Hi everyone,

I stumbled upon this site this morning when I was looking up weight loss pills, and I thought I'd give it a try! I can't wait to get more involved with this and to start losing weight! I weighed myself yesterday at a friend's house, and couldn't believe what I saw! I am 5'6 and now weigh 185 lbs. I set a goal for myself at 150 pounds, but I was curious if anyone thought that was too much of a goal for myself (or too little ) and what date should be my goal?

Thanks and happy new year!

Hi Grasshopper!

I personally don't believe in setting goals to coincide with certain dates, and I'll tell you why. Lets say you set your goal as 150 lbs on 6/1/08. So that date rolls around, and you weigh 155...most people think "I failed!" in that situation. I find that ridiculous, since that person has LOST 30 lbs...a great victory! So my goals tend to be more about staying on plan and doing my best.

As for whether 150 will be a good weight for you, again, I find it is hard to predict. Why not see how you feel when you get there, and adjust as needed?

Can't wait to hear more from you soon!

Hello and Welcome grsshpper045!

I totally agree with mandalinn82's advice but might offer a couple of tips that build on it. Instead of having a final weight goal aligned with a date in your mind, you could try setting mini goals. If being goal oriented helps you stay motivated you might want to try setting short term goals for yourself to meet every few weeks. They don't have to be tied to the number on the scale.

Examples of good mini goals can include sticking with a healthy eating plan, making progress with your activity level, loosing inches, gaining muscle, going down a size or losing reasonable amounts of excess weight in attainable monthly goals.

Good luck and congratulations on making the decision to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

Thanks, this is all great advice!

150 is a normal, healthy weight for 5'6" but only you will see what weight is truly right for your body.

I agree that mini goals are a great idea. I also don't think it's terrible to set a goal date for yourself, though I don't advise it. Some people are a bit irrational with their goal dates (like, most people are not going to lose 20 pounds in a month or something unless they resort to unhealthy measures) which definitely sets one up for a failing mentality, but... think of this... if you DO set a date, regardless of whether you make goal or not, you are still not a failure because you will have made progress!

Hi there!! I also live in Mchigan and we have been having a ton of snow. I live in Potterville, near Lansing. What area are you from? The snow has been giving me a good workout, as I have been shoveling everyday. You should come and join us in the Jan. club thread here on fat chicks. There are quite a few motivated people posting and everyone is very helpful. I can't figure out how to post the link for you though. I know that if you look at my posts you can find it.

Welcome and good luck.

I go to school in Mt. Pleasant, but normally I live in Metro-Detroit near St. Clair shores!

Well there's this January club
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129440

and this one
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129511

Browse around ... make yourselves at home!