So. How to Set Small Goals?
 

Hey guys its Katie.
I hope all these posts aren't becoming a bother. I guess I just have so many questions, and new ones keep popping up all the time. I'm trying to have my weight loss be as natural as possible, and I just never know the best way to go about doing that, and since my journey is completely non existent to everyone except for my nutritionist and myself, I love getting support and advice from people who can really relate. Thank you in advance. You're all the best. :)
Here's an important question for you all.

I have an overall weight loss goal, and I've been realizing lately I need to set smaller goals for motivation. Something a bit bigger than 2lbs a week, because of the fact that your body loses weight on an unpredictable scale no matter what consistent diet and work out schedule you keep. But obviously smaller than my overall goal.

All I literally have so far is looking decent for a ball in May in the dress I bought, and buying nicer clothes and working out in public when I have kept my weight consistently going down, and breaking 200lbs.

I want to set goals for working on getting all my muscle and serious body toning when I hit about 150lbs (aside from my current weight training of course!), which is far away from now. (hopefully not to far;)) So how do I go about setting goals for the present and near future? What goals have you set, and are meeting them, and have succeeded? I weigh in every three weeks if that helps. Thank you!



Peace

I haven't had a lot of success setting time-frame goals. I do better at task-type goals. Example: I will wear my pedometer every day and log all my food. I will measure everything I put in my mouth. I will make sure I go to the gym x times a week.... one thing I lack at is reward when I reach the goals. So be sure to do that and follow through.

Katie,
My goals seem to change too often, so I never seem to completely hit them any more. You should check out the 7 day motivational thread in the womens section. We go week to week so you can make weekly goals.

Weight Watchers has a good procedure for setting the first goal...
 

...they go for 10%. At 10%, you get a silver star. Well, we got a silver star when I did it 15 years ago. LOL I don't like WW for much else than that--they really harassed me because I got to goal using Atkins and used WW for the weekly accountability.

The 10% is calculated on your total weight--and it is easier to hit than the next 10% because of the last gained/easiest lost factor and the water weight factor.

So, if you started at 240 (my weight when I started Atkins), your first goal would be 24 lbs. A reasonable time frame would be 12 weeks. After all, some weeks you will lose 7.5 lbs (my first week's loss on Atkins while in WW), and other weeks you will stay the same or lose only a lb. It all works out.

Good luck! Better yet, good skills and strategies!