Whether you’re just considering starting a weight loss journey, or you’ve been pursuing your goal for a while now, chances are, you’ve got some goals in mind, and some milestones you want to reach to help you mark your progress. Most of them tend to be built around pounds and inches, and while that can be helpful and encouraging, there are other things you can consider too! Here are 7 of my weight loss milestones…
Once you’ve started your weight loss journey, the first big milestones is your initial weigh in. it’s a benchmark, a baseline, something you’ll use to see how far you’ve come! Bear in mind this is a starting point, and be honest with the number.
During your first week, you’ll hit another weight loss milestone: your first “I did it myself!” moment! Whether it’s making it through the first tough workout, or preparing a home-made healthful meal, take pride in this set of “firsts.”
After a couple of weeks, or maybe a month or two, you’ll likely hit your next milestone, the one I like to call Wardrobe Malfunction. This is when you notice that your clothes are just too big… are they growing somehow? Nope. You’re shrinking… and now your pants are too big. Your skirts are too big. Your SHOES are too big! And you need to add a new hole to your belt… hooray!
Pretty soon after your Wardrobe Malfunction milestone, you’ll hit another very major one: someone will notice you’re losing weight! It doesn’t take long for this awkward compliment, but it does mean a lot. Someone will say something like, “You look fantastic!” then they’ll pause and add, “Have you lost weight?” It’s sort of back-handed in a way, but it’s still marvelous to say YES!
Photo Credit: beerbellyblog.com
While this may not seem like a very GOOD milestone, it’s still good to know about it in advance, and to recognize it for what it is. At some point in your weight loss journey, you are likely to plateau. That means your weight loss will slow down dramatically, and the numbers will stop falling. You’re not doing anything wrong… your body is just adjusting. Don’t give up! Keep going! You’ll move beyond this weight loss milestone (that’s really what it is) and get back on track again soon.
Once you’ve passed the plateau milestone, you might notice the pounds shedding again. You’re feeling more energetic. You’re getting compliments all the time now. The workout that used to kick your ass is actually… okay now. You’re in the high gear mode, another rewarding weight loss milestone!
Look back at that first weight loss milestone, the weigh in. Look at that number, and see how close you are to your goal… it’s so close now! You’re within ten or fifteen or twenty pounds, and it’s so close you can feel it… this is such an important milestone too… you’re nearing the finish line! Look how far you’ve come!
So you see, sometimes the scale or tape measure don’t give you all of the milestones you’ll reach in your weight loss journey… some of them are a little less tangible (like these) but just as rewarding to reach! I mean, doesn’t it just make your day when your belt doesn’t fit anymore? If you’re on a weight loss journey now, how do you mark your success? Can you share some of your weight loss milestones?
Top Photo Credit: United Way Ballarat