Good morning!
How did everyone chose their ideal weights? I told them i wanted to be 140 and they said okay.... but now looking at standard weight charts (found on intrenet) I see that a 5'4 woman with large frame can be between 138 - 151...
Should I modify goal weight to 150 - psychologically might be easier to swallow ... what does everyone think? Or perhaps I shouldn't worry about it till I get there?

Lucia,

I chose my goal weight as the weight I was 4 or 5 years ago. I gained my weight very fast, but in childhood and early 20’s was never really big. I was 5’5” and weighed 130 lbs. I realize I may never see 130 again, but when I can wear a pair of jeans in a size 10 or 11, I will be happy. I have a medium frame.

It will be hard for you to gauge if you will be happy at 150 until you get there. Rather than changing your goal weight, why not make it a personal mini goal to reach 150 and re-evaluate your plans from there? I often question my goal weight, but the number isn’t as important as the final result (inches wise)…

Lucia,
Good question. Ideal weight is so different for everyone. I think when we are starting out on the weight loss journey, we may pick a number that has some meaning to us in the past or maybe it was a number that had to do with how much we felt we could spend for the program.

My recommendation is to wait until you get closer to 150 and then see what weight is the best option for you. This will give you a chance to see how you feel, how you look, etc. If you want to tell yourself now that you will be satisfied at 150, go for it. But, I would wait to tell the COD. If you got a program where you paid per week, they are not going to refund you any money. If you got a program that you paid X amount for any amount of weight that you wanted to lose, then I really would wait to evaluate how you feel when you get close to 150. Hope this helps.

week 40
LAWL franchise center
Plan 2 with lites
total lost 50 lbs.

You all make very good points. Okay, will wait until I reach my mini0-goal of 150 before I make a decision!
Thanks

Mine was based on a bunch of stuff, but I basically wanted to get back to where I was before I really started putting on the pounds..

My freshman year in highschool, I weighed about 185.. During the summer between frosh and sophomore years, football workouts dropped me to 175.. By the time I was a senior, I was up to about 190-195... Once I went to college, it was all out the window and the weight surged...

So basically my motivating factor was getting back down to high school weight.

I have had so many "final" weights.... but this time, i want a weight that will be easy to maintain. I think in my past lives, I set my goal weight too low, tot there but couldn't stay there. One example: I weighed 102 on my wedding day...
this time, my goal isn't to be the skinnest person around..it is to be healthy

For me personally, I believe my idea weight should be around 120-25. However, at this point, I would happy to see 150 again! It has been a long, long time since I have been at that weight. I also was nice and thin through college (110) and early twenties (120) and then started putting on the pounds! I am not reaching for the stars -- just being practical. Do what works for YOU!!!

I set my goal at 120. That is what I weighed before the meds and the weight. Doesn't mean that will be my final goal. I am older, I am not as active. I may look fine at a few lbs over that goal, I may need to lose a few more lbs. I would love to be 95lbs like I was in high school BUT I am not a child anymore. I have had a couple of children. I am older. That weight doesn't sound very realistic to me and I have no desire to be built like the child I was. Who knows, what my final weight will be. It is more important to me to be happy with how I look and at the same time being healthy. Also means a great deal to me that the hubby is happy with how I look. He does not like skinny, thin woman. I may end up being at the very top of what I can weigh and still be heathy.

I set my goal focused more on the size I wanted to be then the weight I wanted to be. So while I would've loved to made it into the 140s, I'll take mainitaing at 158 while wearing a size 8. More than anything I think it's about being happy with how you feel in your skin.

I'm now at the weight I was in high school, though I'm 2 sizes smaller. And more importantly, I've beaten my grandmother's flabby arms!

Megan,
Congratulations again on your success. Tell me, though, please what did you do to beat the flabby arms? Any suggestions would be great. I know you worked out and still do like crazy.....

week 40
LAWL franchise center
Plan 2 with lites
total lost 50 lbs.
Motto - My new motto is - I know how this _______ tastes. I have had it before. I will have it again someday, just not today……..

I decided to go to 140 pounds but now I think that may be too much. But I will wait and see when I get there. I just want to feel healthy and skinny to me.

I lost 30# on WW 2 years ago and at that time that weight felt good. This time I set my goal at a size 12. I remember (long, long ago) liking how I looked at that size. For me it really is about how I look in clothes, plus I hope to fell better, less pains my active ect. Our personal goals need to be flexible. If we push too far we set ourselves up for failure.

Actually, Size 12 of many years ago is much smaller than size 12 of today. Just so you know... I was NEVER a size 8, but now I am.

I picked a weight that I had gotten down to on Jenny Craig, 148. I ended up deciding that was not a realistic weight for me. I had starved my butt off (literally) on JC, granted this was like 15 years ago and I think their program might not be so big on crash dieting as they were before. I lost as much muscle as fat, so it was easier to be at a lower weight. I did however really screw myself up by crash dieting. I ended up oh... about 60 pounds heavier. So even though you'd like to see that number on the scale, it is not worth destroying your metabolism to get it. So anyway after contemplating it long and hard (and being basically stalled and working hard for 3 months so I had a lot of time to contemplate) I decided 160 was good enough. So if you lose easily up to 150, as might well be the case, plenty of people do... I would reevaluate then, but if you stall out and try and try and don't see it move before then. That is when I really reevaluated. I lost pretty quickly to 165, and then just struggled mightily.

Barbara, that is really good to know and explains a lot (sizes wise). My sister, who is slender is wearing my clothes from college. She is generally a size 8 - 10, but my clothes from college were size 12 - 14. She fits into them easily. I could never figure out how that could be... Makes me feel better

Perhaps I should be setting my clothing size goal smaller!! Have to wait and see when I get there, I am still a looong ways off. I have to get the scale moving...

Well I am 5' 4 1/2" (not that tall!) and small boned. So.. I think that there is not reason why I cannot be in the low 130's or even into the 120's. I am shooting for 132 now, but will see how things look once I get there.

The good thing is: I am down from a size 14/16 to a size 6. I'd love to be comfortable in a size 4 (not squeezed in!). It's only one more size away, now..