I'm sure not an expert, but that sounds like a really tough goal to meet. I hope it happens for you, but just in case it doesn't... maybe think about a plan B so you're able to stay in it for the long run?
Well, you might have one week where you only lose 1 lbs., or another where you lose 1.5 lbs. The body is quite unpredictable. We can keep doing what we are doing, but that doesn't always mean the same results. That is why looking into the long-term helps.
How's about 6 weeks of STICKING to your plan? No veering. No excuses. No nuthin'. 6 weeks of delightful, on plan, healthy eating. No matter what. NO MATTER WHAT.
That's something that you have control over, the exact numbers on the scale - not so much.
Focus on that plan, focus on those behaviors and rest assured, the numbers will plummet. Plummet.
I like "Rockin' Yoda"'s plan here. (Sorry Robin. That's the last time!)
I HATE the recommended "1-2 pounds a week". For many of us it's utter nonsense! But you know what IS realistic? 4-8 pounds a month. And the kicker is, it's the same thing!! I almost always lose 4-8 pounds a month. (This past month I lost TWO pounds) But I have a tendency to lose big one week and stall three weeks. That's not an average of 1-2 a week, but it IS an average of 4-8 a month.
It's a mind game.
I prefer time goals of sticking perfectly to plan over loss goals any day.
How's about 6 weeks of STICKING to your plan? No veering. No excuses. No nuthin'. 6 weeks of delightful, on plan, healthy eating. No matter what. NO MATTER WHAT.
That's something that you have control over, the exact numbers on the scale - not so much.
Focus on that plan, focus on those behaviors and rest assured, the numbers will plummet. Plummet.
This is my plan. To stick to my plan. I can control my behavior, I can't control my body. (And I don't own a scale.)
Not a healthy goal and what happens if you don't meet it..
Well actually it's a perfectly healthy goal. *They* say that a healthy rate of weight loss is 1 - 2% of ones body weight, 3 lbs per week certainly falls within that category for the OP.
Quote:
You should NEVER set a goal to lose x number of pounds by a certain date
Never? Never? I must have missed that when they handed out the handbook, lol. Even if it was in there, there is really no such a thing as never. We've all got to decide many things for ourselves and ignore conventional *diet wisdom*.
Setting timed goals can have some merit, though it''s not what I would have suggested in this instance.
Lots of people say "they want to lose weight". Well, when do you want to lose weight? In the future, some time down the road or NOW? Setting a timed goal can force you to make a plan of ACTION and stick with it.
I set myself up mini-goals, realistic ones, with the promise that I wouldn't feel disappointed if I fell short of them. It helped to light a fire under myself. It made me reach and stretch.
Aim low, you get low. Aim high, you get high.
I think for most people, the sticking to ones plan goal is best, but I do think it can be combined with mini-goals and be very useful. Never is just too strong and definitive a word and I think it should never be used .
Last edited by rockinrobin; 11-02-2010 at 04:01 PM.
This is my plan. To stick to my plan. I can control my behavior, I can't control my body. (And I don't own a scale.)
Oh, wow--thank you, Seagirl and Rockinrobin! This is an epiphany--can't control what the body does, but we can always control what we do to (or with) our bodies. Setting monthly instead of weekly goals, focusing on staying on plan, adding a new wrinkle to a workout are all independent of the scale or even the tape measure--and they will pay off.
Six weeks
(Sorry Robin. That's the last time!)
I think your plan sounds like a plan for success. 
