I've been thinking about this too.

I've also looked at the people on the Biggest Loser and thought - I can do that! But they workout like 3 hours/day. Some of them, couldn't continue doing it, I think one of them developed a stress fracture along the way.

I've lost 55#s last year and I have another 55ish to go. About a 1lb/week.
When I think about this past year, I had alot of up and downs that caused my weight loss to slow down mostly. I think in the entire month of November I lost .8. But then I got my momentum back and I lost 9.6#s in December! So, while I'd like to say that I can get to goal by my birthday (5/29) or summer, I don't know that I will.

I try not to look at the big number. Right now, I'm focused on getting onderland! Then 175, then @ 175, I'll take a look around and see how much further I want to go.

Everyone had different motivations, this is just the way I see it and I wouldn't have always worked for my either.

Good Luck!

I'm making short term goals for each season - winter, spring, etc. If I reach the goal by the end of the season, the I'll give myself a non-food reward like fine yarn (for knitting) or a manicure for example. If I fall short of the goal, no big deal. At least I'll weigh less than I did when I started the season. :) My goals are reasonable, I don't plan on rushing the weight loss. I know it will take time. I don't have a set date for reaching my goal, though it would be nice to be there by the time my dd is 2 or 3. I'll need the extra energy to chase her around ;)

I never looked at the big number, or set a goal date ~ it was far too overwhelming! :o I would set mini-goals (30lbs. by my daughter's wedding, 20lbs. by Christmas, etc.) but just let my program work for me and concentrate on living a new way, instead of striving for a set weight at a particular point in time. As many here have said, once you reach goal it doesn't mean you'll magically stay there without working it as hard as you did to get there! While I had hoped to reach goal by now (I've pretty much maintained at 20-30lbs. from goal for over 2 years), I know my lifestyle will change very little once I do get there. So I urge everyone to enjoy, savour and celebrate each loss as it comes and worry less about how quickly it arrives and more about making real changes you can live with (for the rest of your life!) :D

I've been very lucky. For the majority of last year I lost at roughly 2lb per week (edited because I put month at first, which was wrong!). But from what I've seen on here that's the exception rather than the rule, and if you expect to lose that fast you may well be disappointed. Certainly it's not necessarily sustainable to get all the way for goal - I've found myself slowing down over the past couple of months, and while it could just be down to Christmas I rather suspect it's because I just can't lose that fast any more.

I tend to take the view that the longer it takes to lose, the more entrenched your habits will be when you're done, so it's not a bad thing at all. (It's also cheaper than having to constantly buy new clothes!). As someone said, I don't intend to change what I'm doing when I get to a weight I'm happy at. I eat sensibly and healthily now, and I do exercise I enjoy, so why would I change that and risk gaining? So it doesn't really matter when that "goal" date arrives, as it's not going to change anything.

That said, I do have a date I'd like to be at goal for, my 28th birthday on 31 May, but if I don't do it, I don't do it.

I have one general goal, geared to help me be successful with an activity planned for this year. I'm hiking Half Dome in Yosemite with a sister and niece the first week in August and I know that I have to lose some weight by then just to be able to handle the physical components. The interesting mental thing for me that overall, I don't think of myself as "dieting" as much as I am "training" and that includes both the food element and what I am doing with exercise (both aerobic and resistance/anaerobic). Just so I don't blow out my knees or do any embarrassing puking along the way :lol: I'd like to hit onederland by early July (at the latest) so that I can focus on my long distance training at that point. But...it's a stead process. What'd I'd REALLY like is to be in the 185 to 190 range by August, but that might be a little trickly. If I'm FIT and fairly LEAN at 199ish, I should be ok for the hike.

Other than that though, I'm not setting dates. I know that the weight loss will probably slow and be more difficult with more plateaus as I get closer to my goal. And...I want to keep that in perspective--that the REAL goal is to exercise and eat healthy and what happens on the scale will happen in its own time. Actually, I may switch to the Calorie Queens' "maintenance" approach (at least for awhile) after the Half Dome hike and allow my weight loss to slow as I concentrate more on the lifetime situation that I need to be in.

Very interesting. Your right, I can't devote 3 hours a day to working out. I just can't allow myself to lose 2 lbs a month. I don't want to do this forever. I know I will have slips. But if I allow myself that much freedom. I will get no where.

You guys are all awseome!

Hey Jenniffer--you might want to do some reading on the Maintenance thread to help understand the mindset of those folks who have been successful not just at LOSING the weight, but at KEEPING it OFF. The part that makes the difference between just losing it, and losing it and keeping it off is the realization that the changes you make ARE forever. I think that's why you're getting so many responses suggesting some degree of moderation. I totally understand that you may want some accelerated weight loss initially to help you feel better, but don't forget to take a good look at the big picture too.

Just my two cents....

