How do you keep from getting overwhelmed?
 

i break it down to 5 or 10 lb increments. it seems much more doable. and i reward myself for each milestone, and celebrate it. I also dont just quit. Everyday is a new day.

try not to think of the big number but some mini goals along the way...

honestly I never had mini goals and I didnt necessarily have a goal weight til I joined this website... I just knew I wanted to lose weight... and I have lost almost 70 pounds without having mini goals...and I still have a ton to lose and I know that but eventually you get there...

take it one poud at a time..because sometimes the big picture is way too overwhelming... but think you can spend the time and focus on losing or you can give up and gain... that is how I always look at it... and next year I dont want to weigh more than I do today...so I stay on track so that next year I can look at a number and be happy about it and not sad about it

I set mini goals myself. 5 lbs here, then reward. Though I really do like Haley's pound at a time philosophy. As I move further into unknown territory, I am adopting this more and more. I just want to see new lower numbers, even if its only a one pound drop.

Mini-goals are definitely the way to go. I celebrate milestones like onderland, BMI less than 30 (overweight), XX lbs lost, and the like. Breaking it up is a huge help, plus it helps to focus on that next obtainable goal rather than the 'big picture.' :)

Me too. I don't really set mini-goals but I just like to see new numbers. If it means .1 lb different, that's still .1 lb that I hadn't been able to get to before.

Maybe it would be helpful to set goals that aren't weight related too, if numbers seem overwhelming.
Things like eating 2 weeks on plan, losing a pants size, increasing your cardio time or being able to lift greater amounts of weight. You could pick your own goals, things that relate to a healthy lifestyle, not just numbers on the scale.

I like those BMI goals, good idea. I get so focused and impatient sometimes! It's a major weakness. I think I will do onederland (so close!), no longer obese, no longer overweight. I'm still getting settled into my fitness plan. It's been pretty consistent, but I'm adding a cardio boxing regimen, too, in the next week, to step it up a notch.

I really need to hide that scale, too, so I can't sneak peeks and get down on myself. I'll even occasionally step on it in the EVENING if I've felt I've had an extra good workout. That does not help with the goalsetting.

I hope to be safely and sturdily in onederland by 2/14. I think my reward will be a couple of glasses of wine. :hat:

yes, i agree. it does seem far away, i look at it that way too but mini-goals are definately the way to go! i have a v-day goal to get to 175. then i will set a st. pats goal. it also helps me when i get into the next level down. 170s... then 160s... every 10 pounds seems like an accomplishment in itself! and yes, i've learned to stay away from the scale! i did the same thing torwards the beginning...weighing in every day a few times a day. not good! but you've already lost so much... 11 pounds is grrrreat! keep thinking mini-goals!!

I just adopted the thinking that it took me 25 years to put the weight on, it was unrealistic to think that I could drop it all at once, it would take time and patience.

I also realized that the time was going to pass anyways, if i'm smaller than i was a month ago, even if it's a small amount, it's still a step in the right direction and a MUCH better scenario than the other possibilities of gaining more or just staying the same.

Good question. I started at basically your weight, and remember feeling the same way. 75 lbs just seemed so... HUGE! I think I just went decade by decade. First goal was to get to onederland, then the 180s, 170s, etc. I did give myself some challenges - 10 lbs by Memorial Day type of stuff. Sometimes that backfires on people, though, if they get down if they don't meet their goal. I find the opposite to be true, as long as I set a realistic goal for myself. And, I figure if I end the challenge at a lower weight than I began, then I still did a great job.

If you had asked me a year ago if I would be down nearly 70 lbs by January 2010, I would have been laughed. When you focus on short term goals, eventually they all add up into one big loss. :)

Yes I agree with the mini goals. We are so hard on ourselves and even though we are doing everything right and losing weight if we dont see that number we want we beat ourselves up. I would definitely set mini goals and reward urself when you reach them....it breaks up the long stretch and keeps you motivated to get to the next goal. Start with something small then gradually make your rewards bigger.

