Setting goals

(courtesy of google images)

Setting goals can be both good and bad.  Especially when it comes to weight loss.  For me I try not to be too rigid with anything I set for myself with regards to my weight loss as I know if I don't reach it when I set out to it changes my positive attitude to a negative attitude.  That is never a good thing the glass should always be half full.  I am doing very well with keeping the positive attitude and it really is helping my weight loss every week.

As you have probably noticed I changed my ticker.  The reason for this is that I reached the first goal I set for myself.  In order for the NHS to allow me to go ahead with IVF I had to have my BMI as 30 or less.  April 2011 it was over 40 way to high and I had 12 -18 months on the waiting list to reduce it.  I am a few days over 16 months of being on the list and my BMI is finally below 30.

I thought reaching the IVF goal weight would bring tears when I climbed on those scales but I was strangely very calm.  I think it was the relief of reaching a place that I thought was so unachievable in the beginning that I just felt at peace.

My goals entail small steps never anything too big and I have learnt now not to put time limits on myself.  I still think to myself that it would be nice to reach a certain weight by a certain time for example I would love to be at my final goal weight in time for Christmas but if I am not it really isn't a big deal anymore as I know I will get there eventually.  Now my goals are 7lb at a time and sometimes there are smaller goals in between each 7lb like a certain % of weight lost.  With last nights 2lb loss I hit 10 lots of 7lb and to reach the next one I have 6.5lb to lose but between then just a 4.5lb will mean I have lost 30% of my starting weight. Small goals are great and really keep that motivation up.

Last night in wei.ght watch.ers the lady who takes the class was asking if we had thrown out all our now too large clothes.  When she came to me I told her that mine were all in black bags ready to go but I wanted to get rid of everything in one go so would be doing it when I got to goal.  Immediately she picked up on the fact that I had said when and not if.  It is a big deal to believe you will reach your goal and no longer questioning it.  I am not really sure when on this journey that happened for me but I am so glad that it did.  It just makes each week easier and helps when you don't have a great number on the scale.

So for anyone reading who is struggling just keep at it and celebrate the small losses and small goals.  It is possible and you can do it.  You just have to keep going.  It took years of bad eating to put the weight on so we have to give it enough time to come back off and change those bad habits we once had.