I know a lot of you have goals to lose x amount of weight for x date - some of them might be holidays or weddings etc, which is great! But I don't really have something like that to look forward to.

I need to lose 56 pounds to be at my ideal weight. It would make me 130 pounds - which is a BMI of 21.6: smack bang in the middle of the just right bar =).

So my question is - what's a realistic time limit to achieve this goal? I know that it's all relevant on personal preference, but as a whole - how did you decide how long you were going to spend losing the weight? Is 1 pound a week too much or too little?

Thanks for any advice!

We have similar goals so I'll just tell you what I did.

My goal was to lose 50 lbs and I didn't have any life events or whatever that were motivating it, just wanting to be healthier and look better. So I figured an average loss of 1 lb/week would be about right (faster at the beginning, slower at the end) and set my goal date for a year out from when I started.

So.. yeah! So far I'm ahead of my goal pace, which is what I expected. I don't know if I'll hit my goal by my chosen date but if not that's OK and I'll just keep going.

I don't do well with time constraints... When it I reach goal, I will reach it. Some people are different and need a time line. I'll do little challenges for 5 lbs, but really can't set a goal for the end. I am a person who starts with the end in mind, but when it comes to weight loss, I just want to make it to the next mini goal.

I feel like I set myself up for disappointment by setting time goals. And honestly, once you are within a normal BMI, it can take a while to lose. You can't expect the same results with a BMI of 24 as you had back at 30. I try to focus on making good choices instead of the number.

I never set a time limit for myself. When I started actually losing weight I never considered a time frame to work with- I was just so focused on losing for the first time in my life. Prior to that, all of my "I'm going to lose weight" declarations were accompanied by a specific time I wanted to be thin by and they weren't all that meaningful. I'm not saying people can't be motivated by losing weight within a specified frame, but for me it played zero part in how fast I lost weight or how successful I ended up being. Also, there were times when my weightloss was painfully slow and others when it was fast. I'm sure it evened out, but it probably would've been even more frustrating with a "deadline" hanging over my head.

I also want to add after thinking about it that I have created tons of deadlines for myself post-maintenance (trips, weddings, etc...) and I have failed miserably each and every time. Even if the goal is under 10lbs it's like the deadline just stresses me out to the point where I am setting myself up to fail. Like I said, I am sure people have set goals and met them in a specified amount of time, but it's almost funny how painfully terrible I personally am at abiding by them.

i've set a super realistic time limit for me to lose 135lbs. my deadline is may 2014, when my fiance graduates school (because that's when we can start trying for babies!). 3 years. 150+ weeks. that's a one pound a week loss with room for mistakes and plateaus. my more ambitious deadline is my 29th birthday which is next october. so half that time. which, after i calculated it out, is approx. 1.5lbs a week. and my super ambitious goal, which i'm not counting on, is my first anniversary. may 21, 2012. which would be like, 2.1lbs a week. and i've only got those guidelines because i know i tend focus better (in so many aspects) when i've got pressure to get something done by a certain time. it's different for everyone though.

My situation sounds similar to ERHR. I had/have fifty pounds to lose. I started in February and didn't really have anything to major force me into a deadline. In my mind, I kind of aimed for August-ish (when I start grad school), but it's definitely not hard and fast. The weight will come off.

I do participate in the mini-challenges on 3FC. It's a nice way to stay focused. But again, I don't beat myself up if the scale doesn't reflect exactly what I've (arbitrarily) planned. Cheers to a healthier you!

My wedding keeps me motivated, but at the same time I'd rather be losing weight without the rush of a deadline on it. I get really frustrated and dissapointed if I have poor weeks or whatever, there are months I wasted by only losing a few lbs that whole month. Where as if I was just losing solely for my health, I think I'd be okay with a slower pace as long as I was moving in the right direction. The panic of not fitting into any dresses at the bridal store in the upcoming month or so is just a lot of pressure almost too much and it can be detrimental.

I'm setting a time to be down 5 pounds by the time May 23rd hits which will be my 26th birthday. Then after that I'll have 8 pounds left to lose and that I want gone by July 23rd before I go home to visit family.

Setting a time goal to reach the loss of a certain number of pounds is a goal for disaster. You cannot predict how your body will lose weight, and what if you don't reach that goal? Psychologically you feel you are a failure and may as well give up. Unless you set a goal to gain a certain number of pounds by a certain date when you were putting the pounds on, don't set a goal to lost x pounds by a certain date.

I wanted to lose 26 kg (about 57 lb) in one year (from the 25th to the 26th birthday). I won't make it, I know it, but I won't be disappointed. (I was 215lb last year so that means I’d have to be 158lb by June 22nd. Yeah, not happening, I know!)

So that's my recommendation: don’t establish a time limit IF you are going to be sad by not meeting it. I will not be sad if I’m 165, 170… because I look at the progress as a whole and I’m proud of it!

This is my first go at weight loss. I'm shooting for a total of ~65lbs lost. Perhaps I'll reevaluate that as time goes on. I might find I'm comfortable in a slightly higher weight, or may want to try for a few more pounds. There's nothing set in stone, and definitely no date set. I know I'm the kind of person who would be very disheartened if I missed that date, so I don't bother with it.

My ambitions are weigh-in day to weigh-in day. If I lose, I'm enthused. If I don't, I evaluate my week vs weeks I have lost and see what to work on.

hmm i rly dont like setting time goals, but i have a general plan on the weigh i like to see for specific events throughout my life (my birthday, concert dates, small stuff all around the calendar) but it really doesnt matter that much to me. Its just there to help me daydream in a way , loosing 1lb or more a week thats my goal.

at 5'9, 285lbs, i fit perfectly into a size 24 dress at david's bridal, they have up to 26 i think. don't panic!