I've set so many goals in life and haven't really hit any of them.. I finally feel like I'm turning my life around and heading the right direction, so I'm starting a diet to add to the "new me."

I've set many "mini-goals" to try and do this small steps at a time. I feel if I break it up then I'm not nearly as overwhelmed, but are my goals attainable??
I'm currently a size 28 and want to be a 24 by June. I think I would be ok as a 26, but I'm really wanting a 24 because thats what most of my old clothes are..
Then my next goal is to be an 18 by Christmas.. I figured since it would be warm outside that I would be able to get out more and play with the 2 year old I nanny for.
My final goal is a size 16. I want to be a 16 by April of 2009. That's only one pant size in 4 months, but I know that the last months with be harder because of the holidays and cold weather...

I'm currently doing Weight Watchers (kind of) and just started on Slimquick. I can't actually afford to go to Weight Watchers, but I found a point list off of the internet that really helps me out. Are there any exercises that can be done easily at home?


Is this a reasonable set of goals (or am I way out of my league!?!)?!

Please let me know if you have ANY ideas!! Thanks for listening!!

-cHuNkYcHeLsEa*

Hi Chelsea!

The problem with size goals is that there's not usually an even number of weight between sizes. I lost 70 lbs before I fit into a 22 (from a 24). My 22's are now getting to be a little loose on me, and I have a feeling in 20 lbs I'll be looking to get some size 20's.

I can't say they're unreasonable, because maybe you lose sizes faster than I do. But, similar to weight-within-time goals, just make sure that you aren't going to be so disappointed with yourself that you give up completely if you don't quite make your goals.

A good idea to begin with, might be to set a small pound goal (5 or 10 lbs) and just work towards that with no time limit. You might find that after accomplishing this, you'll have a better understanding of how you'll be able to handle/split up future mini-goals.

I'm also using WW (Have you checked out the WW area yet? They have an At Home section, too, for those who are using the points, but not attending meetings. But you should feel welcome all over the area.)

As for exercises: There are a ton of work out videos that can be done at home. Have you thought about renting a few to find out what you like? If you have steps, you have your own built in stairmaster

I'm a big fan of mini-goals. They really helped keep me focused on things I could achieve, rather than looking at the big picture which was pretty overwhelming when I started.

I would just tend to be a little leary of making clothing sizes my goal. Right now I can wear between an 8 and a 14 on the bottom and from medium to extra large on top, depending on brand. So when would I have met my goal? How frustrating would it be for you to think you're a 16 and then find a brand you like where you are still a 20?

Although I made some holiday goals, what worked best for me was to deal with each weight "decade" as a single goal. Getting out of the 290's, then the 280's, 270's, etc.

I would also make a mini-goal that is achievable way before June. Success breeds success and June is a long way to go without giving yourself a deserved pat on the back.

Good luck!

I also think a "size" goal is rough. My thought is give yourself a challenge like, an average of 2 pounds a week. For instance, I am trying to be 199 by Easter, it may be tough but it's my motivation. However, I have no clue what size I will be after I lose 10, 20, or 50 lbs because it's been so long and my body has changed since I was in high school. For some people pound goals don't work, but as that's how I am currently measuring my success this is working for me! Good luck to you.

You know, I have to back everyone else up...size goals can be tricky. After all, size is highly variable by clothing manufacturer (I fit in pants anywhere from a 6 to a 10, depending on the brand) and hard to track. If you fit into one size 16, are you going to consider that having met your goal, or only if you fit into a particular brand/piece of clothing? I'd also hate to see you get discouraged because, at the bigger sizes, there is SO MUCH difference between them that you stay in one size for a while, even while losing a lot of weight.

You might consider taking measurements and setting your goals based on overall inches lost, rather than on specific clothing sizes, since it is actually measurable regularly.

I think what everyone else has said is terrific! Mini goals are the way to go for sure. Like 5lbs by this time. Or if it's a clothing thing you prefer...get your measurements taken and then set inches to lose goals.

