The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Jeanette]

Tomorrow is Day 1 of the journey to my new body! I've made some plans:
--My weigh-in days will be Monday
--I am going shopping for supplies (drinks, boullion, etc) later today
--My first goal is to be below 300 lbs by the new year. That gives me about eight weeks to lose about 40 lbs. I think it is attainable!

I am having trouble setting an end goal, though. Any suggestions?

I have been reading "Success in a Shaker Jar" (thanks for the recommendation Terry!). It compares this to a cross country trip. The part that sticks in my mind is on page 58: "You can despise the trip and wish it were done, or you can appreciate the scenery and study the landmarks along the way."

How do I know the trip will be a success?
1. I have a vehicle that I know will get me there (the program)
2. I have lots of people who are also on the journey to keep me company and help me along the way! (that's Y'all!)

This is the scariest, most exciting adventure I've ever been on!

Jeanette

[susan]

Hi.Jeanette. yes we all are on this road with you. don;t worry you can do this I had give up hope at ever down sizing again then I talked to Nancy and she gave me hope again and now that I am on the road and have lost 20# nothing ccan stop me till I get to goal. my first mini goal is to get to 200# and then on down I am 10# away from my mini goal,just set mini goals and work at that cause sometimes when we look at the big picture it is over whelming but I know we can all do this just keep at it . you have everone behind you and you can get on the forum it helps alot and keeps you going .Sometimes I laugh and I learn from others too. I don;t think I would be so determand if it wasn;t for talking to everone else and Mike is a inspriation to keep on going .I always look to see if he has wrote anything this is like a big family with Terry ,Nancy and Tim at the head of it and someone is always here to cheer you on.just drink them shakes and know that every week there will be less of you and thats such a good feeling and I know I haft to stay on tract because I can;t let myself or any one else down. Susan

[Lois]

Hi Jeanette.....and WELCOME

You can do this!!!!!! This is close to the end of my first week (I'll weigh in on Tuesday morning) and it is definitely getting easier.

This message board is such a boost. We are all here for you, and we are all in this together

hugs,

Lois

[explorthis]

Tomorrow is Day 1 of the journey to my new body! I've made some plans:
--My weigh-in days will be Monday
--I am going shopping for supplies (drinks, boullion, etc) later today
--My first goal is to be below 300 lbs by the new year. That gives me about eight weeks to lose about 40 lbs. I think it is attainable!

I am having trouble setting an end goal, though. Any suggestions?

Jeanette, I am glad you are joining us. All I can tell you is that 63 days ago I decided to start. My Mom was the instigator for me. The past 63 days have in most ways gone sooooo fast, I cannot even remember starting. 63 days is along time, but in the overall scheme of things 63 days is a "drop in the bucket"

You talk about goals? I have no idea if this is a good idea or not. I read Susan's posts about mini goals, and she has meet them on more than a regular occasion (good for you Susan) I have never been a "mini guy" so a mini goal to me probably is not attainable. Might be if I had chose to set one. My goal was/is to loose all the fat I have gained over the past 42 years. My only goal was the one to loose it all, no matter how long it takes.

I am sure what ever you choose, weather it be a mini or a gigantic goal (mine was/is gigantic) if you stick to it, you will be successful. I am no prophet, but I can vouch for the ease of this diet, compared to the 4,000 that I have started over the past 20+ years. This one works, there is no brain surgery, its just common sense. It is working for me, and it is pretty darn easy.

I have not stepped in the scale in about a week, last week I was 54# gone, hopefully tonight (if I get the guts) I will be close to 60#

Just stay here, and post your results with us. Good thing here is we all are like a "large" (pun intended) family.

Keep us posted, I promise it will work!

Mike

[Ellen]

Jeanette,
How did your first day go? I was thinking of you today. I am the queen of multi-tasking and I get on the computer in the morning and blow-dry my hair while reading my emails and my bulletin boards. Of course it is very hard to type while holding a blow-dryer, a hair brush, a Medifast shake and a Pepsi-One with one cat on my lap and another on top of the monitor wondering when I'll finish with this nonsense and get them some darned breakfast. So, I read your post, but I didn't get a chance to respond until tonight when all is quiet - 'cept those darn cats who want to eat AGAIN!

I've given a lot of thought to goal weights and I don't know what the best answer is. I chose 125 for a goal weight, and while it may seem unrealistic to many, I'm only 5'3" and small boned. I've weighed less than that before. Would I be happy if I made it to 150 and stopped. You bet I would. 150 is a dream these days. However, I'm realistic enough to know that most people do regain at least a little weight. I chose 125 with the idea in mind that if after a couple of years 10 or 15 pounds crept back on I'd still be OK with that. I intend to stick to the plan until I get to 125. I'll make 135 my panic point. I'll weigh weekly and if I ever hit 135 I'm right back to full Medifast. That's my plan.

The huge drawback to a goal weight that is so far from my current weight is that it can be overwhelming to think about it. I made the foolish mistake of doing the math last week (I'm a mathematician at heart). So I figured that if I lost an average of 3 pounds a week, when would I reach my goal weight. I was very disheartened to see that it put me well into June. I was really hoping for April or so. So, I did what any self respecting optimist would do, I put it out of my head and focused on how good I'll look at Christmas.

I do work on mini-goals. My first one was to lose 25 pounds. Next my "unofficial" mini goal is to be less than 205 because I haven't been there in 9 years. My next goal is obvious and that is to be less than 200. Beyond that, I haven't really thought it out. As things slow down, I'll work on 10 or 15 pound mini-goals.

I think that the problem with not having an end goal in mind is that you run the risk of getting bored with the plan at some point and just saying "good enough" and stopping.

Some other people I've talked to are setting "time" goals. They are working on sticking to the program for a set number of weeks and then deciding whether to continue or not. I like the concept of that, but worry about that easy-out factor.

Regardless, you don't have to decide anything right away. Hope you are doing great! You'll be a "new you" by New Years!
Have a great shaking day,
Ellen

[Nancy]

Jeanette,

Goals are indeed hard to conceptualize, particularly when one is just beginning on the weight loss portion of the program.

BTW, how did day one go for you?

This morning I prayed for all of our people to make good choices, to watch the clock and not to rely upon their stomachs for indications of when to eat.

Initially when starting the weight loss portion people can feel hunger and wonder if they can make it through those first few days until they reach the mild state of ketosis. I recall going to bed early the first week or so to escape the food commercials on TV. My stomach was growling loudly and I had that gnawing feeling going on in my stomach. I realized that for the first time in years that I was experiencing hunger for the first time and was reminded of the millions of people that go to bed every evening hungry and who have no hope of having their hunger satisfied. I drank a LOT of water!

Terry and I just attended a training session this past weekend in Portland, OR for Health Advisors. We are Regional Directors and have attended two certification sessions now. Dr. Andersen, the Medical Director for Take Shape for Life and Medifast spoke of goals in this way: He said that one needs to check the BMI charts first of all and select a weight for your height that places you in the 25 and under zone on the BMI charts. Then he said to recall a good weight for you when you were in high school or college and then shoot for that. Some people have been obese all their life, since childhood. If so, it may be harder to select an ideal end goal weight.

From experience, I know that you will have a better idea once you get closer to it. Just choose for yourself each day to do the right thing and day by day, shake by shake, you will become healthier. Every time I reached a new group of tens on the scales, I’d put my fingers up to my mouth and make a smacking sound and pull my hand away from my mouth and kiss the 50’s (or the 40’s, or the 30’s, or the 20’s, etc.) good-bye forever! What a thrill!