What is the big, ultimate goal you are working towards?

Begin with the End in mind: Is anyone interested in starting a monthly thread to talk about the end, and what it looks like, and the journey to get there each month? It can be big, little, it can change... I'm just looking for a smaller group than this huge, awesome community to help motivate and be motivated and keep me accountable. We can set little goals to get us to our big, ultimate goal.

I want to lose 130 lbs, and in 2014 I want to participate in a bicycle race across the country.

I'll join =D It would be nice to find a smaller group of people to get to know and support.

My name is Grace~ At the moment I don't know what my "final" goal is besides looking good and feeling good.
I'm taking it day by day, week by week and hoping those will add up quickly lol

I've been a yo-yo dieter my whole life and I'm sick of it. I graduated from high school at 132 lbs and since then have packed on quite a few pounds that I want gone

I was 191.5 lbs in september and I said I wanted to lose weight but by the time it was oct 5th I was 189.5. What jump started this was my sister called me and said "come up to NYC for thanksgiving" and i was like (*%!%!)%%* need to look good LOL... then my parents said visit us end of january... and i thought (*&(!&%!% again

realized I need to stop fearing living my life therefore I started logging my calories, exercising daily, drinking green tea and water... etc

I lost 16 lbs in 5 weeks and hope to continue on my goal. Temp ultimate goal is 135 only because I'm not there yet. I will adjust when I do.

Well my ultimate goal is not a number on the scale, I just want to be happy with my size. If I could get down to an 8 I think I would be right around perfect (in my own head). That is down three sizes from my current so I'm guessing about 45 lbs.? I'm not really sure what I would weigh at that size because I haven't been a size 8 since junior high (oh man it's depressing just typing that!)

I do not have a time line for when I want this weight to be gone by, I recently had a major blip in the radar (was down to 193 two months ago then had a mini non-weight-related meltdown and put 10 lbs. back on) so I'm wary of deadlines and failing to meet them.

So I'm just getting back into weight loss mode (yesterday was my "first" day) and I would love to have a couple of people to chat with and check in with and all that. I can see that the 2 of you are already well on your way with losses in the double digits, congratulations!!

I have come to realize that there is NO END. I used to think there was an end, and when my diet ended I gained back all of the weight, plus more.

I have reached what many would say to be an ultimate goal. I've successfully lost over 185 pounds though calorie counting and excercise. I'm in a size 6, I'm healthy, strong, fit, and look pretty darn good for a 44 year old lady. So is that the end? NO, not for me. I actually reached my weight loss goal in July, and there is no end in sight. My ultimate goal is to STAY a size 6 until the time the Lord calls me home.

My ultimate goal is looking good and not having to worry about what clothes will flatter my fat...because unfortunately, none of them do.

I also want to be healthy...I don't so much care about the number on the scale..my goal weight is an estimate of what I have envisioned myself looking like.

But more than anything my face has always been chubby/fat..so I'm looking forward to seeing my transformed face after I lose this weight!

I know that everyone thinks that they are big boned but I really am very big, even at 180lbs my shoulders are considerably wider than my hips and I'm wearing (US) size 8 jeans. Therefore, I want my body fat to be below 28% so that the next time my doctor or a nurse is nagging me about my BMI I can tell 'em just how 'normal' I am.

I'm currently at 30.4%.

http://www.healthstatus.com/frame_size.html they have frame size calculators

I'd like to do that. I think envisioning would help keep my behind in gear.

my ultimate goal isn't a number, but I'm using a number that I want to get down to. We'll see what happens then. Right now about 60 to 70lbs to lose.

I want to hike part of the appalachian trail, I don't have a date for that. I want it to be a gift to myself when I get to my "goal" weight.

Great thread! I want to put on size 8 jeans.....when I weight 150 lbs, I am usually around that size if I'm packing a lot of muscle. I can hardly imagine myself at that size/weight, but I was very close to that just one year ago or so. I gained almost 70 lbs in one year. It's a lot easier gaining than losing, but it feels a whole lot better to be losing than gaining. So here I am....back in the battlefield and it's nice to have company.

Great thread! I want to put on size 8 jeans.....when I weight 150 lbs, I am usually around that size if I'm packing a lot of muscle . I can hardly imagine myself at that size/weight, but I was very close to that just one year ago or so. I gained almost 70 lbs in one year . It's a lot easier gaining than losing, but it feels a whole lot better to be losing than gaining. So here I am....back in the battlefield and it's nice to have company.

I don't have one big goal but several very important ones in the next year.
1. wear a nice dress to my good friend's wedding
2. wear a bikini in San Diego for spring break
3. maintain weight loss over the summer for our trip to Mexico and go SCUBA diving

I want to be short, trim, and adorable with super long hair that is still super long when I curl it. I want to be able to run a 5K if I feel like it. I want to look like a model in my (far in future) wedding pictures. I want to surprise all my friends that I haven't seen in years. I want my glucose to be below 90 and beat this PCOS stuff once and for all. I want to play tennis and go hiking with my SO because he loves that stuff and I love him. I want to see a video of me singing where the first thing I concentrate on is how well I'm singing, not how I look like a barrel. Don't know what that scale number is, but I'll know it when I see it.

i want to have lots of energy everyday and jump out of bed without my feet and knees crying from the weight!
i want to go hiking again and scuba diving and I want to take a trip to costa rica and do that flying over the jungle thing without feeling like the goodyear blimp and worrying about whether it can hold me or i can hold on.
i want to be that girl who walks into a yoga class and sits up front holding each pose with great form and little strain.
i want to not be ashamed for people from my past to see how i look
i want to qualify for health insurance.
i want guys to notice me as more than either a potential friend or one night stand.
i want to be able to go to the doctors office without having to be embarrased to get on the scale or having to hear another lecture about my weight
i want to put on cute sweats and run for miles at a time =0)
and i want to be able to walk into a thrift store or a trendy boutique and find plenty of options in my size.

looking over a lot of that, though, i think i can summarize it with: i want to be normal.

oh! and i want to be able to chop my hair real short without worrying about how fat my face will look

and i want to be able to wear short sleeves

This is great you guys! I'm really excited to start letting myself think about what I want. Thanks for jumping in!

Grace- I love what you said about not being afraid to live your life. That's a huge struggle of mine.

Bombe- yesterday was my first day too! It's good to know I'm not alone in this!

Lori Bell- I hope you don't mind the brain-picking I hope to do! I bet you are a wealth of knowledge! I have never been successful at weight loss, so there is a part of my brain that doesn't believe I can be, and you bunk that myth.

Mathgirl87- I so know what you mean by flattering your fat! That made me chuckle, because I do it ALL the time.

Trudiha- That sounds like a great, specific goal!

Dragonwoman64- I rode the MS 150 last summer, and it was the best, most motivating thing ever! I hope you do it!!

luckymommy- welcome aboard! I'll kick your butt if you kick mine.

BellaDiva- great goals!

S0nali- I think you just hit in on the head for me too.

katkitten- cheers to normal! And cute hair cuts.

Since we've all got such different motivations and ambitions, let's just set this up however it works for each individual. I'll probably set myself a weekly goal or two and use that to track progress for a while. Don't forget to post victories too!

down about 1/2 lb this week, I think it would have been more if I hadn't had my TOM which is ending about now. I had a 3 day wkend, my challenge is to stay on program over the weekend, which is usually a challenge for me.

hope everyone else is doing well.