Working out the percentages
 

When people give themselves 10% targets, is that 10% of start weight or 10% of the total amount to be lost?
And are the second and subsequent 10%s 10% of start weight, or 10% of the new weight, i.e. startweight minus 10%, then minus that 10% and so on?
Just curious.

Because it's a l-o-n-g Sunday afternoon, there's nothing on tv and my phone friends all seem to be out, I'm sitting here planning some targets:

Startweight 242

October 2004 weight 136

1 stone lost 14lbs = 228 Lost this in 2002, didn't quite get back to here.
2009 startweight = 225 Silly old fool. How could you?
Get to 16 stone = 224 ACHIEVED 01/29/08
10% lost 24lbs = 218 ACHIEVED 02/08/09
Move from morbidly to severely obese = 216 ACHIEVED 02/13/09
2 stone lost 28lbs = 214 ACHIEVED 02/14/09
Get to 15 stone = 210 ACHIEVED 02/25/09
3 stone lost 42lbs = 200
Easter target = 199
10% to lose 22lbs = 196
Get to 14 stone = 196
Move from severely to just obese = 191
4 stone lost 56lbs = 186
Get to 13 stone = 182
Spain target = 179
10% to lose 20lbs = 176
Move from obese to overweight = 176
5 stone lost 70lbs = 172
Get to 12 stone = 168
MEDIUM GOAL = 168 was my last recorded weight on 12/30/04. In October 2004 I'd got to 136 (106lbs lost). I was so depressed when I went back up to 168 that I just let go and kablammo! here I am. It will be good to reclaim this.
Get to 11 stone = 154
10% to lose 18lbs = 158 this 10% to lose 16lbs = 142
Move from overweight to normal = 141
Get to 10 stone = 140
05% to lose 7lbs = 135 Goal. Unless I aim for my original of 120 but 135 would be good.

Secret desire goals
Get to 9 stone = 126
Get to half original body weight = 121

Wondering if I should goals
Get to 8 stone = 112

I think you can do it however you want to. I've gotten the impression that it is generally 10% of your starting weight, that's what I do, anyway. However, it can be discouraging if you're really heavy and 10% is 30 pounds or so. I've lost 70 pounds so far, and that's only 25%.

I've seen people do it all kinds of ways. Mine is going on the theory that if you lose 10% of your weight improves your health drastically. So I'm planning on losing 10% of my total body weight. Then 10% of my new total body weight. And so on, until I get to a weight I'm happy with.

I have seen people break it down though, say they wanted to lose 120 pounds, so they break it up into 10% amounts - 12 pounds 10 times.

It's however you want to do it. The point is to make a large and difficult number seem smaller and easier to obtain so you don't get as frustrated waiting for the results.

It's funny. I was thinking about this very question this morning when I logged (in anticipation of having the 20 days/20 posts requirement met soon!). Ten percent is daunting when you're over 300# ... but I think that my plan will be to integrate two sets of goals (somewhat like you appear to have done, Ailidh, using 10% of my current body weight (as sugggested by Gretchy) and significant "wow" goals (under 300#, under 200#, pre-pregnancy weights, etc) in combination).*

I wonder if I got all my parentheses closed. Ha ha!