The end goal is what exactly?
Long Term Goals December 24th, 2007I’m starting to think staying in this for the the long haul IS the end goal…
Even a year or two ago I had this image in my head of one day being “there” - at goal, done with the hard part. I’m now realizing it’ll never be done. Hanging in there day after day after day IS the hard part.
But I’m not someone with a specific pound goal in mind. I see on others’ blogs that I’m in the minority.
It’s not that I don’t envision success, but maybe I define it differently. I suppose partly because I’ve never been thin, so I don’t know what that means, I don’t have a weight I’m trying to go back to. For a long time I wanted to weigh 135, because that’s what my sister weighs and we’re about the same height.
I know what size I want to be (second to the top or smaller in regular stores here in France, so about a US size 10), and I know how I’m willing to live my life (it does not involve hours in the gym or meticulous dieting). I’m hoping I can end up at the size I want with the effort I want. I’m willing for it to take a while to get there, too. No overnight miracles needed here…
December 24th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
This makes a lot of sense to me too. I had decided not to diet any more after the last round 6 years ago. The yo yoing was more stress than the weight. When I decided to make changes this time I knew it had to be for life, not just a few months. I did pick a goal, but it was pretty random. I based it on the lowest weight I’d been able to hold easily in my early 30s, then subtracted 5 lbs as a buffer, not exactly scientific
It’s definitely a new way of looking at my health, rather than focusing in on weight loss. You’re experiments and ideas have been really inspiring and helpful as I fine tune my thinking on all this. Thanks!
December 24th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Eek, I made one of those errors that absolutely drives me nuts. That would be “your” and definitely not “you’re”.
December 24th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Sometimes it seems as though I can read your blog and some of your words are speaking right to me - thank you! You are doing such a great job for yourself as well as motivating others. Keep up the great work.
December 24th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I agree with what you say! I have created the weight problem in many years. How can I solve it overnight? I agree it needs time. I am deeply suspicious of short cuts.
However hanging in there day after day is tough. I am not doing that great a job of it right now. I am not gaining weight. So I am hopeful that maintenance won’t be very difficult. However who knows!
I am doing so bad with my goals. I am giving myself a break for a while.
Thanks for the daily inspiration.
love,
iniya
December 24th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
The thing with this “diet” is that it HAS to be forever. If we go back to old ways, we will end up just where we started or worse. We have to change our lives. We have to do things we can live with forver. New habits must be learned. We gotta learn to love the new ways and have no desire to go back to the things that did us in. That is the goal. I have no real idea what my end goal is {weight/size}. I have dreams, but dreams are just dreams, they aren’t set in stone. They change with the clouds, but without dreams you really don’t have much of anything.
December 24th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Progress, not perfection. It’s the direction of travel, not the speed, that matters.
Put into it what you need/want to, to get out of it what you want. What matters is what YOU want to see, not some well defined number. I think you definately have the right attitude about change.
December 24th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
To quote Garfield, “Diet, it to Die with a T”
December 26th, 2007 at 4:10 am
Being happy - that’s what it’s all about….
Much happiness to you!
December 26th, 2007 at 5:30 am
My goal # was/is more of a health issue. I want to be out of the obese catagories. Normal range. I also know what I wont do to get there. I will never see a bikini again, and I don’t care. But I do know 200 is not a healthy place to be.
December 26th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
You and I are in the minority. I set a poundage goal only because that “goal weight” is in the middle of a “Normal” BMI. But, if I get to be 10 pounds over that and I feel great and think I look wonderful, screw the last 10 pounds! It’s more of an approximation. I think weight loss and maintenence is a life-long battle for those of us who’d like to be healthy. And we really can’t expect that overnight, so at least you’re being realistic.
And besides, you really shouldn’t compare yourself to your sister. Maybe you’re the same height, but she may be built differently, even if she is a blood relative.
Personally, I agree with not have a poundage goal weight, only because that makes you become obsessed with the scale. When, in reality, the scale isn’t the most accurate way to measure your health, just the most convenient.
Good luck!
December 26th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I’ve set an official goal in terms of lbs/kgs, but I admit that I’m not very focused on it as a complete ending. I, too, don’t know what my weight should be, and don’t have a weight to ‘go back to’, so it’s all a big guess, and I have no idea if this goal is realistic, too low, too high, whatever. I’ll see and decide once I’m there, I suppose.
A US size 10 would be a 40 here, is that right?
December 27th, 2007 at 5:27 am
I always think that you can’t think of it as a diet, or you are setting yourself up for failure. It has to be a lifestyle change- changing the way you eat and exercise or the pounds will come right back on. The hard part isn’t loosing the weight, it is keeping it off. So yes, your words ring true 100%, this is a journey that we will be on forever.
December 27th, 2007 at 6:08 am
You may be in the minority but maybe you have it right. It seems less stressful and more manageable to view it your way. Thank you for the new point of view