The FastDay Forum

I would love to know what people's goals/plans are, where they hope to be in a years time or next week! Are they losing for a special occasion, do they set mini goals or big goals. Do you find it's best for you not to set a goal so long as you are losing etc?

My orriginal goal was probably similar to a lot of people dieting pre fasting and assuming that it would be 'another diet' I would fail at. So here's my goal list so far!
Week 1 : desperate to lose 'a couple of stone and I'll be happy with that...if I can keep it off,'. But WOW lost 4lbs.... Oh that was an easy week and I didn't touch any 'special foods' and cracked my cravings (ate mostely refined carbs). Set a goal to lose 1/2 stone, figured small achievable goals to spur me on.
Week 2 : Blimey!!! Lost another 4lbs! And.... Heck! I've hit my first Goal figured I'd set a goal to lose 4 stone.... Gulp! And on route 10% of my body weight. Well why not, it's coming off and let's have a few goals. Already had a mindset change, this is doable, adaptable, achievable and it's certainly not hardship so far.
Week 3 : Scales just keep showing great loses.... 1 stone lost . Ok let's head for 2 stone now I've lost 1
So on route I ticked off my 10% goal, several half stones and a few stones! I set a goal to get to 15.7lbs for my holiday. I started at 19.2lbs my holiday is 11th June and I will be there by then. In fact I just might, just... Hit a 4 stone loss the day I fly lol. But I did it in 7lb increments. I also celebrate lb loses as well as stones lol. I liked having these little goals it really helped me to say 'no thanks I'd rather have this' when making food choices knowing that choosing something healthier than cake or crumpets would help me to attain my next mini goal. I'm constantly in a massive Olympic arena in my mind lol... Always proudly getting up on that Gold podium to accept my next medal! Lol. Crazy I know but hey whatever keeps your eye on the next goal and off that plate of biscuits hey.
Today I did a little dance on my Gold podium as I hit a loss of 50lbs. I can't tell you how absolutely fantastic that feels. But I don't need to put it in words because each and everyone of us know that feeling of euphoria we experience when we reach a goal no matter how small or large. Getting into that dress, recording another inch loss, dropping a dress size, walking a few more steps with less pain or getting good blood results in the doctors office. And that all important compliment from friends and family when they notice the weight loss.
As my friend who got me into this says.....Nothing tastes as good as slim feels.
I honestly thought I was stuck being fat for life. Now I know and I believe I won't just lose a couple of stone and hope I keep it off. I will be slim.
3.1/2 stone lighter in my 15th week

Wow @JayeGirl that is an amazing loss well done !!

I think my biggest goal aside from my goal weight was making peace with food as I have waged over a 25 year war with it and I can't believe I have done that finally

Although I am still 6 pounds off my goal weight (it's my lets get there and see how I feel weight as I'm over 40 I don't want to get that gaunt in the face look so it might be enough for me or it might get negotiated down another couple of pounds we'll see )
for the first time in so many years I can't remember I actually feel in control and relaxed about eating.

I still have "dietary hiccups" like last week with the peanut butter but the difference is I have stopped having over the top reactions to them as I know if I have put anything on I can just as soon loose it again if I stay on track

So I have my goal weight - I want to be there by August for my awesome vintage trip to the Isle of Wight
My goal attitude that I seem to have attained now
My life goal of doing my best to stick with this for ever, as as well as the weight loss the other health benefits which have been reported to date are very appealing the older I get

Started 5:2 at the end of April hoping to lose the winter weight and maybe a bit more as my doctor had advised me to lose about 14lbs so I made that my Main Goal but with no specific time span as this time I want to keep the weight off - permanently. I have had mini achievements eg it's ten years since I weighed less than 130 lbs so that makes me feel good. I would like my waist measurement to be half of my height - it's slowly going but I doubt if I'll reach this goal. We'll see how it goes - already enjoying the health benefits and clothes are more comfortable to wear so that's two more mini goals to take into account.
SW 139 CW 128.6 GW 125 lbs

Wow @JayeGirl that is an amazing loss well done !!

I think my biggest goal aside from my goal weight was making peace with food as I have waged over a 25 year war with it and I can't believe I have done that finally

Although I am still 6 pounds off my goal weight (it's my lets get there and see how I feel weight as I'm over 40 I don't want to get that gaunt in the face look so it might be enough for me or it might get negotiated down another couple of pounds we'll see )
for the first time in so many years I can't remember I actually feel in control and relaxed about eating.

I still have "dietary hiccups" like last week with the peanut butter but the difference is I have stopped having over the top reactions to them as I know if I have put anything on I can just as soon loose it again if I stay on track

So I have my goal weight - I want to be there by August for my awesome vintage trip to the Isle of Wight
My goal attitude that I seem to have attained now
My life goal of doing my best to stick with this for ever, as as well as the weight loss the other health benefits which have been reported to date are very appealing the older I get

I agree completely with gaining control over food. This is the first time in my entire life I have felt in control, it is so empowering. Although only 15 weeks in this is something that I will continue to work on and be mindfull. As for the hicups, isn't it part of life that, we have to learn that there are times we will overindulge for whatever our reasons. The key is, we know we can take off what weight ee gained and get back on track and not to throw in the towel.

