Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

[gonnabskinny]

Is there such a thing as Post Goal Blues? After you have reached this huge milestone, do you actually have a little bit of a let down when the scale doesn't continue to move downwards as it had for so long? I don't know what I was expecting! I guess I just thought, what a happy day it would be after I made my goal. Maybe, I am just out of sorts today. I should feel great to see the scale staying stable, so I guess I just need to get my mindset adjusted to the "real goal", which is keeping it off, hence why this stage is called "maintenance".

[Katlambert]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

I know exactly what you mean. When I reached goal, I felt a bit let down as well. It was as though I'd been working towards something for such a long time and all of the sudden I was there and had a sort of "now what" feeling. The feeling does pass...coming up with a new goal is always fun too - possibly working on a specific area of your body or maybe a goal that isn't even "body" related.

By the way, amazing, amazing transformation. You look absolutely great! Is it fair for me to assume that you are a pilot? I'd love to hear about how you did it while traveling frequently and even being stuck up in the air for long periods of time.

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

hey don...YES! there was such a thing for me....especially since "goal" for me coincided with me wedding! weightloss goal, beautiful beach wedding, heavenly trip to rome.....then back to REALITY. the HARD part is the maintenance...you are so right. so hard that i have been unable to get down past 150 to my NEW goal of 140-145.....it has also seemed hard to stay motivated.....

we give ourselves atta-girls for the loss but not for staying true to ourselves...as joy says, honoring ourselves...so i guess we need to celebrate that every day.

it will get better. i am a little "OCD" so setting new and different goals has seemed to help.

[not2late]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

I'm still in Pre-Maintenance with one toe in Maintenance. Lemme tell ya....Looking at the numbers is fine, but making sure the numbers stay that way is another thing.

A couple "bites" too much of one thing and I gain alittle poundage. So it's going to be an interesting ride to say the least, but I figure it will keep me honest. I don't want to be the fat person I was-----and I certainly do not want to go through the hassle of losing weight all over again!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

Hi, Don

Just about every single goalee I have spoken to has experienced this. I felt it at first, then had a few mishaps, that kept me busy again.

I reached goal on 11/11... then came Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then 3 or 4 subsequent nut orgies (both of those holidays were a problem because of nuts - no illegal foods). Each of these incidences lasted about a week, and I had to repair the damage, so it was back to OWL mode.

Then, I decided to lose 5 more pounds, to have a safety zone, because I find it hard to stay exactly on my goal number. So, that has kept me busy. But, I'm there now...

We have just been in weight loss mode for so long, that it's hard to wrap our brains around not anticipating the scale moving downward... it's just a foreign concept. I do continue to put every bite I eat into Fitday, and track everything. I think I always will... it was never a chore to me, and lets me feel more in control and on top of things. Also, now that I'm at goal, I KNOW that I have room for improvement with regard to toning. I really slacked off on exercise after Thanksgiving, and didn't get back into the groove until about 10 days ago. So, that is occupying my mind and body. Also, I just might try to drop a few more pounds. I know that I will always have lose skin... and at my age, that's cool with me, I can live with it. But what's on my tummy now is not just lose skin... there's some fat marbled in there. And you can't spot reduce/exercise that away... I've got to "lose" the weight/poundage. I don't want my face to get too skinny, though... that would make me look older. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on all my parts, and call it quits if my face looks gaunt before I get the tummy off.

I keep finding projects... I'll probably eventually get that let done feeling again, though, because in a way I have been just postponing Maintenance.

This Maintenance thing is a whole different ball game, isn't it?

[ValidRouge]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

YES! And, I still feel that way. It's hard to accept that we don't get the little "reward" from the scale with a loss. And, I fluctuate ALL THE TIME. Maintenance is a lot harder than the losing. BUT SO SO SO WORTH IT. There is NOTHING that is going to make me want to give it up. As some of the others have said...it's time to find another project. Fitness, strength, toning...marathon, triathlon, graduate school....whatever it is for YOU.

I started my Master's degree, Outback Jess went back to school too. That was kind of scary because I had to look outside of "weight loss" as a focus. But I'm gradually learning it's okay, but it's scary still.

[gonnabskinny]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

Thanks Kathy! No, not a pilot, I just play one on TV! LOL Actually that pic was from a murder mystery, where I was the captain. I am definately in that "Now What" stage. Good advice about setting a new goal. Now, I just have to figure out what it is going to be.

