how to measure success?
 

this is a general mind set question, having so much to loose I thought for me , my goals have to be realistic , measurable and atainable, this is not new!, so I am looking at my journey in small steps/ blocks of weight gone, so at having 185# to loose should I make my goals TEN steps of 18.5 or EIGHTTEEN steps of 10?? please post up, this is very important to me !

Thanks

Welcome! Personally, I've done what works best for me, and that has been that the first hurdle, made a highly attainable goal. Then the second hurdle, also highly attainable, something I KNEW I could do... the secret for me was I needed to learn how to be my own best cheerleader, because no one was going to cheer lead for me, and no one was going to do any of the rest for me. I've tried to lose weight in the past with unrealistic goals and time limits on when I should attain the goal by... and I personally found that didn't work for me. So my goals have no "end date" they are just weight goals.

I second what frenchhen said - the most important thing for me has been to not set myself up for failure by setting goals that have strict time limits or too-high amounts. That being said, it's important to have some kind of mini goals in mind, just to keep yourself going. I don't know that it's really that important if you do 10 mini goals or 18 mini goals. However, I do find it motivating when I see a new second digit on the scale - you know, 190 to 180. Something about that flip in number makes it seem all the more real. So, I guess if I had to pick one, I'd say 18 goals of 10 lbs.

I agree with both of you and thank you for your time responding. I think for me this weight loss journey is training for the life I want to have rather than the mistakes I have made thus far!, I too find comfort in the accomplishment of seeing the scale # change, or a garment that one did not fit and now is quite loosly fitting or even a compliment of "you look nice"

I also feel as our jobs here on earth is ti help others and what a better place than here,,

Again thank you both !

Bo

I feel it is very important to have something to look forward to. I rarely set goals but I reward myself along the way when I reach certain milestones. I have a long term goal right now to reach 200 by Christmas (actually 12/28). That is just under 40lbs away. This is the first real goal that I have actually set though in the 16 months that I have been at this. I am most motivated by clothing sizes it seems so I use new clothes as rewards. I try to only buy them every other size though because that way they can be worn from tight to too loose before spending money on more. If you do prefer the weight goals though I would probably go for the goals of 18lbs. That way you aren't always looking for the same number on the scale (280, 270, 260, etc) You could always be looking forward to something different (280, 262, 244, etc).

Haha! Sorry for rambling on...

Another approach is to set your goal on behavior and not results. This worked well for me. For example, to start set a goal for average calories per day while avoiding added sugars and processed foods along with x minutes of exercise. As weeks go by start adding in more details like a daily goals for protein/carbs/fiber/fat, etc. And add goals for weight training and/or more intense cardio.

By doing this the results should come, and if not it is time to reassess your goals. The nice thing about this is whether or not you meet your goals is totally in your control, while someone setting goals to weight loss may fail to meet these goals through no fault of there own when the scale doesn't give the number they were shooting for. (which can happen for all sorts of reasons).

If you do go with weight goals, keep in mind that the weight loss at the beginning is going to be much faster then later on, so while it may only take a week to lose the first 5-10 pounds, it might take months to lose that last 5-10 pounds.

Great suggestion Clark - somewhat akin to what April was suggesting. The ultimate goal is to change the behavior that got us fat in the first place, not necessarily to keep our eyes glued to some resulting measurement.

BTW Awesome job on losing the pounds and keeping them off!

This is great feedback!
 

just what I was looking for, I must sadly admit I am a vetran looser, having lost near 80# 3 time in my live,and all obviously have been epic failure!, Failure in the sence of not keeping it off, on one of my last Diets I remember thinking yeah ! here I am now I can eat!.. guess what!,, here I am back. so this time I am pissed !, back with a mind set of ready to battle this disease!!, ready to make the lifestyle changes and as you might have guessed, yesterday I had a bad day, I had to deal with a subject that the old me would have went and ate!, but I did not!, along with that mini "win" I hit the scale this morning and I have lost a total of 19 lbs making this my first BLOCK of 18.5 other goals that I have noticed are increased mobility, less pain in my knees and ankles,, much less pulminary adema, and my dang pants are falling off, I am wearing a web style belt so I can cinch it up, but the pants are very soon gone, hahaha

Thank you all!