Well done on all your achievements, you are so close to goal. I can't wait to hear your maintenance story.

Started 5:2 at the end of April hoping to lose the winter weight and maybe a bit more as my doctor had advised me to lose about 14lbs so I made that my Main Goal but with no specific time span as this time I want to keep the weight off - permanently. I have had mini achievements eg it's ten years since I weighed less than 130 lbs so that makes me feel good. I would like my waist measurement to be half of my height - it's slowly going but I doubt if I'll reach this goal. We'll see how it goes - already enjoying the health benefits and clothes are more comfortable to wear so that's two more mini goals to take into account.
SW 139 CW 128.6 GW 125 lbs

I can't wait to be as close to goal as you guys. I have a long way to go so I have to enjoy the journey to keep me going. Still, I love looking towards how it will feel to reach goal. Not that I have actually set a true one.
I'm approaching 50 and as my Mum always said, 'after 40 you have to choose between your face and your bum'. lol. I'm thinking a size 12/14, I will decide as I get closer depending how I look.

Wow J thats amazing and so encouraging,specially for folk like myself who are similarly " large" tho short!
I saw the figures in yr avatar and thought i was reading it wrong,til i read yr words!
Well done and keep up the great work! I admire tremendously how you havent been daunted by having a lot to lose and i love yr mental pic of getting up on the Gold podium when achieving yr mini goals xx

[carorees]

My goals changed a lot during my fasting journey: started at "any loss at all would be welcome" to thinking I could get back to 70kg/11 stone (which seems to have been my body's set point in the past), to reaching a healthy BMI (67kg) to my final target of 65kg. Then it was not to drop below 62.5kg, but winter seems to have sorted that out . Now my target is to try to maintain below 65kg.

However, having said all of that, I think my real goal was to find a way of eating I could carry on for life and see where that took me weight-wise. I feel I have achieved that

It's great reading how people change their relationship with food. It's about forming new habits, do something enough and it becomes natural and normal to fast and make healthy food choices. However, for me who is only in the early stages and felt for weeks I had cracked it, I am daily telling myself to be mindfull. Since my long weekend eating lots of sugar I was reminded how difficult it can be living with those cravings and fighting my mind. It telling me it wants something in particular to eat, and sometimes...just something to eat when I am not hungry. And me saying 'I'm choosing not to have that' can be hard work lol.

This week is definitely easier than last week but I have gone from 13 uneventful and easy weeks to quite a difficult one and now easier still but not quite as good as it was.

Fasting today, woke up hungry! Lol.... I'll blame that on the carbs I had last night, a small ramakin of unsalted cashews. I had the calories for them but really not the need. It was a craving! Grrrr!

On a good note, I took some pics 3 weeks ago. Nothing I can share as they are in leggings and a vest lol. My exercise gear! I took some more today then used the Pic Collage App to put them side by side. I can see clear changes! Tonight if I struggle after my meal I am going to look at those pics and remind myself WHY I am not eating things I don't need. I also need to remind myself that despite the difficulty I have endured since the sugar weekend, I dropped that gain in days and dropped more still in a week following. I have hit -50lbs this week too on my first fast (Monday). So I am reminding myself and anyone struggling that we can still lose even when it's difficult.

[wildmissus]

When I first started fasting I was more focused on the health benefits - getting rid of some aches and pains, keeping diabetes at bay. At first I was hoping I might get down to a comfy size 14. I actually got down to a size 12 which was very exciting and I bought lots of new clothes but recently I have been gaining weight and my size 12's are getting a bit tight.

I've recently buddied up with @Hazelnut20 and that has made me rethink what I am doing. So now I am trying to give myself a daily goal to get to my short term goal of getting to 11st 7lbs with a view to getting to my long term goal of a final target weight of 10st 10lb. Today's goal is to eat my 3 meals with no added extras and allow myself a strip of chocolate later this evening. I am having no problem with that so far. Yesterday I wasn't allowing myself any biscuits, cake or chocolate and that was incredibly difficult.

For me right now the goal is very modest. Keep my blood pressure normal. I lost very well for 7 mos and then regained over the next five months after I got to my lowest weight of the last 20 years. I began to be hungry all the time so while I kept the fasts I was eating too much the rest of the time.

I stopped fasting for a few months, regained a bit more but lost the hunger and saw the BP go back up to nasty. I can't take most of the pills due to some other issues, so I am now finishing up a second week fasting. The BP came right back down. So that's good. But I won't be so intense this time as I don't want to bring back the hunger. I'm only 2lbs from my usual maintenance weight so I will see how little fasting I can do while preserving the BP. Cutting calories doesn't do it. I have had high BP in the past while dieting. It does seem to be the longer period without food.

