I totally want to join the Halloween Challenge, or ANY challenge for that matter, but I have a problem.

So I'm jumping into all this - forum posting and I made a blog and all - but I'm kind of baffled on a whole lotta things. Like, weight for instance. I don't have a scale yet - I go to Walgreens or Walmart and use one of theirs for sale (I know, I know - Mr. Kiki and i are both college students and summer = poor. It'll be one of the first things I buy when money comes in this fall). So It's weird to not have weigh ins - I suppose I should do Inches? Or go to Walmart once a week - which I can TOTALLY do. I can walk there.

I just don't know what's realistic, yo. I mean, I don't even know what to expect to lose - in inches OR pounds. I got my start weight as a SHOCKER when I jumped on a friends scale about a month ago. I've been working out pretty consistantly doing NIA for 1 hour like 4 times a week since then, but I'm not on any particular diet, so to speak. Now I've added water, and cut out Carbage - not all carbs, just the really evil suck your soul Wonder Bread ones.

I don't even know what's realistic as a goal to set!!!

I know it says I can set goals like "exercise 1000 minutes" or "drink my 48 oz of water every day" but ... but... at the risk of sounding like a total whine face - I'm ready to DO this already, you KNOW?! Although, truth be told, I'm not so hot with the water thing. It's still new. I'm convincing myself I LOVE water. I'm not convinced, yet.

Somebody ready to boot me to the head with some realistic ideas? I await your experienced input.

-Kiki

I have been steadily loseing about 1 pound per week and had 1 week that I lost 2. I know it's slow but it's been made with changes that I can live with and not feel like I've given up everything. My guess woud be anywhere from 1 to 3 pounds per week would be realistic. You want the goal to take some effort but still be attainable. Good Luck and Welcome . :-)

I agree, and it doesn't help to set yourself with minigoals. And from someone with a sweet tooth, out and out denial of favorite foods can be dietary death for some, so find out what foods are non-negotiable and see if there are healthy recipes for the same. Some folks have a cheat day where they don't worry about the calories.

also a saying my mom told me helps me through the slower parts of my weight loss:you didn't gain weight overnight, you wont loose weight overnight either.

Hello Kiki
Do inches i was really surprised to find that I had lost 2 inches this week and it put a smile on my face.

Good luck to you and keep posting.

Thanks for the feedback, you guys. I appreciate it!

Most "experts" say to aim for a loss of about 2lbs a week. 3500 calories = one pound, gained or lost. So to lose one pound you need to create a deficit of 3500 calories, either by exercise, calorie restriction, or both, over (x) amount of time. Not that I'm saying to go all psycho and start counting everything and driving yourself insane, just trying to put it into perspective.

I can't do time sensitive goals, because it discourages me too much if I can't achieve them. I just have goals.

I figured out my target weight through figuring out my healthy BMI. I didn't want to be on the high or low end of a normal BMI, so I picked a weight that was safely within the normal range for my height and age. But I don't have a goal date.

Then i made mini goals along the way. Right now I'm trying to lose ten percent of my starting weight, which works out to 26 pounds. That puts me into a lower subclass of BMI.

My next mini goal is 20% or fifty pounds.

Then I want to get into the Level I obesity class for BMI.

Then Onederland!!!

Then 30% weightloss which is to weigh 186 pounds.

Then to just be in the Overweight BMI (as opposed to obese) and that's at 179 pounds.

Next goal is a total weightloss of a hundred pounds, and I will weigh 166.

Next goal is to have a normal BMI at 149 pounds.

Then my overall goal of 133 which is exactly half my original weight.


I'm sure as I go along, if I need to make other goals during difficult periods of weightloss, I will. But that's my gameplan so far.

Most healthy weight loss programs say that 1 to 2lbs loss per week is a realistic and healthy way to lose weight.

I personally am not putting too much into the scale and instead go by inches lost/firmed up, how my clothes are fitting and how I healthy I am feeling.

Yeah, I wouldn't go with a time sensitive goal either. This last year I've dropped 160lbs, but I was pretty heavy and all that. I weigh myself every few months, to know where I stand on the lbs issue, but I think it's better to just get one of those fabric measuring tapes (beware the plastic kind, you can stretch it out and you'll end up being an inch or two off ^^) and measure yourself every week/every two weeks/every month (I used to do it every week, but I've calmed down a bit about it. You'll chill out over time about calories/pounds/inches)

What's a realistic goal? That's a tough one. I think you should just do small steps. My first goal was to have the 60" measuring tape go around my hips completely , then it was to wear a size 30 pant, and so on and so forth. Baby steps over time really amount to huge victories! If you don't like water, switch to tea. It's still sugary, but nowhere near as bad for you as cokes. Just imagine how tiny you'll be compared to now next halloween!

im so glad you posted this, i was going to ask the same.

at the minute, i dont have a weekly goal, and i dont measure myself. instead, i have given myself a deadline of Christmas 2011 to get my weight down, but not to a certain number. eventually i will weight 140 but i dont have a date set for that. i dont measure myself either, but am considering starting

i weight myself most mornings, and have just joined the halloween challenge. this is the first set goal i have made, and im aiming to lose 9lb. im not entirely sure how realistic this is