I was thinking a bit ago while feeding the baby about some of the things that helped me to go off plan before. One of the biggest was the addition of mini goals. When I see that I have to lose 120 pounds I can find it in me to push, but when I think I only have to lose 10 pounds I say forget this, I am fine and will worry about that 10 pounds tomarrow.
Am I the only one who has to have the big picture in front of their face?
Interesting thought. I have that trouble you describe now that I am very close to goal. However, when I did have more to lose, having mini-goals did not cause that problem.
I have been big-picture from the start, though I have had mini-goals recently, and always look to the next 5 lb increment.
It's just that I told myself I have 120+ to lose, and keep that in mind, because otherwise I am in a hurry. Big picture, to me, is about being in it for the long haul, day after day. It's funny that you mention this because I always see here that it is the opposite for so many other posters -- easier to focus on those next 10 lbs. I get that, but yeah, big picture for me. The few mini-goals I've had, I exceeded, and that made me happy in a small, unofficial way but from past experiences I am wary of getting attached to mini goals.
I think that is why I pushed my goal weight down further (it was 150, then 145) lol I never really thought about it that way. When I had a huge amount those mini-goals made me look forward to the "prize" that was waiting for me.
I tend to think in 10 lb increments, like from the 40s to the 30s. I don't think in the long term, it feels a little overwhelming for me. On top of that, when I do get to the next set of 10, I have a sense of accomplishment.
I was thinking about mini goals with a time limit set to them. on the one hand, it seems like a great idea to push myself to accomplish a certain amount of weight loss in a certain amount of time. with the idea that it would make me push myself more on a daily level to stick to plan. on the other hand, when I don't reach those mini goals by a certain amount of time, I feel like I'm failing. tricky thing.
so I'm trying the Equinox challenge with a pretty low goal to see how that works for me. I figure if I get there ahead of time, I can always add to the challenge (and feel like I did it). and I'm at less of a risk of feeling like a failure and I can't do it in the long run.
Don't get me wrong.. in the past when I have seen the scale drop from the 260s into the 250s and then into the 240s and 230s (man that was a LONG time ago now) I get a great feeling and have an "internal party", but I can't tell myself ahead of time that I am just working to lose that 10 pounds.
I'm a combination - if I tell myself oh, you're losing 11 pounds 12 times I will not be able to even SEE the big picture. And if I tell myself oh you're losing 132 pounds I will run straight away from the big picture into the ice cream.
But I broke it into 4 mini goals of 33 pounds and when I record it for myself I record it as both 13 pounds towards 33 AND 13 pounds towards 132. So I see myself making a small dent in a big thing and a big dent in a small thing.
Historically I've never had mini goals. However, I very recently changed my ticker to reflect my first goal, onederland rather than my ultimate goal (150's). I'm seeing if this approach is better. I will say since setting a mini goal it all does seem more doable. Right now I am trying the fall equinox challenge (onederland) and the jingle Christmas challenge (50 lb). So right now I've set my focus on onederland then will focus on the rest. Seems to be working so far.
I so ran into the problem of associating a time with a mini goal. It caused all kinds of negative stresses when it looked like I wasn't going to make the goal by the timeline. It is really hard for me not to put a time to a mini goal so I think I might step back from mini goals for abit and see how I do without them.
Fawn I was the same way so I attached little gifts to every ten pounds that I would lose. Like when I lost 10 I went to go see a movie that had just been released, 20 - I went and got a manicure, 30 - I bought a new book and so on for each 10 until 100. I'm only 1 pound away from 40 and getting a new lotion at Bath and Body Works. That's what helped me want to keep up the mini goals.
Mini-goals to me are like mini-pats on the back. I don't see them as goals in and of themselves per se, anymore than a runner thinks a cup of water handed to them during a race is the finish line itself, it's just something to recharge or refresh you. I like the word "milestone" better.
Anyone else have trouble with mini goals?
That's what helped me want to keep up the mini goals.
