Howdy Friends!
I am so glad to find you all here..thank you. I am going to try this weight loss thing...AGAIN! Been through weight watchers a few times, its great, but I cannot pay all that money and keep going to meetings. But I have determined that the accountability I get and the support I get from WW is what works. And I think I will find those here!

I am 55, happily married, work full time in a job I love! I weigh 183 and would love to get to 165. At 5'6", I think that is a reasonable goal. But..that brings me to my first question..how to set goals? I got my new issue of one of the exercise mags and the cover chick is the same height as me, but weighs 117!!! And she looks great, not starved! So..should i shoot for something lower than 165? LOL, how do I do this?

Any help would be appreciated!!!
Kalliope

you have to set your own goals, maybe shoot for 165 and if that's not small enough for you make a new goal..... im the same height as you and my goal is 145 but who knows once i reach it, i just might want to be 135 but no lower than that.... good luck to you happy dieting

I set mini goals for myself. When you get to your first goal see how you feel. If you are happy with yourself then stay that weight. If you feel comfortable losing more then set another mini goal, and so on.

Welcome to 3FC!

Just for your info, 117 is lower than "normal" for your height, and you should take your age into consultation when you pick a goal weight. I believe 154 is top for your height but maybe some of these lovlies here from the US can confirm standards for you.

Sometimes too, a goal weight can be truly where you are comfortable in body, mind and spirit. That could be 165 for you but you really don't have to decide that right now :-)

wow, lots of good information already! Thank you so much. Where do you all find reliable info on setting long term goals?

A mini goal...what a great idea. So, maybe look to lose ten pounds? Is that reasonable, ya think? Ten pounds is way more manageable then a zillion!!!

~kalliope

Hi Kalliope, welcome! I am going by the Body Mass Index chart. It's not perfect, but it's recommended by many doctors to set general goals. There is a BMI calculator and scale (off to the left side) at this Department of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health site:http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/. Good luck!

I COMPLETELY HEAR YOU!! I'm new here too!
I can't pay to go to the WW meetings or buy expensive pre-prepared meals.
We can do it by just setting our mind to it and committing!
Best of luck to you I look forward to reaching our goals together!

Have you found the WW threads here? If you like the plan, maybe the support you get here will be almost as good as going to the meetings.