Goals

One of the first things Dr. Phil advocates is specific, measurable goals. Just saying "I want to lose weight" or "I need to cut down" or "I should exercise more" are too general and vague.

Looking at his height/weight charts, I figure I need to lose 114 lbs. I may decide I need to lose more when I get there – in my teens the weight I am targeting is one I would have considered too high, but it's 30 years and 3 kids later. I'll have to see what that weight is like when I get there. I am a little shy just now about saying specifically what I weigh and what weight I want to get to: that may change.

So, goal #1: Lose 114 lbs.

Goal #2: Use exercise video 3 times a week. I am sure at first I won't be able to do the whole thing, but I'll work up to it. At some point I would like to add walking in the mall to the in-between days (the mall because it is climate-controlled and I know where the bathrooms are. :) )

Exercise is tricky because of the TM: I can't run and don’t have the coordination to do many aerobics videos and my knees could not keep up with a low-impact stepping video. But I can walk and I have done this particular video called "Wimp Aerobics" in the past. For those who are familiar with Linda Haught, she has done a lot of exercise videos to classical music. This one isn't professionally done as her others are, but it is does provide a good workout.

Dr. Phil also says to establish a timeline. I understand the reasoning: if you don't have a time set to accomplish something, it may float around on the fringes forever. But to me that seems to be a set-up for discouragement if you don't reach those goals. We have all heard about "plateaus" where nothing seems to be happening.

Nevertheless, if I multiply 114 lbs. by the two-pound-a-week recommendation for weight loss, it comes out to 57 weeks. So I could possibly be there in about a year. That's encouraging.

I had a friend who used to lament that it would take about a year to accomplish the weight loss and health goals she had. I wish I knew then what I read once in Dear Abby in response to someone 's concern over the year it would take to meet their goals: Where will you be in a year if you don't do this? You'll be at the same place or maybe worse.