Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - What are your goals?

They say for your goals to be effective you need to write them down. You also have to say how you are going to do it and put it in a time frame. Immediate=within 1 month. Short term=within 3 months. Mid term= within 6 months. Long term=within 1 year. Dream=ultimate goal, no time limit. Also, give a reason why so you can look back and remind yourself when you begin to lose motivation. So lets write them down here, make them a sticky and see how people progress...

My goals
Currently: 305lbs
Immediate: get below 300lbs
Short term: below 275lbs (could wear nice clothes, but still was overweight)
Mid term: below 250lbs (saw old pictures and I looked OK still, but could tell I was overweight)
Long term: below 225lbs (back when I looked good enough to attract women)
Dream: 200lbs (I would like to start over and build more upperbody muscle)

My main motivation right now is I am going through a separation that is ultimately looking like it is heading for divorce. I realize I need to lose weight to begin to be attractive to women. Sure I will have a lot to offer in the way of being educated, smart, funny etc. But to initially attract a woman, I think looks matter a lot to most people. I am not saying I have to be perfect, but I definately need to work on my image and health.

In case things work out between my wife and I my secondary goals are to get healthy. I am going to be a chiropractor and the main selling point about me is that I am going to focus on health and wellness. I have always been concerned with health and what I put into my mouth, but I want my family to be healthy and I want to be an example to them and my patients.

I plan on accomplishing these goals by eating well, moving well and thinking well. By eating well I mean focusing on eating lots of fresh, raw fruits and veggies while also taking in plenty of lean protein and essential fatty acids. Moving well is going to include a daily commute to school of 7.5 miles one way and maybe taking a longer way home that will give me plenty of exercise. I also would like to ride socially and recreationally on the weekends to include, but not be limited to centuries, triathalons etc. As far as thinking well, to me that just means giving myself assurances and affirmations that I am attractive, I am losing weight and I am happy. If I end up divorced that will be a devastating blow, but not one I cant recover from and that will ultimately be an improvement on my life. I will get good grades in school and I will be a VERY successful chiropractor. And some lucky woman will get to enjoy that success along with a new and improved self.

My new tertiary goal is to be not only good enough shape to come back into the military, but to be an example of what health and fitness is to the troops like me who were overweight and struggling with their weight/careers.

My main goal is to consistently exercise. Everything else will flow from that. If I am exercising I watch what I eat more, etc. Beyond that I want to steadily lose weight (fat) until I get down to whatever my body needs to be at.

My main goal is to consistently exercise. Everything else will flow from that. If I am exercising I watch what I eat more, etc. Beyond that I want to steadily lose weight (fat) until I get down to whatever my body needs to be at.

That a good way to think about it. Exercise is beneficial for so many other issues than just weight loss. Just getting out and moving will improve brain function and prevent many diseases. If thats your goal, then more power to you. I also have goals of competing in an Iron Man Triathlon

In case things work out between my wife and I my secondary goals are to get healthy. I am going to be a chiropractor and the main selling point about me is that I am going to focus on health and wellness. I have always been concerned with health and what I put into my mouth, but I want my family to be healthy and I want to be an example to them and my patients.


At the risk of speaking out without knowing your situation... :o

I really hope you guys put 100% into this option. Every marriage has hard times. Most have at least one really hard time somewhere along the way. I heard some research the other day about couples on the verge of divorce. The couples that worked through it and stayed together were, on the whole, much happier 5 years down the road than the couples that divorced and even remarried. They also reported having better sex lives ;) :D.

The best of luck with your goals. Perhaps if you and your wife worked on being attractive to one another again (and I'm not just talking physically ;)) that old spark can be found again. After all, you guys got together for some reason and figured it was good enough to make a life time committment to each other. I'll bet it's still there. Just needs a little dusting off.

Ask me how I know this...

PM would be best if you would like to talk :)

Regardless, getting healthier will never hurt you. Go get it!

+1 on saving the marriage if at all possible. (Google Family Life Weekend to Remember - you'd be amazed how much can change in one weekend.)

As for goals, mine are ride more and eat better. If I keep doing that, all else will come.

Not to change the subject, but just to make everything clear...

My wife and I have been married for 7 years in Sept. In that time we have been separated at least 3-4 times and have worked it out just as many times. That does not include the times we were on the verge of separation and tried to work it out again. She has had an affair on me recently, but 90% of the time it has been me that was the problem. So now she is basically done. Unlike every other time though, I think this time will end up in divorce. Of course, that is what we have always said, but this time I think she just has been so turned off to me it is going to drive her to follow through with her thoughts. At this point I dont think there is anything I can do to stop it. Frankly I am tired of the struggle too. I have fought tooth and nail to keep her recently after I found out she was having an affair. I dont know why I did. I should have just let her go, but I did and now I dont have anything left in the tank to fight for her because I am not getting the love and affection I need for her. So lets get back on track. If anyone feels they want to talk to me about it, they can PM me, but lets keep this on track for other people's benefit...