Misplaced Southerner, I too worry about motivation. I just need to figure it out. My motivation wasn't merely to lose weight, it was to lose it and keep it off. I have only just done the first leg of the journey. The work still lies ahead and I guess that is what is scary. BTW, what part of SoCal are you in? I grew up in Orange County.

Megs, you wrote "I don't want to be the fat person I was-----and I certainly do not want to go through the hassle of losing weight all over again!" That is so true! Now that I'm there, I can never go back! Also, I never want it to be said of me, what has been said about others, "I knew somebody who did Atkins once, and then they stopped and put all the weight back on." I am bound and determined that I am NOT GOING TO BE THAT PERSON! It isn't fair to me, nor is it fair to all the other people that see me as an example. If I fail to do this, then I will fail others as well. All those things should be enough to keep me motivated.

Mitzi, Induction was easy, wasn't it? LOL OWL got harder but was really enjoyable, and maintenance as you said "is definately a whole different ballgame". It's scary because it's a ballgame that goes into extra innings and never really ends!!!

Joy, it is good to know that this is normal. Now to find that new project! I still have that triathalon in the back of my mind. Maybe it is time to test out these old knees with some running. I can do the other two just fine! I guess we'll see!

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

don, i have NO DOUBT that you will REMAIN a successful atkineer. i worried when i hit my first goal (i call it my first since i really want to lose 10 more) that if i regained the weight, i would truly disappoint not only myself but friends who looked to me as a role model in this way of life. i refuse to live that old me again. i think you are right in that the REAL work lies ahead. i myself am like a little kid who gets the sticker for a job well done...when the scale or the tape measure showed progress, that was my reward. now that i am hovering at the same weight....the reward is different. but like i said, i just choose new and different goals...it helps.

i am from NC....i MISS home! a true blue carolina tarheel...GO HEELS!!! but i now live in the high desert...(BLAH!) of CA. we go to the OC all the time. we LOVE to play at huntington beach!! my son and i both learned how to surf there. (took me to the age of 40 to get that chance....i grew up a a body surfer on the east coast). my son is in school in san diego but hopes to transfer to cal state fullerton in the fall....yeah!!! more fun at the beach!

[gonnabskinny]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

Ah, the danger of living by the beach! I grew up on a surfboard and Huntington Beach was my hangout! I once shot the pier there, but it was completely by accident. I was too close when I caught the wave and had no choice. My mom and brother and his family live in Fountain Valley and my other brother lives in Rancho Santa Margarite.

My dad was a Tarheel as well and was from Elizabeth City, NC. I'm the reverse. I am now a misplaced California boy, living in the south, but love it here in Dallas. Though I have to admit, the surfings not too good here! LOL

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

don!!! you are NOT going to believe this!!! i am from elizabeth city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! born and raised there til i went to UNC-CH!!!!

being a southerner by blood accounts for your good looks of course! ha ha!!

man is it a small world! sheesh....hope you have not heard any tales of my clan.....i bet they are not too flattering! (i am SURE there is a pirate in my past somewhere!!!)

i spent most of my childhood in the atlantic ocean...i don't think i could EVER live more than a day's drive from the ocean....i feel claustrophobic...my hubby and i dream of moving out of CA but we must be in a semi coastal area. the ocean is therapy for me. must be part fish or something. i have millions of memories of being in/at the ocean. when i got up on a surfboard for the first time (at 40 something) it was one of the biggest thrills of my life...silly i know but it was the closest thing to flying i have ever experienced....so.....wonder if "my people" know "your people".

[gonnabskinny]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

That is unreal. It really is a small world. Our last name is Dail, and I know that it is a very prominent name in that area, so they may know some of my relatives. Wouldn't that be too funny!

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

hhhmmm....inquiring minds! i will have to investigate this! my father's family name is "bagley". my mom's family is from upstate NY so there would be no connection there. we were NOT prominent but my mom worked in the school system for 17 years and knew everyone in the world. best not dig too far into my relations...like i said, you will probably find pirates or bootleggers.....YIKES! all in all i turned out ok!

[jimmie 48]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

in a word, for me, YES.

[quotidianlight]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

I was listening to a pod cast by jimmie moore where he talks about making putting the focus on health and "thinking like a thin person" rather than weightloss to prevent post weight loss blues. He went to far as to say the blues made maintanence harder and was a reason for a lot of people regaining. It was really good. I just hope I can avoid it too bad. I have a long way to go till maintenance but time does fly.

Here is the link

[gonnabskinny]

Re: Post Goal Blues! Is there such a thing?

Thanks for the link. I will check it out when I get home tonight.