"I want to lose 2 inches off my hips by XXXX" or "I want to lose 5 inches off of my body overall by XXXX"

I have had weeks where there was no weight loss or very little and yet my clothes feel different all the time. The pants I wore my Spanx under a few weeks ago suddenly fit really well without them. The jeans that used to give me a muffin top at the beginning of February no longer do that...even when I sit down! I know there has been inches lost becuase I can feel it in how things fit...but the scale hasn't budged in 2 weeks!

I would say that you should take your measurements, get working on a food plan and start to get more active. You said you're a nanny! How about a daily walk with your ward! You'll be amazed what a one hour walk can do for a figure in a month.

First off goals are great. As Zig Ziglar said,"If you don't know where you're going, you're probably not going to end up anywhere!"

You have to know where you want to end up. When I was concentrating on scale weight(I don't care about that anymore, body fat% is what dictates my health to me) I would work on 10 lbs at a time.
I had a tracker and concentrated on that 10 lbs. I liked to go for 1 lb a week. I know it is slow but then I know it is mostly fat if I eat and exercise correctly, not lean muscle. I don't know about you but I like to keep my lean muscle because it helps me burn my fat.

Now I use body fat and work on 1/4% each week.
My suggestion would be set short term(out 3 months), long term(1 year) and ultimate goals.(picture how you want to look right down to your waist size.
Shoot for the moon you can do anything you make your mind up to do.

In one year my body fat will 21% because that is my goal and I will accomplish it.

I basically agree with everyone else but if you are determined on the size goal then maybe pick a brand of clothing and a particular style that they always carry and then you can measure based on that. So if you happen to have gap jeans in a size 24 now then you can see when you can get into the same style gap jeans in a 22 etc. You don't have to buy them just go to the fitting room and try them on. The other thing to consider is what does fitting into mean. I fit into my size 14 clothes but I personnally wouldn't wear them on the street at this point. I also fit into my size 16's but they are very lose, so fitting may need a more specific definition.

Setting mini goals is great, and can really show progress. People have great ideas for different ways to measure progress!

I never liked linking goals to timeframes. If I hadn't lost 20 pounds by x date should I have felt like a failure? So, I set mini-goals but didn't worry about setting them to dates...

I have to agree with both the size and time components here.

I think when you're first starting out, you have no idea how much you're going to lose how quickly ... plus weight loss is not linear, so you may lose those first 10 lbs super-fast and then lose the next 10-20 much more slowly. Or vice versa. And then you get frustrated.

And I can only echo the size thing. Right now I am wearing a size 10 pant - or a size 12 pant - or a size 14 pant - depending on who makes them. I have all 3 sizes in my closet and they all fit well. But one is from Target, one is from The Limited, and one is from Old Navy. Same with tops - because I have boobs, I can wear anything from a large to a 2X ... just depending on how it fits through the boobs.

I'd start with setting a weight or inches goal ... withOUT a time limit. But set one that's potentially reachable in the next 30 or so days, so you don't get frustrated (casue June is too far off!). See how that works. Then set another one. Then another one. As time goes on you'll get a better feel for how your body works and if it's reasonable to set a time line.

Finally I do agree maybe picking one item of clothing that's a little tight and saying "my first goal is to be able to wear this comfortably". That might work becuase it's not exactly about the size #, just about wearing an item comfortably. Don't be too ambitious though, and pick an item that you simply can't wear. Start with something uncomfortable and work from there.


That's what I'd do if I were starting out again ...

.

I love this thread! I agree with everyone. Min Goals are the way to go! I was doing goals that were way out of my league and getting discouraged doing it. Now I have mini goals, basically with every pound. I set out trying to lose one pound in a week and if I reach before the week is up then I shoot for 1/2 or a whole other pound and so one. It seems to be increasing my weight lose for some reason and I love it!!!