My goal is to complete my tour across country. This will be my first time and I have done a lot of research and quite a bit of training. I'm 25 and hope to have this goal achieved in a couple months from now as I leave in 2 days.

Nice! Ride Forest, ride! Just keep riding...

The tour is completely Gump inspired. ha ha.

I have thought about it myself at some point. First, let me buy a bike and make it to work in one piece...

BTW, my dad rode his bike across europe when he was 12 or 13 from Switzerland...

My goals this year are:
To complete an Imperial Century (done).
Ride 4,000 miles this year (In progress).
Surpass 10,000 miles overall (Expected this Fall)
Keep all body parts off the pavement.
Avoid vehicles.
Have fun!

Good luck with your goals mazama

175lbs and completing RAAM'09!

2 short term goals:

100 miles on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June, on the 14th
Optimist Sprint triathlon, June 28th

Longer term. Triple Century this Summer.

2 short term goals:

100 miles on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June, on the 14th
Optimist Sprint triathlon, June 28th

Longer term. Triple Century this Summer.

Triple century?! Nice. I thought about riding my bike to OKC from Dallas someday as an accomplishment, but I figured the only way I would be able to do that is on I35 and I doubt that is allowed...

I'll look at some routing ideas for you. ;) I might be able to come up with something. :D

Longer term. Triple Century this Summer.

Goodness, gracious. I thought the triathlon was lofty. This exceeds common sense ;)

My goals take money!:D Being able to pull a hundy out of my ear at the drop of a dime has been the only obstacle to completing my goals. Sure I can do it if I want to sweat it but it aint that important I guess. Usually the rides I want to complete takes new tires, supplies, maybe a hotel room, lots of gas and a big registration fee. Tough when you have parents, kids, grandchildren, birthdays year round, etc.

So for now it's to continue riding with the wife till she decides she's had enough. Then it's back to some hard training and some big rides. Maybe after riding for 12 years and doing several organized rides, having to do one at the present time just doesn't mean that much.

With the big rides comes the hard training, so I can't set fitness goals at the moment!:D

I've always wanted to ride cross-country. Realistically, I'm not sure that is in the cards until/unless I retire.
So, here's my new goal: To ride the entire shoreline around the Michigan "Mitten," starting on Lake Erie north of Toledo, up through and around Detroit, along Lake St. Clair and up the St. Clair River to Port Huron, on up the shoreline through and around the "Thumb," around the "Tip of the Mitt" and back down along the lake Michigan shoreline to the Indiana border.
Figure that is about 1,000 miles? Maybe longer. Certainly is doable over a summer's riding season, even if broken into segments by just weekend and vacation riding.
Suppose I could even add the Upper Peninsula, too. Making it a 2,000 mile trip. Unique. Fun. Challenging. Might even find other willing to go with me and plan.
Aren't dreams and goals great?

No big goals now, other than to ride as much as possible, take a tour this summer, and ride at least one century somewhere.

My life goals include hiking at least one state on the Pacific Crest Trail, riding across the country, riding the Lewis and Clark route, riding the Underground Railroad route, riding through Europe, and touring New Zealand. But those won't be possible until I retire, and I can't retire until I'm at least 65, and that's 8 years away.

Oh, another goal is to tour with my wife, but she won't be free for something like that for a few years. Another goal is to tour with either or both of my kids, but they don't want to. Maybe someday. They've come around on other things.

They say for your goals to be effective you need to write them down. You also have to say how you are going to do it and put it in a time frame. <<snip>> So lets write them down here...


Okay, so I think one main point is to make the goals SPECIFIC, not just "I want to do better at XXXXX."
So here I go:

Increase my weekly mileage by 5% per week. Right now I am only doing about 25-30 a week but my semester ended and now that summer break is here I will have much more time to ride. I want to get up to at least 200 miles a month.

Ride a 16 mile charity event next weekend (May 17th) without dying--or wishing I were dead!
Ride another charity ride in late June that will be 30+ miles. Again, without dying or wishing I were dead.
(For both of these, the wife and I are already signed up and paid! Now we gotta to do it.)
Ride one charity ride a month after June--at least 20-25 miles each.

Ride my age in miles (45) before my birthday in August.

Do a multi day mini-tour of 100 miles or less before the end of the year.

Do a metric century before the end of the year.

Do everything I can to help the wife increase here riding. IF she would take her bike with her to work there is plenty of good riding territory around there.

Now I just need someone to hold my feet to the fire...