Thank you so much for givin me a reality spankin. Your right, this is a life change, I completely agree. I know once I see some changes, I will be more satisfied. I lost 60 lbs a few years back and swore I would never regain it. Well, here I am. I am making changes that I can live with, now and days to come.

It's speaking from experience for me (heavy sigh). In my 30s, my high weight was 224 and I dieted down to 184. I think I stayed there maybe 2 days before starting to regain. I knew this time going in that I had to take a vastly different approach mentally. Experience is a ***** sometimes :lol:

You have a very positive out look and It will help you be sucessful way to go.
One of my favorite qoutes I use in my signature is
"If you think you can, you can. And If you think you can't you're, right."

My goal is to be under 200 by my 30th Bday on April 2nd of this year. I havent stayed on task for the last few months it WAS a reachable goal now a little unreasonable, but Im going to throw it in second gear a try my best to get there. 55 pounds to go:mad: But Im not giving up.
Kelly

I have been setting little mini weight loss goals on the calander..."X" amount of weight by "X" date...like my ticker:) ... but I'm starting to understand that "weight loss" alone isn't my goal. It's about more than the scale. I've lost weight before. I have not kept it off. My ultimate goal is to be healthy, lean and fit... so the most productive areas for me to focus on are the food choices and the exercise changes that will lead me to that long-term weight change. I heard recently (or maybe read it here??) that effective goals are specific, attainable and forgiving. Until recently I had a goal in my head to be down to 199 by July 15 - my 35th birthday - but I've scratched that "goal". I don't think it is that attainable...and possibly in order to reach it I would have had to really restrict my calories to less than is healthy. If it happens, great. If not, I know I'll be working my way there. Eating clean & balanced and exercising.
*edited for typos everywhere!! Geez, did I get them all!

barb I am the same way. I had goals in my sig and hadn't reached any of them as of two weeks ago. I finally buckled down and lost 2.6 lbs and we'll see tomorrow. In any case I deleted the goals and figured I'll just see where I am - I am a pound or so away from 30 lbs! :)
I don't think I have an ideal weight and I like the idea that if I remind myself about the future and how I don't want to sit there and say woulda coulda shoulda. I think I have done that every spring for 5 years.
So I am doing it, not perfect, but still doing it. If I were to lose up to my goal of 50lbs by my 33rd bday that'd be a great bday present. Gives me From now until the end of march to lose about 20 lbs. that seems pretty doable huh? :)
Which means at one year I could technically lose about 90 lbs, if I do it right. i could set a goal of 199 by Aug- my start date.

My goal is to be able to wear normal, as in not plus size clothes by spring. It can happen. Like you said, the harder you work, the quicker it comes off. I know this by experience.

Interesting thoughts all. I'm with mousie and others who are looking for something sustainable. I'm not there yet. I do ok for a couple week and then my spoiled lazy inner kid acts up and I slide into old habits. Sometimes legit (like my knee flaring up b/c I pushed too hard at the gym) but more related to laziness and a long ingrained response to stress. I'm not giving up though. Everyday is a new one. I really liked the way Mousie described her process. I'll give it more thought...

I'm setting small goals that I'm aiming for with all I've got. 4 pounds then 3 then 3 more and then 4 pounds again. Every time I reach a small goal I set a new one. I do have the Valentine's day goal that I still need to lose 5 and a half pounds for. And I might set another medium range goal after I hit that one just to make sure I'm on track. My mini goals are my primary ones because I can make them fairly quickly and feel a sense of accomplishment at doing them. I try not to look too hard at the big picture.

However I DO intend to stick to this way of life until July. And I am hoping to be in th 100 somethings then. I'm aiming for 199 by July 7th. Once I get there I will probably set another 6 months away goal, and continue to pursue my little mini goals of 4/3/3. Every cycle of 4/3/3 will put me 10 pounds lower. But every 4 every 3 has significance on its own. The first one puts me below a 10 pound marker, the first 3 puts me at a 5 pound mid range point (the next three will put me at 245 for instance) and the second 3 of the cycle puts me at a 10 pounds total lost marker (since I started at 282, getting to 242 will mean I've lost 40 pounds total).

I am not looking as far ahead as getting to my absolute goal. Why? Because I don't even know if it is possible. If it is, I'm not sure what that ultimate goal should be, and like you, I don't really believe in it.

My thinnest since adulthood (or semi-adulthood, I think I was 17) was 129. I'm not sure I could even get that low at my age now. I'm not sure I would want to. I'm sure I have more muscle than that by now and I am not sure what my real "goal" should be. I do know I want to look as good as I did then, but that isn't likely either!

So instead I'm just going to do my best work and focus on my baby steps with a little intermediate and smaller than ultimate goals along the way. When I get to the smallest goal I've set, I'll set a new one.