Setting HEALTHY & REALISTIC goals

[AshMarie794 164]

So now that I am going to gym 5 days a week. Getting back into normal life and not living off liquids. Learning how to eat all over again. Lately I have been torn on what exactly I want my end goal to look like. Am I choosing a weight range? Setting a target healthy BMI? Not exactly sure what I want to strive for at the moment. Each week I am striving to hit a certain number on the scale. But that is the extent of my goals at the moment.

When did you figure out where you wanted to end up after all your hard work? How did you narrow down where you wanted to end up?

[johnsons13 359]

I'm only 6 months post op. But, in the beginning, I had/have a goal weight to hit. A BMI to me was too much of a curve to aim for and I wanted my eye on something specific. But I also wanted my co-mordities to get better or disappear and so far, so good. I set small goals now. Like you I want to see so many pounds gone each week. I have 2 quart jars in my bathroom with marbles. 1 is labeled pounds killing me and the other is pounds I've killed. For each pound is a marble and I want all them marbles gone from the pounds killing me. I only move marbles when I weigh in at my Dr so I know it exactly how many pounds because my home scale changes each time I step on it (like step on step off then right back on it's off a pound or 2).

The last visit to my Dr was the first time he mentioned a goal weight, but it was exactly what I had in mind at the beginning. I guess great minds think alike.

[Healthy_life 1,437]

Congrats on all your weight loss.

When did you figure out where you wanted to end up after all your hard work? All my hard work led me to my goal and beyond. My number was picked out of the air. I was fortunate to meet it.

How did you narrow down where you wanted to end up?I struggled to picture what that would feel or look like to be a lower weight. Weight loss outcomes are an unknown factor. I used these three things to help me visualize possible outcomes.

weight loss simulator. It's not real accurate but helped

https://modelmydiet.com/

Mybodygallery

https://www.mybodygallery.com/

and a BMI chart

[Matt Z 4,139]

3 hours ago, AshMarie794 said:

So now that I am going to gym 5 days a week. Getting back into normal life and not living off liquids. Learning how to eat all over again. Lately I have been torn on what exactly I want my end goal to look like. Am I choosing a weight range? Setting a target healthy BMI? Not exactly sure what I want to strive for at the moment. Each week I am striving to hit a certain number on the scale. But that is the extent of my goals at the moment.

When did you figure out where you wanted to end up after all your hard work? How did you narrow down where you wanted to end up?

Personally, I had several. I had some easy, more difficult, almost absurd, and dream.

When I was 370, my goals were, 300 for the "easy", 275 for the "more difficult", 250 for the "almost absurd" and 200 for the "Dream". This was when I had the lapband installed. I hit 300. Then I couldn't go any farther, floated up and down from 300 - 320. The revision to the bypass helped me clear all the rest of my goals and now I'm a stones throw from 200. So, the take away, don't be afraid to dream big, just make sure you understand that dream goals might never happen. Set yourself a few goals, that way when you start ticking them off, you won't be frustrated trying to get to JUST that one, crazy, dream goal. And don't forget to Celebrate each and every victory with the same level that you would beat yourself up for each failure, it's only fair to be equal!

[AshMarie794 164]

6 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

Personally, I had several. I had some easy, more difficult, almost absurd, and dream.

When I was 370, my goals were, 300 for the "easy", 275 for the "more difficult", 250 for the "almost absurd" and 200 for the "Dream". This was when I had the lapband installed. I hit 300. Then I couldn't go any farther, floated up and down from 300 - 320. The revision to the bypass helped me clear all the rest of my goals and now I'm a stones throw from 200. So, the take away, don't be afraid to dream big, just make sure you understand that dream goals might never happen. Set yourself a few goals, that way when you start ticking them off, you won't be frustrated trying to get to JUST that one, crazy, dream goal. And don't forget to Celebrate each and every victory with the same level that you would beat yourself up for each failure, it's only fair to be equal!

Once I started going to the gym is when I started my weekly goals. I just question myself as to where I want to end up. In my head my goal would be 150. Any thing more than that is a dream. Its just so hard to image that its possible. That lingering doubt is killing me.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

15 minutes ago, AshMarie794 said:

Once I started going to the gym is when I started my weekly goals. I just question myself as to where I want to end up. In my head my goal would be 150. Any thing more than that is a dream. Its just so hard to image that its possible. That lingering doubt is killing me.

