How did you choose your goal weight?
 

Did you lose til you were comfortable? Choose based on the BMI chart? Pick a weight at which you were formerly comfortable? Something else?

Just curious how you're all doing it :) I've never been thin in my life, so I feel like my goal is completely unknown territory.

Here's a C&P in blue of my reply from a similar post last week. infoplease also had a series of great replies as well (also C&Pd in green):
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...phase-2-a.html

So - I am an Electrical Engineer - I love math - and I did put some thought into finding a good number of my goal weight. My coach does a body composition reading every week with my weight and measurements. So I used my initial lean body mass and a 20% body fat percentage to set my goal weight. Now, this won't be my final percentage - as you naturally lose some lean mass as you drop weight - but I figured why not. BTW - I started at 46% and am on track to end at ~25%. I do hope to transform that percentage a little more into maintenance as I incorporate more high intensity exercise into my routine.

Body Fat Percentage Categories: Women (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12%
Athletes 14-20%
Fitness 21-24%
Acceptable 25-31%
Obese 32%+

Example:
I was a 214 lb woman with 46% body fat, and my goal weight was set to have a 20% body fat at my initial lean weight. So to find my initial lean weight:
Initial Fat lb = Initial Total lb * Current BF% : 214 lb x 0.46 body fat % = 98 lb body fat
Initial Lean lb = Initial Total lb - Initial Fat lb : 214 lb - 98 lb fat = 116 lb lean body mass (muscles, bones, organs, blood, water, etc.)

A bit of algebra to find our new goal weight 'total':
Formula 1: fat = total * BF%
Formula 2: lean = total - fat
Solving for 'total' based on initial lean & desired BF%:
lean = total - (total*BF%)....lean = total*(1-BF%)....
Total = (Initial Lean lb) / (1 - Desired BF%)

Goal Weight based on Initial Lean lb = 116 lb and Desired BF% = 20%
Goal Weight = 116lb / (1 - 0.2) = 145 lb



A typical dieter on IP loses 1lb of LM for every 3lbs of FM (every 4 lbs you lose, includes 1lb of LM loss). So, if you lose typically, if we were to check at 80 lbs lost (20 lbs LM loss and 60lbs FM loss) and a scale weight of 195, you would likely have 125.75 lbs of lean mass at this point. Then, your 20% body fat goal equates to 157 lbs on the scale. Your currently listed goal of 175 at that point would equate to 28% body fat, assuming your lean mass follows a typical trajectory.

Of course, we don't lose in that perfect graph.

I think it is very hard to figure out when is the right time to stop, when everything out there is a range (ideal weight range, ideal body fat range).

I want to apply your theory looking back.
My original body fat was 44.5%, with LM of 107.89.
So my calculated 23% (normal body fat range for women 40-59 is 23 to 33.9%) target weight would be 140.12.
Closest actual is 139.8 lbs with 29.15% body fat.
So this way of calculating the target puts things into a healthy range, even if a bit off for the final outcome.
Really cool!

I did start to phase off at 135.6 (five pound below a 140 goal), but changed my mind. I thought my "panic weight" should be lower than 145 lbs, so I kept going. Plus, I thought my legs still didn't look thin enough. And considering that maintenance will mean remaining vigilant, I figured I might as well go lower.

I think goal setting is really hard because I don't "just know" and it is really hard not to think in terms of scale weight and equally hard not to think that lower body fat percent is better (no matter what the internet says). Plus, there is something seductive about those sizes below 6 and those numbers in the 1 teens (even the high 1 teens are fine), places that have always meant successful weight loss in the past, I guess.

That is so awesome! Thank you! I absolutely love playing with numbers like this, and I was really curious about how weight loss would affect my rather high lean body mass. I'm off to calculate!

I like #s too and I chose a 10 (a size 10 that is)...finally I got to an 8 yet wasn't at my "ideal" weight (I was at 160 and wanted to be at 155)...BUT since I was at an 8 I was happy and called P1 quits!!! :)

And my like for numbers is obviously less sophisticated that LizRR!!! LOL!!! ;)

(#s make my head spin) :)

I was much less scientific - I know what I weighed the last time I was any kind of "in shape" so I aimed for a little higher than that - with the idea in mind that I will see where I'm at as I get closer to that weight, and adjust my goal weight accordingly.

i just picked 199....because i thought it might be WONDERFUL to feel what ONEDERLAND felt like as an adult...a number i have not seen on the scales since i was a sr in high school!!

my first major goal was to get rid of that 3...and when i started i was so skeptical and unsettled that it COULD happen for me...even though i have watched others achieve it...somehow i felt like for me...it might never be...but now i am starting to believe...it might be possible.

will i ever see a 1 in the front?? one can dream!!

You will!!!

:hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:

Like rainbow-I picked 199 as my first goal not believing that it would happen. I am 5lbs from that now. Just went for my annual and my doctor was blown away with my weight loss and she wants me to take off another 25-30lbs so she can completely take me off my blood pressure medicine! I decided to get to 160 because I want to be close to what I weighed when I got married and I want to set the bar higher than the last time because I now know I can make it.

I chose based on the BMI index. I'm so overweight that I needed to loose 148 pds to get to a "healthy" BMI. I'm 22pds closer to that goal. I'm 61. at 21 I weighed 107 pds.so of course dream of that, but set at 131 BMI weight as a reachable weight for me.

I chose my goal as part BMI and part a weight I remember being comfortable at. I've not been that weight in years, so it's all still a bit foreign. When I get closer to my goal, I'm going to reevaluate based on how I look and feel.

For me my first goal is to lose 100lbs. I too have never known what it's like to be thin. In grade 7 I was already wearing a size 18!!!!
When I get to my 100lb goal I'll be 175lbs and will reevaluate where my FINAL weight will be.

I used LizRR's calculation the other night and it brought me to 182lbs. I have a high lean muscle mass (145lbs) So I'm thinking I may be super happy and content at 175! Anythings possible!

:):):):):):):):):)

My goal is to be at 24 BMI. That will be about 130 -134 lbs.

I looked at BMI, but just couldn't bring myself to put 175. LOL so I put 180. then again if I put 175 I truly will live up to my sign on name "half again". So nothing too technical. At 180 I will still be "overweight" according to the BMI charts, but I'll have a lot of loose skin that will need dealt with at that point too which should be more than 10 pounds. If I'm going "all the way" then I'm going under 200. I'm just not exactly sure where that under 200 mark really is.

I talked to my doctor today about some other things going on. I brought up the IP diet and told him my story. He was supportive, took some extra lab work tests from me to make sure all was well, and didn't bat an eye at my 180 goal. I suppose he might have more thoughts when I'm closer to that number. Anyway I'm full steam ahead.

[QUOTE=Halfagain;4429557]I looked at BMI, but just couldn't bring myself to put 175. LOL so I put 180. then again if I put 175 I truly will live up to my sign on name "half again". So nothing too technical. At 180 I will still be "overweight" according to the BMI charts, but I'll have a lot of loose skin that will need dealt with at that point too which should be more than 10 pounds. If I'm going "all the way" then I'm going under 200. I'm just not exactly sure where that under 200 mark really is.

You make an excellent point. I think sometimes you just need to adjust as you go. That is what I Am doing.