I actually started this journey differently than most (I think) by deciding how many daily calories I could eat for the long term. I chose 1500. I know there's a goal in my ticker, but that's mostly so I can see the weight already lost. Wherever/whenever the weight loss stops, that's my "goal" weight. I've been doing this for 6 months and it's now a way of life. I don't know where I'll end up and I find that exciting!