Congratulations! Meeting the first goal is such an awesome feeling, and uber motivating, too!

Congrats on meeting that first goal! Even more congrats on taking life in stride yesterday instead of resorting to eating. You can do this. You have a great mind set.

Thank you wildbeanerz!, I have read many post here, and I think formyself in order to help myself and others I feel it will be imoprtant to stay on these board when the weight is gone, because others can use the support as I have found great support here !, my personal weight loss failures where cause by many thing but number one was I thought I had made it and I was done, when in fact the weight being gone was only the first step !!!

I want you to know I have found what you have posted to be very helpful and VALUABLE to me, thanks for your inspiration!

AMEN! I believe you have seen the light:D

Yup, it took me 10 years and 250 pounds to figure this out. I plan to be here and using FitDay forever this time.

Regards,
Michael

Yup now I must never turn away ! Thanks !

Michael,, did you ever think that when you were at your heaviest you would one day be able to wear a size 36? I think I still have a few pair, and now my 52's are falling off I wear a military type slide belt, ,the smaller sizes help to keep me focusd,, But as I read over these boards I find so much help and things I can use in my daily journey! I am amazed !
Thanks again for the inspiration!

Bo

For me I think it's clothes size (48 pants to 40- 4X shirts to 2X and XL) and being able to do things I couldn't do. This week I hiked Old Rag Mountain in Virginia (10+ mile round trip with a rock/boulder scramble). It was tough, tough, tough, but I did it. I KNOW 10 weeks ago I couldn't have made it.

10 weeks ago a 1/2 mile run nearly killed me. Now I'm doing 2 miles and I'm sure I can do more.

I went to Kings Dominion amusement park with my kids yesterday. I wore my swim trunks with nowhere near the the self-consciousness I would have 10 weeks ago. I got on one ride and a sign said, "Weight Limit 270 lbs." A few weeks ago that would've been me they were keeping off the ride.

So be able to wear and do things I couldn't not too long ago means I am hyper inspired right now.

There are certain clothes I want to wear (comfortably) that have been sitting in my closet new and too small for years and there is a 5K I want to run in under 38 minutes coming up. I'm trying to make those things more my goals that the pounds on the scale (though I've got those goals, too--looking for under 245 right now).

Wow! Awesome post! Keep up the great work :)

Today second number on the scale went from a 4 to a 3,, that was a boost !

other boosts
 

My scale shows I am at a plateu, however this am I had to drop off my truck for some check out stuff and the guy who gave me a ride home said Man are you loosing weight !,,, Nice to hear !

I'm sure you remember as you have done this before but sometimes the scale takes a break and it's time to check out the tape measure. Most times when I get the most compliments on my lost weight recently I haven't really lost anything in a few weeks. It is just my body adjusting to the new weight.

You are doing awesome by the way!

I am proud of you! Mini wins are wonderful! Make sure you journal that mini win, okay? there are going to be weeks ahead when you might need to look back at today to motivate you through a plateau or a "bad week". I don't know how many times I have to look back at my journal from last year just to see where I have been and how far I have come.

Thanks frenchhen 3 I will do that !

Today July 6th I was able to wear a suit I had not been able to fit into scince 2000 when my Dad passed away!. I had to attend and uncles funeral,, he lived a good loing life and was a great human

so this weeks effort is in honor of Uncle Richie Cox! 1926- 2012 rest well !

I am sure Uncle Richie is smiling at you. I am sure you felt a lot better knowing you had a nice suit to wear for the funeral. Journal this!

Thanks I will and this am when I jumped on the scale It showed today marked 30lbs off !,, again thanks for the kind words !

