Goal Setting

I’m not so good at the whole goal setting thing. I can make to-do lists like a boss but goals…that’s a different animal entirely. When I was working in corporate, I used to hate doing self-evaluations because they always asked for goals, and I never really knew what to put down (well, when I was a young and eager beaver I did…as I got older, wiser, and less interested in being a corporate drone, not so much).

When you join Weight Watchers, or any weight loss program, for that matter, they always ask you to put down a goal weight you want to reach. Now, if I were as smart as I think I am, I would set smaller goals, like 10% of my weight or every 25 pounds or something like that. But no, I go the whole magilla – I said I wanted to reach 195 pounds. At the time I joined WW, that was exactly 138.1 pounds away. 138 pounds is a whole other human being. When you’re first starting out, 138 pounds sounds almost insurmountable. But 190-195 pounds is what I weighed when I was in my mid-20s and I was at my most active, my most social, and my healthiest. When I weighed 195 pounds, I took jazz, tap and ballet classes, one class a night. On the other nights, I was out on the town after work with my colleagues and school friends. I ate out at least three times a week. I went drinking and dancing every Saturday night. I worked full-time, took classes, and had my own apartment. I never got tired and for more than three years, I never gained a pound. I wore the same size clothes that whole time. I looked like this:

It kind of irks me that if I looked like that right at this moment, I’d be considered fairly average but back then, this was considered fat, too. Anyway, I weighed about 195 here (circa 1985) and I was happy and healthy and doing my thing. This – or as close an approximation as I can get – is what my goal is.

“Experts” say you should try to weigh within the range of those charts you see on all those weight loss websites and apps and yada yada. I call bullshit. I’m a big girl, meaning I’m big boned, I have a large frame. When I was a teenager and I weighed 150 or so, that was fine but once I was an adult, weighing 150 would have had everyone thinking I was sick. I know that I wouldn’t look good if I went down to 150. I’m not built that way. I believe you should go down to a weight where you were your most comfortable, your most healthy. When I weighed 190-195, I rarely even caught a cold. My asthma was so under control, cigarette smoke didn’t even bother me (this was during the days when people were allowed to smoke in bars and restaurants). I felt good and looking back at some of the pictures I have from that time period, I looked good. This is why I set my goal at 195. Now, once I get there, we’ll see what happens. Maybe I can handle going down to 185 or even 180. But I absolutely refuse to go below 175. That’s my personal preference. The weight charts work for some people and that’s absolutely fine. I don’t happen to be one of those people.

The point of this whole mishegas is this: your weight and your ultimate goal is a highly personal thing and you should be the one to decide what weight you’re comfortable at. If, back in the day, you felt your best at 150 pounds, then that’s what you should aim for. If you were in the best shape of your life at 200 pounds, then that’s what suits you. Your goal weight shouldn’t be dictated by a number on a chart for a large framed woman who stands 5’6″. Your large frame may be entirely different from someone else’s large frame. We’re not gingerbread men; we’re not all cut out the same way. And hey, if you can lose the equivalent of a whole other human being, then that’s cause for celebration in and of itself! Do you and be proud!

Until next time, remember: every day is a chance to hit that reset button…