What kinds of goals did you set?

 I was talking to a friend tonight about "rewards" for goals met and I realized I really don't have any tangible goals set.  I have the ones we can do here at OH... like smiling to see a picture of myself, going on a hike, riding at a water park - but those are rewards all on their own.

 I suppose there is the obvious goal of a certain amount lost, or weighing a certain amount by a certain time - but those could be setting me up for failure (I am pretty hard on myself sometimes).

So what kind of goals do you set? 

 Good question! I think my biggest goal is to look good at my college graduation. I want to be able to buy a pretty dress, and I want my pictures to be of happy healthy woman. I'd like to make the transition into post-graduate life gracefully...and hopefully while looking cute.  

  I haven't worn a dress in years. Literally. And when I did wear one I hated it because my thighs were so big. 

   One goal was to be able to ride my horse - but one is old and I don't know if my young one is going to get beyond pony size (almost 3yrs old and still not big enough for me to ride - he's about done growing).  So I was going to buy another horse as a "reward" and my friend asked a reward for what?  (not being hateful, just curious).... and I couldn't tell her because I had no idea LOL

How about a reward for taking control of your life?  And your heatlh?  A reward for being brave enough and strong enough to have WLS?

My goals are things like getting at least 75 grams protein a day.  I have control over that.  I can't control what the scale says - even if I stick to a food plan, I might not lose weight as fast as I hoped I would.  But I can control what I eat.

There are all kinds of goals; I don't think that it matters what type you have. It's more important to have them because it's a different way of measuring you success. After you actually lose the excess weight, it is the tangible goals that seem to help keep you focused on keeping it off; the things that generally fall into the quality of life category, such as, tying your shoes while breathing, fitting in an airplane seat and not having to ask for an extender, shopping in the 'normal size section' of the store, being able to walk a couple of miles without having to sit down to rest, etc...

For me, the goals and/or reasons for losing the weight fall into several categories: health, quality of life, appearance and self esteem. When you are losing the weight, you will get plenty of outside reinforcement and affirmation of your progress, but after you get to maintenance that often falls away. Now, each morning, I when I'm taking my shower I think of 1 reason from my health goals and 1 from my quality of life goals to focus on for that day. As I go through the day I think of the decisions I'm making and look at whether those decisions support my health and quality of life goals. I had a hard time seeing the positives when I looked in the mirror for a long time, so one of the things I do each morning after I get dressed is look at my reflection and find something I like about my appearance. These things me make decisions throughout my day that help support my health, quality of life and appearance. 

As opposed to setting goals such as X pounds by a certain date, if you can set goals associated with your quality of life and health, I think you will find it will bring you a more balanced focus that you can sustain even once you lose the excess weight. The excess pounds will come off as you follow your program, but you need to realize the definition of success is not 'just' the number of pounds you lose or the size of your clothes. It is also very much about your health and your quality of life. You can find a mulitude of ways to define these areas such as your HbA1C, BP, resting heart rate, cholesterol numbers, etc... as well as your weight and BMI to define your health. You can also find a number of ways to define your quality of life such as how far you can walk, if your legs no longer get sore from rubbing together, if you can breathe while tying your shoes, if you can fit in an airline seat, turnstyle, or amusement park ride, etc... It is likely that these quality of life and health issues are going to give you a more full picture of your success than 'just' the number on the scale. 

Wishing you all the best as you continue your journey,

I have never set a goal to lose X amount of weight by a specific date. I did buy a charm bracelet. I got the bracelet and first 2 charms for making the decision to have surgery and taking control of my life. Then I buy a new bead (yes, Pandora like bracelet, but I can't afford an actual Pandora) for every 25 pounds lost, and one for hitting onederland.

The other goals I set for myself are all activity related. I have a goal to learn to snowshoe. I have attended some clinics to learn the basics, and will be participating in a 5k snowshoe for breast cancer in March, called Romp to Stomp. I have some friends who are very experienced snowhoers who are going to be with me.

I am doing couch to 5k, and want to participate in races until I work myself up to a half marathon.

I live on Colorado, and we have a lot of mountain peaks that are 14,000 ft in elevation or higher. I want to climb a 14ner this summer.

A healthier lifestyle is a great reward within itself, as you states in your post. I also put aside a set amount of money each week, for things I am no lnger buying. That becomes my mad money. I guess it's a reward, because I am making healthy choices, and I am learning to put myself first. I budget my mad money, and don't over spend but I also have learned to say no to the kids. They don't need to have everything they want. Sand I don't need to sacrifice everything for them. It is OK to treat myself.

Those are some great ideas!
I don't want to make amount of weight lost or "end" weight a goal... it is too much of a wild card. I could probably do for each amount lost a small reward, but I wasn't sure for my major rewards. My BP, heart rate, bloodwork have always been spectacular (cholesterol was 119, BP 112/68, etc)

Here is what I've come up with:
- every month with gym at least 3 times a week I can have a reward (thinking of what that would be)
- every week with no more than 1 treat food = reward
- finishing my first 5k (running) - this will be a reward on its own, but I figure it also merits a special reward

I think, since my buying a horse is probably pretty close to happening, I will call that my good faith purchase that I can do this and be successful. That I am brave enough to take on the challenge and worth the effort.

The camera... well, I'll have to think of something big for that one! (it will cost more than the horse probably lol )