When I started focusing on weight loss, I decided that I'd be content weighing 190. That sounded like a great goal. It was in the 100s, after all. It's so hard to imagine that number when you weigh 334. Geez, it was so hard to believe that I'd ever weigh as little as 290 lbs again.

I regained over the holidays and started again. I'm sure most of you can relate.

Oddly, I've found myself thinking that if I can lose almost 70 lbs and go back to it despite a regain, there's no reason I can't go below 190. Why am I setting that as the limitation of what I can do?

New goal is 167....which will mean losing half of my beginning body weight. Woo hoo. 113 lbs to go from today. Somehow, that doesn't seem so impossible now.

I applaud realistic goals. I really do! I'm actually wishing I'd set my goal higher so I could feel good about it. I didn't know then that I'd be so happy once I got where I am right now. I'm struggling to lose these last 15 pounds for no other reason than because that's the goal I set! And so I can say I've lost 100 pounds. Silly, right?

I wish I'd said I wanted to get to 174, which was just my "overweight" number. Then anything that came off after that would be celebrated! Instead...I'm chugging along, not yet at goal, but loving my body.

It's such a mental thing.

So yeah! Set whatever goal you want and celebrate it big when you get there! And once you do reach that number, take it from there. You may be very happy at the number you choose.

For me I set the goal of weighing what I did in high school, when I graduated, which is 200 lbs. According to height/weight scales at 5'11" I should weight 178 max so at 200 I'll decide it I want to lose more. I'm not stuck on numbers really. I want to look and feel good, whatever that number is. I'm leaning a bit toward if I lose the 175 total to get to 200, why wouldn't I lose 22 more to be a "proper" weight? We'll see how that goes though. Who knows how I'll feel that long from now. lol.

The funny thing about 167 is that at 5'2, I'd still be clinically obese...and I don't care. Way back when, it was all boobs and butt. I know I'll have gut and funky skin this time, but I'm still good with it. Frankly, I'll still be good at 190, but I'm not willing to limit myself to that.

Okay, I admit that I'll find amusement in telling a doc that I literally lost half of my body weight, and to p*** off with his weight loss suggestions that would only cause me to gain. Just a wee bit of pent up annoyance there.

Numbers have a way of making people think in terms of absolutes. Goal weights are something to strive for but can be changed at any time. There really isn't any rule to follow, some choose a weight they were at in the past, some go by a doctor's or insurance chart, some by calculator.

I choose 157 because I know I can maintain that weight. I have been as low as 147, but that one was more difficult to stay at when I was in my 20's, 157 was so much easier. However, I am not going to make 157 an absolute, I am going to see where I feel comfortable, what is easier to maintain and instead of having a goal weight, I will have a LIMIT weight, that I will no go above. For me that will be 170. If I hit that weight I will promptly reduce my intake and get back to whatever weight I like best. I may opt for 160, 150 or even 140...it all depends on how I feel. As I am aging, I have read it's best to be slightly underweight and in child bearing years to be slightly overweight.

I set my weight goal to 5 lbs less than what I was the last time I REALLY felt like I looked good. It's been years since I looked in the mirror, smiled to myself, nodded and went about my business. Too much time wasted.