Woohoo! 30lbs in a little over a month is awesome! Keep up the good work!!

Thanks and thanks for all the help !

Hi B - These are mind tricks I've used. 1) I have 5 pound goals. They're quicker to reach. Less overwhelming. Doable. 2) Daily, I look at the 'Calorie Balance' graph below the 'food log'. Visual evidence of staying within the daily food goal. 3) I DO NOT EVER permanently record any weight gain. Keep it on a sticky note. And I immediately record EVERY weight loss. My scale measures two-tenths of a pound. (I found permanently recording weight gains gets me going in a negative spiral.) 4)Visually seeing my past progress is motivating. More so than numbers. I look at the "Reports" charts and graphs regularily. Ones that motivate me - 'Trends- Calories Eaten vs Calories Burned-Calories Burned Ovetime' and 'Weight-Weight Change'. The little five pound goals add up to impressive visuals. Good luck to you B :)

Wow what great help Thanks to all
 

today I did my daily weigh in, and as I walked through the closet I found myself looking at bluejeans I have not worn in a great deal of time , I have many sizes., When I started this journey I was wearing size 52 pants I found the BDU style cargo pants light and comfortable however today I slide into some size 48 Jeans easily, after fastening the button, I was able to slide my hands in the waiste band and move them back for forth with room, The 46's are a bit snug!, I am pleased with this and thought I would share it

Thanks for all of the help again !

Yay for fitting pants that you couldn't before! You are really doing it Bo! Keep up the hard work!!!

Bo - How awesome!

A bit late in the game...but here it goes
 

Hi Bo,

So, I know that this input is really late in the game, and what you've decided is doing well for you, but I thought I'd put my 2 cents in anyways. These are my "tricks"

1 I set 5% goals, because I find them to be more manageable than looking at the big picture, and even a 10% looks daunting on some days!

2 I'm working on my weight, but not obsessing about it. I expect to average a 0.5-1# loss per week, but so far have actually averaged almost 2# per week :D. I feel that this is healthier than having a drastic drop to quickly... after several nutrition classes I have seen what sudden losses can do to your internal organs, and I personally would rather not end up with stones in almost every organ :eek:!

3 I only weigh once a week, on the same day, at the same time. If I weighed at home, it would be first thing in the morning, before consuming anything (including water) and after doing my morning business. Unfortunately for me I weigh in at around 5:30pm, and there are about 30 people around, so that just doesn't work ;)

4 I track on paper instead of online, but that's mostly because I don't have access to a computer on a regular basis, and can't afford a smart phone at this time. I think I would track on paper anyways and log it when I got home because fd seems to be pretty slow in the food log field, but taking a quick look at daily intake can really help to keep you on track. I do make it a point to log in and track my weight ASAP, and I love to see the graph going down with each entry (it's only gone up once since I've started tracking, and that was only about 1#...everyone has an occasional bad week :o)

5 I don't worry about my calorie, fat, protein, carb, or fiber% right now, but concentrate on eating as much lean protein, produce, and whole grains as possible, only allowing myself an occasional treat along the way. I find this method to be pretty self regulating.

6 I don't have an official workout at this time, but I do walk every day, and get in the pool as often as possible. I'm hoping that I will have the financial and physical ability to improve this soon, but walking is still doing the trick right now.

7 I get together with a friend once a month and do body measurements. My first was on 7/13, and I'd already lost 7" by 8/1...Looking forward to what the tape will say on 9/1. Having the measurement numbers is helpful to look at when the scale isn't moving. Because muscle is denser than fat, if you are losing inches, you know that you are on the right track.

8 Find a way to stay accountable. Most people here use fd as their primary check in and accountability method, but I prefer face to face communication. It's easier for me because I don't have daily access, but it also keeps me honest. If I'm only talking online, I can fudge the numbers a bit and hope to catch up later, but if I'm actually standing in front of someone that just doesn't work.

