I have a few goals set out for myself, usually related to relevant areas of my life.

September - lose 20 pounds for a family wedding. (240 lbs by 9/9)
December - I'd like to be able to ask for size-16 clothes for Christmas presents!
February - Onederland for Valentine's Day, that would be a great one.
May - Within 10 pounds of goal weight by my birthday.

Does anybody else plan things out like this?
What does your timeline look like?
What events motivate you?

The only even that's really motivating me right now is Christmas in Mexico - I would LOVE to be able to wear a bikini and be at least 140 by then. I've really been struggling to get the weight off for the past couple months, so I'm not sure I can do it, but I'm certainly going to try.

I want to be 180 for my 21st Birthday (this Sunday).
170 would be nice for August 25 (boyfriend and I two year's together) but 175 is probably more reasonable.
By Christmas I would like to see 150 or less.
And before next summer I would like to be at my goal weight of 130. I don't even know what I look like at anything les then 170, so my goal weight could change when I get there.

I have joined many challenges around here to keep me on track - I never usually make them but at least I try!

I started in July. My only calendar motivation was Christmas - I was going to visit my mom and didn't want her to see how heavy I was. I had no specific goal, I just wanted to lose weight by Christmas.

The scale is cruel and fickle, normally, I think it would be better to base goals around things you definitely can control - like how many vegetables you eat a day or how many times a week you exercise. Tying specific weight goals to specific dates can lead to frustration since the scale sometimes doesn't say what you want even when you are absolutely perfect and on plan.

In my experience, weight loss also started to significantly slow down the closer I got to my goal. That's something to keep in mind, how to stay motivated when the scale stops rewarding you every week.

Sotypical, can you change your tickers? You are stretching all the threads you post in. I hate scrolling side to side

Good point, and very true. I've stated mine in a timeframe that's easily attainable, as I am comfortable in 18s right now, so 16s by Christmas seems like a fairly attainable goal.

Like Glory, I don't set timelines for my goals, mostly because the scale is and doesn't necessarily give the whole picture about what's happening. Weight loss is not linear, and plateaus seem to be part of weight loss for many people, even when they are doing everything right.

So, to avoid some of the frustrations associated with the scale not moving at the pace I would like, I have tried to shift the focus away from the scale and more toward the behaviors I can control, like how much exercise I get or how many days I eat all my fruits and veggies...

Don't get me wrong, I sing and shout when the scale does what I want, but I am more and more calm when it does not.

Glory87 - I can change them, but they load fine on my screen... whats happening? want me to delete them?

wyllenn - WELCOME TO ONDERLAND! I have been watching your sig closing waiting for it to change, but I guess I missed it. CONGRATS!!!

Glory - they should be better now! I have been using a mac and they were loading fine, but I loaded it up on my windows box and saw what was happening - look okay now?

Yeah, thanks Courtnie

Yeah, it definitely sounds reasonable I went from a tight 18 in July to a comfy size 14 by Christmas! I didn't realize you were in 18s now, the differences in people's bodies are so interesting. I was a tight 18 at 200 lbs!

Yeah, body shapes make a huge difference. I'm 5'11" with a large frame, so much of my weight is taken up with bone and height. Oh, and I'm more top-heavy than I am bottom-heavy, so the 18 is in reference to pants. Tops are usually an 18 or 20. Also, some people can drop a size after 15 pounds, but it takes me probably 20 pounds or maybe more to change sizes.

Thanks, Courtnie!! It's not Wonderland (all my problems didn't disappear!), but it is Wonderful in Onederland!

wyllenn - of course, if only they disipeared that easy. But it is very nice to see anything that stars with a 1 no matter what it ends in! lol And 3 pounds away from 100 pounds lost, you must be on top of the world! You really are a HUGE inspiration to me!