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    CATINCJ   22,731
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Your opinion please - resetting goal weight

Thursday, December 27, 2012

BACKGROUND: When I started at SP in October, I just wanted to lose weight.
SP asked me for a goal weight, so I plugged in 158. (I didn't really care . . . just wanted to be under 160).

Well, I am 162 right now which is 5 pounds away from that number.
However, 158 is not my final destination. ( And I'm still not sure what number that will be.)

A few weeks ago, when I dropped below 170, I switched my goal weight to 155, and that's what the tracker is based on today.

Okay, now I'm thinking about setting goals for next year and am considering resetting my goal weight to 145, thinking that may be where I want to hold and do maintenance for a while.

MY QUESTION FOR YOU:
emoticon Do you think I should attain my goal at 155 BEFORE resetting my goal?
OR,
emoticon Do you think I should reset my goal to 145 NOW and go for it?

(And if you care to share the reason for your answer, I'd like to hear it.)

Thank you! Let's make 2013 our best year yet!
emoticon emoticon
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KARIDIAN1 12/28/2012 11:34PM

    I think get to the one goal and see if you can maintain it for a short term and then see about setting the new goal.

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KANOE10 12/28/2012 1:42PM

    I say figure this out when you reach 155. See how you feel. Are you ready to keep going to 145 or are you happy at 155?

You are doing great on reaching goals and staying healthy!


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CHERYL_ANNE 12/28/2012 10:22AM

    I think you should attain your initial goal before resetting it!

When I joined SP I let SP determine a weight goal for me. And since SP doesn't offer a GF (gluten free) option, I just track my normally eaten foods. Now the weight goal SP determined is not the final one I have in mind because I actually don't have a figure in mind - I decided that I was solely going to become focused on being the healthiest I could be. For me, maintenance is hugely important. Prior to joining SP I had successfully kept off 30 pounds for 3 years, so I know that my body and mind were in-sync to continue my journey.

Once I reach the SP predetermined weight goal I will revisit whether I want to go lower.

I wish you much success on your journey!

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BOHEMIANCAT 12/28/2012 9:26AM

    I try to reach one goal, glow in that success and then set another. When you make it to 155, just think how sweet that will be!
Linda

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MSLZZY 12/28/2012 7:40AM

    Go for 155 and enjoy the sweet success.
Then slowly try getting to 145.

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TORTISE110 12/28/2012 6:05AM

    I am wondering if your wanting to lower your goal rate reflects new confidence you have that you can and will reach it? Many people have said wise things in this thread and my favorite is to make sure you celebrate 155 whether you call it the end point, or a short term goal on the way to a bigger one. I love that you are exploring what weight goal is best for you because of course you are the only one who knows!

I've been thinking about lowering my maintenance goal a few pounds now that I have reached it. It comes from "living" my goal weight and thinking a few more pounds would give me a little range to play with. It's kind of fun to think about.

Good luck to you.

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LANACOTTA 12/28/2012 4:06AM

    Congratulations dear! Good work for 2012, and a nice way to start 2013. I personally would sit for a while at 155 to give yourself a chance to adjust to your new body weight and your new look. Work on doing stretching and strength exercises and building up your stamina. Maybe you'll lose a few pounds anyway in this period because you have learned new good habits. But give yourself a short breather before moving on down.

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LINDAM.1 12/28/2012 3:10AM

  keep 155 for now so you can celebrate success, and then see new goles after 155 is easy to main tan

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FUSIONFITNESS3 12/28/2012 12:05AM

    Good question! I found myself asking similar questions as I reviewed where I wanted to go in the new year. I am 6 lbs away from my phase 1 goal and wondered whether to reset or not but decided to since I wanted to start the new year with phase 2. Now I have a goal to loose 35 lbs. I like the idea of doing phases because it helps me to stay motivated with a shorter term goal. Will there be a phase 3? There could be but I may just maintain for some time and see where I go. By then I will have lost 95 lbs. and could loose more but I don't want to get to a point where I am struggling to loose more and then give up and start gaining. Maintainence is something I need to learn to do because I have never been successful at that so at this point I see that as phase three but who knows? So there are my reasons for doing what I do. But each of journeys is unique so you'll have to decide for yourself what will work best.
Let us know what you decide.
Maria

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BLESSED2BEME 12/27/2012 11:19PM

    My tracker is set to my ultimate weight loss goal. Not sure I'll ever reach it though. Getting to that # isn't as important to me anymore as just living my life in a healthier way is.

I think we each need to set our weight loss tracker/goals with both short term and long term numbers. It is also important to follow our heart and do what feels right for us. I don't see anything wrong with 'updating' the bottom line # that you are trying to reach if that feels most comfortable.

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BIGPAWSUP 12/27/2012 10:49PM

    I keep changing my goal weight. I'm not certain WHERE I want to be. So just go with what FEELS right.

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TRESSWANN 12/27/2012 8:34PM

    155 short term, 145 long term. don't get overwhelmed.

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-VIXEN- 12/27/2012 8:04PM

    Follow your heart. For myself, I would reach one goal before setting another one, but the great thing about this whole process is you define how you want it to go. :)

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ANDY_54 12/27/2012 7:04PM

    Kind of depends on what you'd like the journey to be. If having the 155 as the end goal is really important to you, then leave it there and go for it, when you reach it, wait a while then ratchet it down. But in my mind--and this is only me--my final weight goal is more important in the overall picture. I can celebrate the shorter goals without having them listed on the ticker. I would make sure though that if you choose to put the 145 down that it won't cause you to lose steam--by that I mean you would have reached a significant goal at the 155, but now you've added more weight to lose. I hope this makes sense! But you know what? Just from your past success, drive and motivation to get it done--I have all the faith you'll do great with whatever method you choose. Hang in there! You know I'm here for you!

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LOSINIT52 12/27/2012 6:44PM

    I have long term and short term goals. My long term goal which I have set my tracker to, is mid range healthy BMI for my height. I seriously doubt I will ever get there, but I can imagine many of those folks who lost incredible amounts of weight had serious doubts when they started too. My thoughts are "don't be afraid to dream big". On the other hand, my goal weight is a long way off so I set short term goals along the way ie. 20 pounds by New Years and 10 more by Valentines day.
This seems to be working for me, but one thing I am learning, is that being flexible and willing to learn and change along the way is key, so I will be interested to see what others say in response to this question.
Spark on! You are doing great!

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NITTINNANA 12/27/2012 6:13PM

    Have you maintained any given weight successfully before for at least six months? I haven't - never even made it to three. If you have, I'd say feel free to go for a lower weight if you think it feels right. But if you've NOT been successful before, I would think it would make sense to maintain for at least 3 months at 155 before concentrating on losing again.

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MYBULLDOGS 12/27/2012 5:57PM

    leave your goal where it is for now. accomplish that goal, celebrate then set your new goal. good luck

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WALLAHALLA 12/27/2012 5:47PM

    I have a need to feel a sense of accomplishment and success. I KNOW what I want my final and permanent weight to be, but I took it off my tracker. I now set smaller goals of 5% of my body weight at a time. Some people need to see that final number and their progress toward it to keep them motivated. I need to see the smaller successes along the way to keep me motivated. I think it is really a matter of which method works better for you, a series of small successes, or one big success.

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RAPUNZEL53 12/27/2012 5:41PM

  I say do whatever feels right to YOU! Good Luck!

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