The good news is there is no contract, where you have to sign on a dotted line! It can be amorphous and is easily refined! It's truly an evolution and extension of reality as you live that portion (or live the "new"). As a MO person most of my life, I had absolutely very little concept about how it felt to be "normal" or even skinny. I just knew this would be the "easiest" it would ever get to either approach that goal or capture the flag. I honestly still don't!

I'm reasonably sure I will make 1st Goal. And anything beyond that, is up for negotiation, but NOT open to rationalization. I'm in "take no prisoners" goal mode.

I set my first goal 150 based on my RD and doc. Their goals for me were 156 (60% of EBW if I remember correctly), or my doc was 160lbs cuz she said, it felt like a good weight for me. I on the other hand wanted to be my high school weight where I was the closest to being "normal" that I ever was in life.

The 2nd goal for me is to be in "normal weight category" which is anything under 145lbs. I "think" I can reach it with continued focus and discipline.

Beyond that, I enter into @Matt Z "almost absurd" mode (135lbs).

Then finally "Barbie Dream Girl" mode (125lbs). LOL. Extremely unlikely.

Through it all, beyond weight, I want to be fully healthy! I would like to be off all, or almost all my meds. I want to be able to exercise at will and be active and never have to worry about if I'm "too fat for xyz."

[Matt Z 4,139]

45 minutes ago, AshMarie794 said:

Once I started going to the gym is when I started my weekly goals. I just question myself as to where I want to end up. In my head my goal would be 150. Any thing more than that is a dream. Its just so hard to image that its possible. That lingering doubt is killing me.

I'm 10.9 lbs from my all time dream goal... and it still doesn't seem real. I totally get it LOL

[Ed_NW 684]

31 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

never have to worry about if I'm "too fat for xyz.

I agree 100%. Another thing that will be nice is not having the doctor blame every ailment on my weight.

[Healthy_life 1,437]

1 hour ago, AshMarie794 said:

Once I started going to the gym is when I started my weekly goals. I just question myself as to where I want to end up. In my head my goal would be 150. Any thing more than that is a dream. Its just so hard to image that its possible. That lingering doubt is killing me.

This is going to be different than all your other diet attempts in the past. It's possible to take your new eating and workouts to places you never thought you could. Shoot for the stars! Looking forward to see how you feel at onderland. It will be here before you know it. 150 why not?

I still pinch myself and cant believe what I weigh and how much my life has changed. Great things are coming your way. Your mind will be able to wrap itself around all this with time. Enjoy the WLS ride.

.

[GreenTealael 25,359]

6 hours ago, AshMarie794 said:

So now that I am going to gym 5 days a week. Getting back into normal life and not living off liquids. Learning how to eat all over again. Lately I have been torn on what exactly I want my end goal to look like. Am I choosing a weight range? Setting a target healthy BMI? Not exactly sure what I want to strive for at the moment. Each week I am striving to hit a certain number on the scale. But that is the extent of my goals at the moment.

When did you figure out where you wanted to end up after all your hard work? How did you narrow down where you wanted to end up?

My team was (still is) super relaxed about end goals if you are not presenting with red flags to them. They never really gave me one at the start of my journey. We discussed me getting healthy as the goal and focused on that. So when I became really active on BP I forgot about that and started going crazy a little setting up goals based on mostly fear of regain, all the what ifs, etc.

Then spoke with my team and tried to convince them I needed to be 120lbs so when I regain I will be at my goal, they looked dumbfounded and said "you're planning your regain? I said everyone regains, right? They were like: No. It's not like you necessarily have to plan for, it you have to plan against it."

So I decided to trust what they wanted for me. A healthy range that my body will chose without a lot of struggle. I suspect I'm beginning to crossover to maintenance, so now I will begin that journey.

I say first and foremost chase your personal goals (I had none lol), but also trust your team and body to steer you right.

That was long in the tooth, sheesh

Sorry.

Edited October 19, 2018 by GreenTealael