In deciding your goals, how or what did you choose to do? Was it a percentage of weight loss per month, a certain amount each month, or to fit into something you haven't in a long time. I'm just curious to what seems to work best for you and help give me some ideas of setting goals. I do believe mini goals are probably more attainable. You information is greatly appreciated.

My biggest and best goal was also the easiest because it was 100% within my control. I set a goal to stay on plan for one year, no matter what. That decision has brought me quite far!

I chose my weight goal because it is 10 pounds into my healthy weight range.

I have a bunch of mini goals you can see in my signature. Some are percentages lost, some are categories (obese, overweight, normal), and some are just leaving-decade goals. I had fun with them.

In the gym I set goals every time I set foot in the place. I set goals to get through spin class with heavier resistance, run X miles at X pace, lift so much weight, etc. I love gym related goals! My current goal is to do unassisted pull ups.

Eliana - sounds like you have it together. Thanks for your response. I'm just trying to figure out what would be realistic to me and I like some of your ideas.

My main goal is based on what is supposed to be a healthy BMI for my height and frame. Now the last time I weighed 150 (or anywhere close to it) was when I was a pre-teen. I have no clue if I will ever actually make it to that goal or if I will choose to go even further. I just have to see what I look and feel like when I get there first.

My mini goals are perfect intervals along the way, but they are also weights I haven't seen in so long that they will be a big deal for me to reach. I haven't been under 225 since before I was 21. Being under 200 is a big deal for any woman I think, and I haven't been 175 since middle school, which also means my husband has never seen me that small. =) We met when I was 15 and I was probably around 185-190 then. So yeah, meeting each goal will feel like a huge accomplishment to me.

Kim - Well at least you have a good mind set. I think you will reach your goals because you are realistic in your thinking. I have a number in mind too, but like you said, I will have to see how I look and feel to decide about moving on or staying there. Good luck !

For me I took BMI and family history into account. All of the women in my mothers side of the family are big boned and put on muscle relatively quickly so we appear thinner then we are. My sister Amanda for example is 5'5" weighs 160 and fits into size 6-8 and by appearences seems sort of thin. My sister Pam who is 5'8" on the other hand was a size 8-10 when she was 175 and her collar bones were jutting out and people were concerned she was losing too much weight even though the army told her she still needed to loose weight. :O Me I'm 208 right now and I'm a size 14 which is apparently small for my weight. I had a fat caliper test done and it says that I'm at 27% body fat which is well within the healthy range although looking at myself I still don't see how that's possible they did the test a number of times and that was the end result. Apparently I'm 156 pounds lean muscle which sucks because the BMI chart says I need to get to 155 to no longer be considered fat and I was hoping to get down in that range but to **** with it. I added 20 pounds to my lean muscle weight to get a goal of 175.

niafabo - I know what you mean. I am big boned too. I weigh right now 222 and wear a size 16 jean. When I was hitting 230 I was wearing the same size, but they were snug. I have wore 18's before and have never weighed more than 230. I don't understand the sizing. When I wore a size 8 I was 145. That is why my goal is to be 160 and go from there. I know that is still considered over weight for me. I think if I lose more I may look too thin. We will see.

I based it off of the lowest weight I remembered being. That was 149 when I was 16, so I chose 140 because 1) I like choosing even numbers and 2) that would be the lowest I had ever been that I could see being accessible at the time. I didn't really know where my body would go and I had no idea that I would now be at 133 and still losing. I guess my 140 turned into a mini goal and now I am thinking I would like to try and reach 125, I'm just seeing what happens and not working so hard this time. I think 160 is a good goal for you now, once you get there you can see how much farther you want to get.

I didn't want to set a weight goal when I started this. My true main goal is size 4 jeans and healthy blood test results when I go to the doc. However, nobody asks what size jeans you want to wear. People, websites, docs even ask for a goal weight. So my hubby did the math for me based on the sizes I have worn at various weights and he thinks I'll be in a 4 somewhere in the 110-125 range. I put that together with the BMI charts and came up with 115, just so I'd have a number. I'm no longer sure about the 115 because I'm in a size 12 now at 190 and before I let a bit get back on me I was in a 10 at 180, and I'm a shorty! I have small bones, but I apparently build muscle quite easily. I don't care what my final weight is as long as my jeans fit and I'm healthy.

I do create mini goals. I base them on categories of the BMI chart, hubby's math for what I need to weigh to get into the next size jeans, new decades, weighing less than hubby, all sorts of things. One thing that I try my hardest not to do is set a time limit for a weight/size goal. That may work for some people, but for me it is too much pressure and I worry what would happen if I failed.

The goals I focus most on are the ones I have total control of. Things like my miles goal, crunches, number of calories burned per day/week, nutrition goals, getting rid of poor habits and building good ones, etc.

I figure that as long as I am consistently meeting the goals I have control of, the scale and the jeans will fall in line eventually. Regardless of whether or not the scale moves down, I am still healthier for having eaten the garlic quinua instead of the kraft cheese mac, and that is what truly matters to me.

I set my goal at the lowest weight I reached, during a diet 10 years ago. I have been there; I should be able to get back. It's in the middle of the BMI for my height, and not that unreasonable.

I might go lower - but maintaining at 210 would still be a victory, since the last time I touched it was short lived.

143 is about smack in the middle of my medically recommended weight range, so I went with it, though in the end I'm not sure where I'll be happy. I had/have mini goals too: (1)199 - getting back into Onderland (2) getting below 177 - the lowest weight I had previously ever been (3) the one I'm working on now, 164 - a normal BMI (4) 158 - 50lbs lost (5) 148 - 60lbs gone. And then goal, of course, hopefully in a size 8 or smaller.

I chose a goal weight of 165 the very highest for the normal bmi range for my height. I figure once I get there I can readjust and see what it looks like on me and how much I still want to lose.

Sometimes I try little mini goals like oh 10lbs this month or whatever. Sometimes it is nice to kindof have that smaller focus but at the same time things can go all hinky and then you don't make it and it can really knock you back. So time wise goals can be both good and bad.

I do have clothing I just want to fit into to badly lol. I have a pair of size 18's that I wore last time I lost weight that I miss. How sad when a pair of size 18s sound good lmao! I remember when I bought them I almost cried I was so happy.

It is so weird how everyone's bodies can be so different. I am the same height as you, weigh less and yet I wear a size 22. (well they are super loose now lol) I think all my weight is in my stomach! Oh that makes me sad lol

My main goal, like Eliana, is to stay on my plan 100% (it's weight watchers, so it's pretty easy for me to stick to it). I have about 30-40 more pounds to lose, and I'm giving myself until October, which if I have done my math right is about 38 weeks away (a pound a week.)

Now, as I get closer to October I'll see if 140 is doable. It's the lowest I can recall seeing on the scale ever but I wasn't very healthy back then, so it may be that 145-147 is a little better for me.

For me it is the BMI, if I look at the chart my healthy weight according to my height would be between 100 and 125, considering that I am over 50, I have to be realistic and fix a goal that is doable, so it is 125. Beside at 136 I am a size 4 and happy but for health reason want to go a little lower but do not want to look like a stick

I remember the time before I put on a lot of weight, I was 145 pounds and felt great. That's why I chose this as my goal weight. It's a long way to go, but I just think it's doable with mini-goals. I have 10 pound mini-goals for myself so it doesn't seem impossible at the very beginning.
Good luck!

Isabelle