them. Is it possible with WW or calorie counting and exercise??

Mini goals: (currently 177 lbs)
170: 25 pounds lost from heaviest – June 19th 2009
163: No longer obese – July 17th 2009
150: 30 pounds since the beginning of summer – September 4th 2009
145: 50 pounds lost from heaviest – September 21st
136: No longer overweight – Halloween 2009
130: Goal – November 30th

thanks for the input!!

Let me explain why I don't like time-based goals.

Lets say that Sept 4th rolls around...you've lost 25 lbs since the beginning of summer. Great! Except that puts you at 155, NOT at 150. I have seen too many people basically ignore the wonderful accomplishment of losing the 25 lbs, because all they can see is the "failure" of missing their goal by 5 lbs. It's really destructive!

I prefer to make goals that have to do with things I can control...days on plan, days I exercised or total hours exercised, etc. I can control those things! I can't absolutely control what my body does...sometimes it'll lose a lb, sometimes it'll blip upward, and sometimes it'll seem like NOTHING will make the scale go lower no matter WHAT I do (if you read my goal story, you'll see an EIGHT MONTH plateau. That's right, 8 months).

Your schedule is pretty aggressive, given that you're relatively short and that weight loss slows as you get closer to your goal. I mean, sure, it might be possible...who knows? Why not just focus on being on plan, and see where your body takes it from there?

And I have to admit I have gone back to time based goals because I seem to do better with them. BUT I do not make them aggressive at all. And no way would I set up 6 aggressive goals ahead of time. When I started I did a Xmas goal and when I ACHIEVED it (whether it was before or after Xmas) then I set the next goal. By the end of one goal you may have a better idea of what is realistic and be able to plan for slow down.

I would say that 6 months is on the very aggressive end of possible. It might be doable, but it might be more than your body can handle. I dont think I ever came close to maintaining a 2 lbs/week weight loss for very long.

Also 1 month time frames like that can be tough to manage. Some people plateau for 3 weeks and then move and for most weight loss isnt linear.

In some ways behavior based /time based goals is like weighing everyday. A lot depends on how you psychologically react. And only you can know how you are going to feel if you miss the goal by a pound.

If you set any kind of a goal like that (which like Amanda, I don't encourage) post November 1 you better have a big, lifetime goal of MAINTAIN weight loss and be thinking how you're going to accomplish that.

Stopping your plan at goal weight is extremely short sighted.

I am myself against date-based goals very much myself. It never worked for me. I am basically of the mindset that whatever I lose in a month, that's it. (I am currently more or less maintaining because of plantar fasciitis). I KNOW I would be upset if I didn't lose e.g. 10 pounds by the 4th of July or whatever the date was. I would not be happy even though I lost EIGHT pounds instead of the intended TEN.
But, if you think that it really motivates you to have a date and a goal in mind, go for it. The key is to find something what works for you. And we can't tell you what it is. You will have to figure it out on your own.
Wishing you best luck!

thank you all for the answers, it's really great to have people who have gone through this already or are going through it too to share their experience..
i love this place!!!
thank you thank you thank you