what is a realistic goal for me??

ok, so I'm 25 years old and need to lose 100 pounds.   (currently 5' 6.5" and hovering around 240lbs)  But when I put it like that, it seems like its never going to happen.  I need a smaller, more realistic goal for myself, but I don't honestly know whats realistic.  And it would completely suck to make a goal and NOT hit it. 

So I'm asking for some advice.  What do you think a small goal would be for me? What time frame? Something like a month or two would be good I think.  But how much weight should I try to shed?

 

Also, is there a list anywhere of the "A" foods? I try to eat what I think is healthly, but it turns out most of the stuff is around a "C."  Does anyone have a list of foods that require little/no preparation but are incredibly good for me? 

I think you'd be surprised at just how much you can actually lose, especially at the onset of a new lifestyle. It's good that you want to set short-term goals; this is an idea that I've been using effectively. Maybe try to lose 8 or 10 in a month...that's just an idea of what I consider to be reasonable. I have no doubt you can do it too.

They say around 1-2 lb a week weight loss is normal.  Soooo, if you start today and set your mini goals in 2 mo incriments i'd set them as such:

SW:: June 23rd-240

GW::

August 23rd-225

October 23rd-210

December 23rd-195

February 23rd-180

April 23rd-165

June 23rd-150

August 7th-(LAST 10 LBS!) 140!!!!!

Also,  reward yourself each time you make a goal.  Whether it be that treadmill, or that ipod you wanted to listen to tunes while working out, or a pedometer or even a trip to the mall to buy yourself that great outifit you've been eyeing in the window!

Don't get down if you don't reach your mini goal, esp at first and esp in the end, those are the roughest times.  Just adjust them out based on how your body is working for you! 

Hope that helped! Best of luck to you!!

A little system that has worked for me is setting up little goals and having a set of rewards for each of them.  Other people have also put out a jar and for every pound they lose, put in a dollar and by the time they get to their goal weight, they can use that money to go out and buy some new tinier clothes!

As for the nutritional grade things on this site, I've kind of learned to ignore them as they can be misleading.  If you're going to use it, take everything with a grain of salt (or whatever that saying is >_<).  I've pretty much thrown it out the window and have managed to lose over sixty pounds.

The most important goal of is very mini... 

"Eat healthy and exercise today"

So start with 50 and then take it from there... my first goal was to get to 200 pounds - it's taken going on seven months but I'm just a few pounds away from it. But really my goal is just to lose five pounds  to get to the next 'magic marker' - that's quite doable and regularly gives you something to celebrate.

Hey Blombie,

When I first started I needed to lose at least 50 lbs, but that seemed overwhelming to me as well. So I just took it in 10lb increments and concentrated on that. I also chose rewards for each milestone. Here is what I have done recently..

When I broke into the 170...I got a nice hair cut.

When I reach the 160s...I am getting resistance bands.

When I reach the 150s...I am going to have my makeup done and buy some new products.

As far as a time line...I didn't set one because I didn't want to be disappointed. I just make sure I am eating within my calorie limits and getting some exercise everyday.  I do weigh myself every day though and make sure my overall weekly trend is weight loss.

If I were you, I would set being in the 220s as your first goal and go from there.

Good luck!

Hi!  I started off about 225 lbs, and thought that 210 might be a good starting goal for the summer.  I fell off the bandwagon, so maybe that's not completely possible any more, but still trying for it, and I measured 222 this morning.  So maybe start out for 10-15 lbs in around three months?

This is more for motivation than for goal-setting: Hang a chain of paperclips, one for every pound you want to lose, near the doorway to your kitchen or on the fridge. Remove the links as you lose weight.

Short-term goals will be easier to set after you've been on board for a few weeks and you settle into the routine. For now, what about 5 lbs by the end of July? This would give you progress but also allows for the stumbling that will invariably happen as you get used to your new lifestyle. I have no doubt that you could do 10 lbs by then if you're exercising, but your first goal should be gentle so that you don't feel like you've failed before you really start. Just my humble opinion, though.

I also like foodismysin's suggestion of ten or fifteen pounds in three months.

Good luck, I know you can do it.

First of all congratulations blombie! You're doing well so far and I'm confident you will reach your goal in no time. Your age will be an advantage to you in losing rather quickly since your metabolism is higher at this point in your life. I would think that you could see a loss of 2 lbs a week or maybe a little bit under that depending on your exercise habits. I agree with what's been said here already in that rewards are important in weight loss. It can be very motivational to make the small goals & awards to go with each goal. With 100+ weight loss it's important to go incrementally so it's not so overwhelming. I have mine set at 20 pounds for each goal. That way it's a big chunk and worth celebrating! And don't be discouraged by the plateaus! They are going to happen. Just keep doin the right things ie eating healthy and doing your cardio...and it will start moving. Welcome to CC!

Original Post by ser25:

This is more for motivation than for goal-setting: Hang a chain of paperclips, one for every pound you want to lose, near the doorway to your kitchen or on the fridge. Remove the links as you lose weight.

 I like this idea!  

Honestly, you'll probably find, as I did, that every ten-pound increment is its own reward. I remember starting at 240, and how happy I was to get into the 220s, then the 210s, then the 200s, etc...

You have gotten some good suggestions for mini-goals here, and the only thing I can add is something that worked for me: I remembered weights that I was at at certain points in my life, that made me feel good. for instance one of them was a weight I was at when a hot ex-boyfriend once said that I looked amazing, "just like in college", which wasn't the case (I'd gained about 50 lbs!), but still - the look in his eyes made me feel attractive. So when I reached that weight, which was still in the obese category, I started feeling sexy and attractive again. Another strategy was specific weights that I haven't seen in many years (remember when I last was at them), and when I reached them again it was like taking off years along with the pounds. I'm now at a weight I haven't seen since age 23, and loving it. (Ultimate goal: age 19!) ;)