9 Remember that your program will only work as well as you allow it to, so don't fall back into destructive patterns. I'm proof that you can undo all of your hard work in a very short period of time if you don't stay focused.

10 Comments from people around you can both help and hinder. Make sure that you have a healthy filter in place that only lets the good and encouraging comments through. There will most likely be at least one person around you that will try to sabotage you at every turn. This is usually because they are jealous that you are succeeding where they have failed, or they feel threatened about a possible change in your relationship (losing weight and becoming healthier tends to increase self esteem, and people with healthy self esteem usually don't put up being taken advantage of)

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

I love hearing what works for people!, I like the 5% goal theory, at times I do feel the 18.5 lbs block goal are a bit much, but I think it makes me fight harder? I too weigh in the am without consuming anything. I am trying now to expand my menus so not to get board, which I tend to do, how ever I really like the fresh/ frozen fruit with the low fat yogurt and kashi crumbles it appeals to most of my sense smell, taste, sight, and feeling ( texture )
Friday I made Mahi- mahi fajitas and everyone liked them !,,

Thanks for jumping in !

Progress
 

Today my fasting blood sugar was 109 , it was as high as 137. , my blood pres. was 118/76 ( medicated) when before it was 135/95 ( medicated)

I am able to use the second hole in my new belt comfortably. still have ankle knee and hip pain after working in the shop all day but I know it will get better,

Friday I go to the Dr. for lab work and then back on the 14th to review,
I have to work more exercise into the day, I miss it.

I am thankful for all of you and for the person or persons who put this great site up. I am sure in my life it was time to do this but this place and its people make me accountable,
I mean it !

Bo

Having seen this thread I have just realised that I have lost 31lb without celebrating one single goal on the way there. I have been so focused on getting to the end and I still have 49lb to go before I get there.

I never celebrated anything, getting a personal trainer and completing my sessions, getting a gym membership, completing a full month of sessions, losing 31lb, not a thing. I have been so focused on beating myself up because I didn't get to the goal weight before my wedding or because I didn't manage to complete a particular exercise within my training sessions.

Hmmm I think I should really celebrate some of these smaller achievements instead of having an all or nothing attitude.

Hey, you have a lot to celebrate! And an "all or nothing attitude," for me at least, is what leads me to give up.

I am working on mini-goals. The first one was simply eating a healthy breakfast every morning. Now I have met my first mini-weight-loss goal (only 7 lbs, but a start), and in my 6th week of rowing twice a week, and am trying to think of something non-food as a reward.

icewithin and JaimeMWS,

first to Icewithin in one or a few of my older post I had focused alot on getting to the goal weight, nothing would make me loose focus on that , but when I got there I thought it would all take care of it self, I was so wrong!.. as I lost over 80 lbs three times in my life,, the celebrations are not "partys' but just an atta boy for me!. and I find it boosts my outlook for the next goal. again this is what works for me

JaimeMWS, I have shared the all or nothing attutude and when I would find myself in an eating spot, I would make bad choices and think Oh well I blew it, now I take it as a challenge and I make the best possible choice, and I am happier with it!,

so in short I feel it is needed to celebrate our little victories, as it helps build our ability to fight !

All t he best Bo

Bo that is AWESOME! So great to see successes, especially when they are clearly reflected in improve health. Keep up the great work. I suspect your labs will be equally positive.

And yes, I am sure the joint pain will diminish with your weight. I can't wait to see the post the day you realize you were on your feet all day and still feel good!

Thank you Pam

new lab results!
 

I have lost 40 of my 185 to loose, in the time since April here is what things look like

4/05/2012 ...... 8/10/2012

Total Cholesterol 156 ... 149
HDL 33... 27
LDL 71... 84
Triglycerides 262... 190
VLDL 52... 38
A1c 6.8%... 6.2%
BUN/Creatinine 21... 15
Glucose Serum 114... 96


Not sure whats up with the LDL
B. P/ was 188/72 meds get reduced soon!

Thanks for the support