When I started this new LC "lifestyle" last August, I set a mid-range goal of losing 80 pounds by the end of March, when I am chairing a national conference and have to talk in front of 350 colleagues.

Frankly, I'd rather have my tongue fried than talk in front of 350 colleagues, but that's another story.

So I diligently entered my goal into Fitday, and set about logging weights and meals and tracking every last carb.

Until my holiday mind melt, which suddenly has Fitday telling me that instead of losing 2.2 pounds per week to reach that goal, I now have to lose 4.5 pounds a week. And we all know that isn't going to happen. Some folks go on Kimkins and lose that much but my stint on Kimkins--basically very low carb plus calorie-counting--never netted me more than 2.5 pounds a week.

So now I feel all discouraged and irritated with myself for setting a goal in the first place. Maybe the thing to do is set a general goal like "stay on my plan" or "feel better."

New Orleans fitness guru Mackie Shilstone did a radio show last week on goal-setting. His take is that you shouldn't even set intermediate goals. Set your goal as your ideal weight and stay focused on that.

Maybe it's not the goal-setting that is the problem. Maybe it's attaching a TIMETABLE to the goal.