I was reading this morning on MSN that according to a study of 1,801 people published in the International Journal of Obesity, women who set unrealistically high weight-loss goals dropped more weight in 24 months than those who kept their expectations low.

Do you agree with this? I personally think that setting unrealistic goals for yourself (fitting into a size 2 instead of a size 6) sets people up for failure which can lead to completely giving up and falling off the wagon. At least that's been my experience. What do you think of this?

I am so far from my goal, I don't even really think about it. I am thinking about 170 which ironically is the weight some people start to panic at and start to diet LOL. I prefer to set 5 pounds expectations at a time. I agree with you though, you are setting yourself up for failure. I would get so discouraged at looking at 100 pounds as a lose BUT:

As someone said in their signature,

"I may not be able to lose 100 pounds but I can lose 5 pounds twenty times!"

i think that you should set a goal that you really wish to accomplish...i read that article the other day, and i don't really agree. if you want to be a size 6...aim to be a size 6, if you want to be a size 2 aim to be a size 2. there is no reason to aim to be a size 2 if you never want to be a size 2. in my opinion there is no reason to be a size 2 when a size 6 is usually a nice, healthy weight.

See, that's not how I read it. I didn't think they meant someone was setting a goal they don't actually want to reach. I took it as, say, someone who is a size 16, who has always been between a 12 and a 16, setting a realistic goal of maybe a size 8 or 10 and not a size 2. Also, I think it's better to set small goals and realize each of them as you go, rather than having one large number hanging over your head all the time. This is just my opinion, of course.

I agree with you all that unrealistic goals can set us up for failure, but I also think that low expectations can weaken our resolve to accomplish our goals. I think the important thing is how you deal with falling short. Will you completely give up? Will you try harder in a healthy way? Will you go overboard and try things that will compromise your health? Knowing yourself and how you're likely to react is key. I do tend to set unrealistic goals, but I think if I don't try to get to 115lbs, for example, then I will certainly never get there. If not reaching that goal would make me miserable, however, I'd probably just shoot for 150.

Even if this is true - so what? They may have lost faster, but did they keep it off longer? And even if so, so what? Were they happier, more confident, well-adjusted people. Is fast weight loss ALL that matters?

I know that having unrealistic goals, sets me up for failure. It may even have encouraged me to lose weight faster, but definitely not longer. Mostly because it made me hate myself, and I'm just too joy-filled a person to be willing to hate myself in the long term. If that means that I'm "doomed" to lose weight more slowly - so what?

Well I'm at goal, (UK size 8-10, ie US 4-6) and the other day my friends and I were shopping and I tried on a cute belt that was way too tight, I guess it was probably a UK 6 (US 2). My reaction was disproportionate and upsetting, particularly given I have a history of EDs. Here is what I thought:
brain: I'm faaaaat!
My friends: We're faaaat!
Other half of my brain: Er, your BMI is already at the bottom for your height (I'm small-framed), if you lose more there could be health implications.
My brain: But...but...look at the tininess of the cute belt! Said belt exists, said belt is cute, therefore must be size of said belt! Look at all the teeny-tiny clothes you couldn't wear!
Other half of my brain: Yeah, but just because they are manufactured, does that mean it's a good idea to try and fit them all? Do you think Capitalism wants you to be happy, or discontent?
My brain: Yes but...I'm faaat!!

The point: size 2 is not healthy for everyone. Right now I am struggling with a) stupid part of my brain wanting to get AS THIN AS POSSIBLE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE and b) other stupid part of my brain saying stuff it all, bring on the chocolate cake.

Unrealistic goals are designed to keep us unhappy and discontent, so we spend more. Not just in terms of weight but consumer life in general. Deep down, if you set your goal at size 2, even if you knew size 4 or 6 was healthier for you, wouldn't part of you feel like a failure if you didn't meet it?

What an incredible post! I think you hit the nail on your head there

Thank you, I am happy that you understood my thoughts, because last night I tried to tell my mum why I was sad and she basically got impatient and said a clever girl like me should know better. I wish being clever meant I was perfectly reasonable all the time, but sadly it doesn't

So it says that they drop more weight in 24 months. Maybe that's possible... but as Kaplods said, this doesn't really tell us anything.

Let's look at what your paragraph didn't say. It didn't say if they met their unrealistically high goal. It didn't say whether or not these people were happy with the progress that they've made. It didn't say that they kept that weight off once they lost it.

I could set my goal for losing 80 pounds in the next six months, but I'm gonna tell you that when I don't make that goal I'm not gonna feel so hot, even if I lost 50 lbs versus 30 lbs on a lower goal.

Loved this post.

I have never in my life worn a size 2 the smallest I've ever worn is an eight and that was back when I was just skin and bones, because I was sick. I would be happy to be a twelve again but I don't think it will happen, I set small goals for myself because they seem more acheiveable. I' am lucky that my decision to lose weight is just my own and not a medical thing if it were then It would be much harder

One of the reasons I created a "sticker chart" for myself with a sticker for every pound and small, usually rather lame rewards for every 5 lbs lost, is to remind me that every single pound is an achievement.

If I were much, much smaller, and maybe when I become much, much smaller, I will change the chart to give me a sticker every quarter pound, or even every tenth, whatever I need to get a sticker fairly frequently.

It isn't the sticker, and it isn't the reward, it's the reminder that the end goal isn't the only goal. There have been so, so many times that I gave up on the process, the very prospect, of losing wieght, when I thought I couldn't reach the ultimate goal. Now, I constantly remind myself that I don't have to. The ultimate goal is not the only important one. If I found that I couldn't ever lose another pound, maintaining the weight loss I have accomplished is still important - vitally important.

I don't know where I will stop. I have several possible end goals in mind, and I would be happy with any of them, but I think that instead of an "ultimate" goal, I'll just keep focusing on a few at a time, nowing that stopping anywhere does not mean failure. Maintenance of even a 10 lb loss (even someone my huge size), still requires vigilance and effort. If I stopped putting that into myself, I know that I'd gain it all back, plus a few to spare.