Warning! Loooooooonnnnnnnggggg post ahead.
What is a SMART goal, you ask? A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible. (This is from Paul J. Meyer's Attitude is Everything, by the way. )
What you need to know about me for this post: I am a mostly healthy eater... I don't eat fried foods or fast foods. I drink water and green tea (soda/cola and coffee are rarities). Sweets are rationed out carefully. I'm not a carb freak (as in I don't over- or under-indulge)-- I like whole grains. Food is NOT my downfall.
So, some of you might have read somewhere that I gained 20 lbs (9 kg) in one year after being misdiagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. (Gee, I'm depressed? Wow. I didn't know that. I must be miserable then!). Actually, I wasn't any of that. I had huge polyps in my sinuses that caused chronic headaches and migraines, plus severe fatigue. After firing one doctor and meeting up with another who actually TALKED and LISTENED to me... we got that all straightened out. But, the weight damage had already started. I gained almost 10 lbs while on the antidepressants, and then another 10 lbs while on steroids to shrink the polyps. Gah! My weight had been pretty stable for the past 10 years, and I was in fairly good shape. Now... not so much.
In the last six months (since the sinus surgery), I have lost 10 lbs (4.5 kg). Most of that was from getting off the steroids. But these last 10 lbs are a real bummer to lose. I keep saying, "I need to lose weight. I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to exercise more." Nothing is wrong with that, except that there is no specificity, and it's not really measurable (since I didn't say how MUCH I was going to lose by WHEN). And that's why it's been so difficult.
So, dear blog chums, I'm posting it here and now. This is my new set of SMART goals:
1. I will lose five lbs. (2.25 kg) by December 31 (yes, even around the holidays).
2. At the very least, I will exercise twice a week for 30 minutes each session (I know that seems like a lame amount, but that's a bare minimum!).
3. I will have lost 10 lbs total by February 1.
For most people, losing 5 lbs can happen overnight. Or... they can gain 5 lbs and never even notice. I'm 5'3" and tiny. When I gain 5 lbs, my pants don't fit. Now pack 20 lbs on me... I had to go buy new clothes. Talk about depressing! Oh, wait. I'm not depressed. Strike that. haha
Guru used accountability in his blog... hopefully, this will work for me. Since my normal diet is pretty good, this shouldn't be too difficult, right?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I like these goals. Very attainable! I screwed up my body with years of anorexia, so it is really, really hard to lose weight. I, too, gained some weight last year because of my anxiety. Similar expy: my idiot dr. diagnosed me as bipolar. I knew I wasn't, but thought what anyone would - that the dr. knew what he was talking about. He didn't. I was on enough medication to down a horse and I finally realized it was stupid. I DON'T have anything further than some black periods and panic attacks.
I'm rambling, but there are so many good things about this post. I'm with you - I've lost 13.4 of them and I'm going to take off some more. I'll be your cheerleader if you're mine!
You got a deal, jurgen! 13.4 is awesome!
I wasn't anorexic, but I did do a lot of yo-yo dieting during my late teens and early 20s. I went on stupid diets where I would eat less than 600 calories a day. My metabolism is so screwed up... I think it's somewhere around tree sloth status about now.
What's up with idiot doctors? Between the two of us, we could write a book on what NOT to do.
Hi, You visit my kids' blogs and I thought I'd look you up. Hang in there, slow & steady. Since the end of January this year I have lost 29kg. I think exercise as well as healthy diet covering all food groups is the way to go. Some days I only walk 15 minutes, some days for an hour. Twice a week I do water aerobics. Exercise doesn't come easily or naturally to me. It is a choice every day. Only I can make the choice. I think Luke will be pleased to know you found his accountability thought a good one. My accountability is Weight Watchers. All the best reaching your goal of 10lbs. Diane.
Thanks, Diane, for the encouragement. It sounds like you were very successful!
weight loss diet How many calories do I need each and every day? Learn more. Please visit weight loss diet
weight loss diet How many calories do I need a day? Learn more. Please visit weight loss diet
Post a Comment