Target Weight

I just caused contention. For those of you who know me, I'm sure you are shocked!

Let me set the scene: A woman is trying to lose 10 pounds to get to her target weight. Her mother-in-law tells her that if she (the mother-in-law) could eat whatever she wished and only be 10 pounds above her target weight, she wouldn't bother dieting. Can you picture what's going on?

In my, perhaps sarcastic, opinion, the mother-in-law's target weight then isn't the minus-10-pounds. Her target weight is then ten pounds higher than what she is saying. I meant no harm. Just playful teasing. The daughter-in-law did NOT take it that way.

Whatever. I don't even really know the daughter-in-law and I'm now fairly sure we were not meant to be friends. But this did cause me to think.

What is my target weight? Why is it my target weight? Is it something I really think I can accomplish or is it just that misty, far-off number that sounds good?

In this scenario, I think for the mother-in-law, it is the latter. She doesn't REALLY want to be at that target weight or else 10 pounds above would never been good enough.

I'm about 10 pounds away from my wedding day weight. (okay, as of today's weigh-in, I'm 14 pounds away, but 10 sounds better with the story I'm working here.) That isn't good enough for me. I want to be that wedding day weight. Actually, I want to be 15 pounds less than my wedding day weight. I'm working for it. I'm fighting for it. As soon as I reach a point where I say, "Hey, scale, that number sounds good enough!" I've set a new target.

I can't give myself any slack. I can't say, "I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight. That's a sweet place to be." Once I do, I'm stuck. Instead I have to say, "Whew! Made it to pre-pregnancy! Check one off the list. What's next?"

I have to keep moving forward. I have to keep challenging myself. As soon as I become blaze, my target weight will change.

If you take your eye off of your goal, it is very easy for that goal to change.