I did not start my weight loss with a "Goal Weight" or "Dress Size" to reach. I think having one will just make you frustrated, and you'll miss all your little victories! NO ONE can lose 50 pounds in their first week/month of healthy weight loss!!!
When I first started to lose weight, the weight came off quickly, so I set my goals to 10 pound increments. When I would reach my -10 pound goal, I'd have to maintain my new weight for a week before I got to get my reward for reaching the goal. (It took me between 2 - 4 months to lose 10 pounds.)
After I had lost over 100 pounds the rate of my weight loss really started to slow. To keep my motivation high, I changed my goals to every 5 pounds instead. Then after I lost over 140 pounds, my weight loss ground to a halt. After being "stuck" at the same weight for over six months I was really getting frustrated!!! Then I remembered, my ultimate goal was never to reach a certain weight, SO WHY WAS I TYING MY REWARDS TO MY WEIGHT!!!
The Light Bulb Goes ON!
My real goal is to be healthy, so now I get my rewards from "keeping up a healthy lifestyle!" (Being active 3-5 days a week, and eating between 1400-1800 calories each day.) All I need to do to get my rewards now is stick to these guidlines 14 days straight.
This last change to my rewards system has really boosted my self-esteem! When my weight was stuck, I never noticed that I was getting healthier. I only noticed that the scale was not moving. Since my goal was tied to my weight, I didn't feel like I was making any progress!! I really wanted my reward... and just could not drop the last few pounds to get it... after a few months I was really frustrated.
Now that my goals are not tied to my weight, I feel so much better about myself!!! Life is good!!! :)