@peebles I agree there is a fine balance of pushing oneself too hard for various reasons (obsessed) and also of falling away.
I only have arthritis to care for and busy life! All is good.
Missing our @Ssure

Hello[ Jayegirl[/tag]
Thanks for sharing your wonderful journey and congrats to you. My short and long term goal is to maintain ME! 5 months in ... I think I can maintain me, as all going well.
Bedtime! I'll be back soon.

When I started fasting in Nov '13, I was at the heaviest weight I had ever been. 15st 8lbs at 5'8"

I was facing a stark choice...go up to the next size in jeans, i.e. size 20, or start doing something about it. The pressure was on, because I had 2 events to slim down for (my mother's 80th birthday in April and my daughter's graduation in July 2014). When I started, I felt such a second class citizen. In the first month, I shed a stone! That was a great motivator...and I kept focused on my goals of losing as much as possible so as to look good for those two life events. I didn't dare set number goals....but I joined in on every challenge going on the forum, so as to keep myself accountable (to myself!). When July rolled around, I had lost 53lbs! The compliments had started to flow after the first couple of stone (it was difficult to see much of a difference until a significant amount had been shifted) and my self-esteem had improved no end.

Once my daughter had graduated, though, I completely lost my focus & let myself off the hook. Stopped fasting...and when March 2015 rolled around...I had regained 26lbs!! All down to misery & mindless comfort eating. In all the time I stopped fasting, I never stepped on the scales because I didn't want to face the truth - even though the jeans were telling me. Also, my self esteem plummeted and I began to feel second class again.

Why did I return to fasting in March this year? Because of this Saturday! My brother is having a 50th birthday party in a London hotel...and I didn't want to feel like a blimp that let the side down. Over the past 8 weeks, I've tried ADF (thanks Bean!) and am now doing 4:3....and have shed 10.5lbs. I am pleased to say that I have just arrived at the stage where I am starting to nearly admire my reflection in some clothes - rather than despair. People have also begun to say I look good - which feels like a nice reward for the effort I am putting in.

I've said it before on this forum, but how I wish I hadn't jacked it all in last summer! Who knows where I would have been by now?! Instead, I need to lose another 16.5lbs just to get back to my lowest weight of last year....grrrr! Let me be a lesson to you all.....

Hopefully, I've learned a bit about myself through all this...and won't repeat the mistakes - even though I don't think I have another definite event goal after this Saturday's party. Perhaps I'll have to make some up! There is the possibility of a party in September...so maybe I should "use" that for my next focus - even if it's not that important a party. Or maybe, I should play the long game and just mentally commit to "keep on keeping on" until I reach Shangri La.....as in, maintenance. Gosh, that would be so great.....

Some wonderful stories there girls. I suppose if I am honest I just wanted wanted to lose a 'bit' of weight when I started 3 years ago, just a few months before 5:2 hit the world with a resounding smack. When I eventually started to shed the flab, I was a slow starter, I then thought if I could get to JUST under 9st (126lbs/57kms) then I would be ecstatic. As I had not weighed myself for years, too depressing, I hadn't thought through how I was going to know when I had achieved this goal.....mmmmm. Story of my life there. Anyway, the weight kept falling off and one day I decided that I had to weigh myself as I was sure I MUST be under the dreaded 9st, one pound would have been enough to send me into a state of flux and unending happiness. I lost count if the number of times I got on and off the scales without looking as I couldn't bear to see the true state of things. After much huffing and puffing I got on and looked, WOW, I was under 9st and not just by one measly pound I was actually 3 pounds under. Well that did it I can tell you, I was then off like a dog out of a trap and within a few days I had reached my new target of 8st 7lbs. Over the next few months my weight continued to drop and then stabilised at between 8st 2lbs and 8st 6 lbs, a weight I have maintained now for well over 2 years.

My latest goal is to stay this weight till the grim reaper leaves his calling card. I have found maintenance relatively easy most of the time, but not always, but I never lose sight of the fact that just one upsetting change in life's circumstances, as happened recently, can throw the whole thing in the rubbish bin and I would then guzzle my way back to 11st ( 154lbs/79kms ). For me, I will have to keep my goal firmly in my head for ever if I want to maintain this weight, so far, so good.

Ballerina x

My goals are in my signature - I like the constant reminder when I'm on here!

I started on 5:2 because I felt like I was gaining weight, and had recently got engaged so that wasn't the direction I wanted to be heading in! We set our wedding date, and with that as motivation I decided my final goal would be something in 'single figures' i.e 9 stone-something, which I later revised to 9 and a half stone (133lbs) for a more exact target, with an interim goal of 10 stone (140lbs) for my friend's wedding. I can see that that's unlikely to happen give my average rate of loss, so in the summer challenge I've updated my goal to 143lbs by the end of July - for me I'll be more motivated if I feel I can actually achieve the goal, rather than stretching it to something I see as being impossible. I don't mind changing a goal as long as I'm still heading in the right direction overall - I do better if I feel successful rather than constantly failing to meet targets.