I'm in with the "just lower numbers" group.

When I started my private, intensely personal project of losing weight, I did not at first have a goal weight or a total for the amount of pounds I hoped to lose. I was nearly "done" by the time I thought that stuff out.

My mantra was: "A little less. A little less." (Come to think of it, I sound like that Guardasil commercial: "One less.")

Anything less, I'd take. Anything lower than the last weigh-in the week before. If it was .1 or .3, I'd take it, quite humbly.

Because it was better than my doing nothing at all about it. And much, much better than going the other way. With such low expectations, even if it was the same as the previous week, it wasn't absolutely crushing.

In real life, when it comes to other things, I am a perfectionist. I am into goal-setting & achievement. But for this project, I had to beat that woman up, gag her with duct tape, tie her up & keep her captive in a corner. Even then I could hear her muffled curses at me & all the bad things she had to say.

For this one thing, it worked. Or rather, has been working.

i just dont think about it. I just take each weigh in on its own, if its lower i do a little dance, if not then i look at what i can change

I like what daisy said about small rewards for small goals, def. the way to go! My next sven lbs I get a VS bra I reallllly want!

I have the same problem. I am very impatient, and I tend to look at the bigger picture.

I've been having a very hard time, too, since I weigh more than I have in a while. ( Started at 230 lbs. ) I was very depressed that I had added that extra 30 lbs. to lose, and I still am.

I just wish I could speed up time! LOL!

I'm really not very excited about any small goals, since I've already done the 220, 215, 210, 200, 190 last year. Yeah, I actually got down to 190 lbs. last year & f_cked it up! Grr!

189 will be when I am really excited. It will be the smallest I've been in years. 189 is my magic number.

So, yeah. I know how everyone feels, and of course I am grateful for every pound lost.

Techno, I totally understand where you're coming from. Two years ago I started the whole weight loss mission at 192, plateaued at 162 and never saw below that 30lb mark. Slowing, without really noticing what I was doing to my body, I gained almost all of it back :( So it's really hard to see mini-goals when you know you've already been there.

But, I'm trying really hard to not let that get to me! It doesn't matter what the scale said last year of the year before. what matters is what it says today and what it will say next month and next year. So mini-goals again, except this time, I KNOW I can get there b/c I've been there before!

:hug:

Yup. Exactly, everything you said. Both parts!

It also makes me sad that since I'd already gotten down to 190 lbs. last year, I already know how it feels, LOL. Does that make sense?

Don't get me wrong, it felt great. :D I could fit into a couple pairs of pants that have been tight since I got them, I think. Am looking forward to putting those on, again. ( They're a small 15/16, I believe. )

One of my mini goals, though, is being able to put on my pair of size 13 Candies jeans. They're super cute, and I can't even remember the last time I was able to wear them. I think they're probably the smallest jeans I own! I'm guessing I might be able to fit them around 160/150 lbs. :carrot:

I think to myself, that if I had started 1 year ago and lost "only" 5 lbs per month I'd be close to my goal by now. I procrastinated for years, because when you are 275 lbs and you lose 5 lbs, 10 lbs or even 15 lbs, you think "So what? I hardly look or feel any different. Might as well do and eat whatever I want." It takes a good 20+ lbs before you feel any different, before you feel motivated to continue, like you have a goal to reach.

Right now my goal is to steadily lose weight while keeping my metabolism in shape and learning how to maintain my weight as it gets lower and lower. My mother has said to me, "I've probably lost over 500 lbs over the course of my life. The problem was keeping the weight off and maintaining it."

I also have a younger cousin who goes on and off strict diets all the time. She's only 18 but she's lost 30-50 lbs 3 times already, and gained it all back, because she literally starved herself to lose that weight. I think she already has metabolism issues, but if she doesn't, she will have problems if she doesn't stop with the reckless dieting.

I totally agree with all of this.

I use to look at the big number. But it didn't work for me. Now i just work on small goals.

Work on 10lbs goals at a time.