Need to set a realistic Goal - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

DollyLang · 09-28-2008, 10:10 AM

Hi. I started doing WW flex 2 months ago, but I've yet to set my final goal. I looked up what I should weigh for my age (47) and height (4' 10") and it said 106 lbs. Do you think at my age that this is a realistic goal? I weighed 105 when I was 16 (and lied on my first drivers license and said that I was 102 because 105 sounded terrible to me, LOL). I know I have 100 to lose at least. I just wondered what everyone else thinks.

~Dolly

nelie · 09-28-2008, 10:27 AM

My answer would be is you don't know until you get there. I know someone who is 40, 4'11" and weighs 110. It may be realistic for you but you may want to set something near there and get there first. My goal weight is no where near charts say I should be.

purpleorc · 09-28-2008, 10:49 AM

Like yourself I really do not know what target to set myself at the beginning of my weight loss journey so I just took a figure that was somewhere near the top range of someone for my height on the BMI scale.

Though I decided that if I liked the way I was at an heavier weight then so be it. I at the beginning concentrated on losing weight rather than what number I had to get too. If I thought of that I found it too daunting at the start I had something in the region of 130lbs to lose. So I set mini targets and aimed for those I never dared dream of being remotely near my BMI range.

traveling michele · 09-28-2008, 10:50 AM

I don't know where you looked that up?
Are you going to WW meetings? The leaders have a chart with weight ranges for your height. I know that for my height, I could choose anywhere between 120-150 so it is a pretty wide range. You can ask your leader to help you set your goal but they usually don't do it until you've lost your first 10%. It is also usually best to set mini goals (like 5 pounds or 10 pounds) so you don't get overwhelmed. If you aren't attending meetings, perhaps your doctor could help you set a goal. Good luck!

DollyLang · 09-28-2008, 12:07 PM

No, I'm not going to meetings. I wish I were, maybe next year I'll be able to. One of my friends gave me a site that has charts with those kinds of things on it as well as BMI. I'm thinking that I'll just keep going and see where I land.

PhotoChick · 09-28-2008, 02:25 PM

I agree with Nelie - you won't know until you get there.

I have said here before - I started out with a goal of 165 which was less than I weighed when I got married. I quickly realized that was a high goal for me, and lowered it to 145. A few months later, as I continued to lose, I lowered it to 135, and now 130.

I honestly suspect I can go below 130, but for right now it's a good goal for me. Far enough away that I know it will make a change, but not so far that I feel discouraged or frustrated.

I think you should set a weight that you know is realistic and see where you are as you get closer to that.

.

staja · 09-29-2008, 06:50 AM

As a lot of people said, sometimes it is hard to set a goal until you're a lot closer. My goal is 150 right now, because I have no idea what I'll look like at that weight. I may lower it as I get closer, but right now I'm just happy seeing the scale go down. After I hit my 10% goal at WW, I spoke with my leader about setting a goal, and she was the first person to tell me that it may be best to lose more weight before I set the final goal - I was still about 245 pounds at that time! I figure when I feel better and look better, I'll work with not only WW, but my doctor to set a healthy and maintainable goal.

Also, the BMI charts are just guidelines, and don't necessarily take body structure - bones and muscle - into the picture, but the high end of the healthy weight range for your height is 119 pounds.

Best of luck on your journey!

Trazey34 · 09-29-2008, 10:37 AM

I agree with the "wait and see" , as you might look and feel terrific at a higher weight.

for me, i'm supposed to weigh about 145 something like that, and i KNOW i felt and looked great at about 200, but that's still considered wildly overweight, so it's all about health in the long run - if your BP and blood work all say you're OK at certain weight, and you're doing things to reduce your risk of heart disease and cancers, then a bit of extra meat is OK by me. Besides, I'd rather carry an extra 20 pounds and be HAPPY, than be my "on paper" goal weight and be miserable and maintain it for about 6 months and then get fat again!

Sheila53 · 09-29-2008, 11:31 AM

I set my goal at the Weight Watcher's top weight in the weight range for my height and age. I believe it was equivalent to the top "normal" BMI weight, but I'm not positive. As the highest normal BMI at your height is 119 lbs., why don't you shoot for that and then see how you feel? I've been maintaining at 10-12 lbs. below my Weight Watcher goal (also the highest "normal" BMI) for about 18 months now. And if you feel fine at, say, 125 lbs., then hang out there for a while and see how you like it. IMHO, it's all about how you feel at a certain weight and, more importantly, if you can maintain that weight for the rest of your life.