Being new to this site, I never realized how undecided I was on what my goal is in weight loss. Is it a certain weight, a certain measurement, a certain feeling I get when I look in the mirror? Is it more about healthly eating habits and exercise. What about what the doctors say, or other websites? There are alot of decisions to be made.
How did you decide your goals. Have they changed throughout your journey?
My method was to calculate my goal weight based on BMI. Anything 150 lbs and under is healthy for me, so essentially my goal is to reach 149 lbs. In terms of being healthy, the middle weight in the healthy BMI zone is 130 lbs, hence why my ultimate goal is 130 lbs! However, I don't think I'll stress too much about getting down to that weight once I'm in the 140s, purely because at that point I'll finally be healthy!
Measurements are a bit harder to calculate, because there are so many different body types out there and I wouldn't know where to begin looking for the right type of measurement! I would suggest thinking about a sensible goal clothes size and visit the website of a shop that you get clothes from the most and see what their measurements are for your goal size.
My goal weight is kind of like Riestrella's. Once I get below 160 it will be a healthy weight for me....and around 145 would be healthiest....but I think that might be a little low, so I set my goal at 150. If I feel I look good at 160 I will stop. If I feel I look good at 150 I'll stop. If I feel like I could keep going a little bit I'll go to 145. It's really, in my opinion, going to be all about judging how I look and feel when I get there. I don't care what size I get down to...It's all about how I will feel.
I went by BMI as well. When you've been overweight since elementary school, you don't have a previous "happy weight" to look back at. My sister is a healthy weight, but we have somewhat different body types and she's 4 inches shorter than me. So, I dont know if 149 will be my final goal, but it's my target for now.
I had the same problem... I happened to have some medical issues that have required me to go to my doctor more frequently than most. So, I just asked him. He was able to look at my weight at that time, my history, my medical conditions and my build... then he gave me the best size for me. He told me that somewhere between 170-180 would be good. I questioned him because that still makes my BMI over the recommended number. But, he said that he didnt like going by BMI so much because there are other factors that you need to consider beyond height and weight. That sometimes the BMI is a good starting point but that it was many times unrealistic and can cause you to be below the healthy weight for your body type.
So i would recommend talking with your doctor about it. They always seem more than happy to talk about weight loss so it should be an easy thing to ask about. That way you can know for sure the best number for you!
My goal is smack in the middle of the healthy bmi range. It's also the thinnest I've ever been since hitting puberty - I successfully lost a lot of weight before my senior year of high school, and kept it off that year before gaining it back in college. I was really happy at that weight. Anything lower would be too thin for my frame, I think.
Having gone through big weightloss several times in my life, I know which weight I feel my best at and that is easy to maintain. I would suggest going with a number in a healthy BMI range for you and then once you reach it, adjust accordingly since every "body" is unique.
Thank you guys all for this awesome advice. I have looked in to BMI and the ideal weight calculator and it says that I should be between 121-160 lbs but my ideal weight is 137 and halfway in to my healthy BMI range would be 140. I am aroud 153 right now and am nervous that 13 more lbs is not going to make me the right weight but I can't ever see myself at 121. Maybe those last 13 lbs will come from all the places that matter because right now it seems like all my problem spots are staying and everything else is shrinking. Does anyone else know what I mean? Thoughts?
I haven't read over most of the replies, so sorry if I'm repeating...
My original goal was 150. Then 145. Then 140. Then 130....etc down to 125. When I hit 129, I realized "Holy cow, for the first time in my life, I LOVE looking in the mirror!"
Eat at a moderate level that you're comfortable. Eat for the size you want to be. I'm comfortable eating 1200-1400cals/day. I'm not at all starving at that amount, and it's easy for me to maintain. So eating that amount plus very moderate and sustainable exercise made me 125lbs. I didn't go any lower than that, and I maintained that.
Your body will pick what weight it wants to be at.
(Then I started slipping up and regained...but I'm getting back on track!)
I picked a random number (136) because that's the weight I remember briefly being at when I was 19 and I felt really good. As I got closer to my goal, I realized that I was not ready to stop yet. I was still chunkier than I wanted to be, so I lowered it to 132, then 130, then 128. I figure I'll know when I get to my ideal weight and will begin maintaining then.
How do I decide what weight is right for me?
