So here's my situation: My highest weight was 215 in January 2010. I lost 15lbs by April but then stalled at 200 for a long time. January 2011, I started losing again but it's been slow. I want to speed things up now and stay on track which is why I joined 3FC.

If I start with my highest ever weight, I've lost 31lbs in 1.5 years (an average of 1.7lbs a month.) Or if I look at things from the beginning of this year, I've lost 16 lbs in 6 months (avg of 2.6lbs a month.) I want to up that average! Starting with the beginning of this year gives me a higher average which is encouraging but also means I'm counting less weight lost in total. I'm trying to figure out what is going to be most motivating for me and wanted to ask what works for everybody else. Do you count from your top weight or where you were when you started your current program?

i started with my highest weight. of course with gaining and losing several times i cant tell exactly how much ive lost. but my highest was around the time after my son was born in september 2008. i lost all my baby weight (230-200) then gained all of it back and then lost it again so really ive lost about 60 lbs @_@ wow didnt realize that til now OMG!!!! so now i want to get down to 140-130ish.

I started at my highest weight. in my case though, it's the weight where i started my weight loss journey

My highest weight (that I actually know the number for) was 205 -- taken midway through the day, clothed, at the doctor's office. I put 200 down because when I weighed at home a few days later, naked and in the morning, that's the number I got. I chose it for its simplicity and the fact its circumstances match with how I weigh now (though I've upgraded to a better scale). I'm not sure one number is more motivating to me for the other, though I do play mental games with myself about having lost 39 as opposed to 34 pounds. But on 3fc I hold to that 200 number. It's largely arbitrary for me.

I use my highest since having my son. I've actually been bigger. It's taken me 21 mos to lose the weight I have, although I have lost 27.5 of the lbs in the past 5 mos. It's just more motivating for me to look at the big picture, bc the initial step to start losing was the hardest for me. It motivates me to keep going when I have an off week or two. This works for me bc I realize it's a lifestyle change and not a short period program. It's whatever makes you happy. I'm sure there are people who do it both ways.

Coincidentally my highest weight of all time was also my starting weight of my weight loss journey this go round...

i use my highest weight. i was up to 342 then got down to 200... then went back up to 240..now im at 224. It makes me feel better seeing a big number XD

I started with my highest weight. One day I weighed, saw that, and decided it was time to change! Haven't looked back since!

When I found this site I was at my heaviest, which is 188 lbs. So I started with that. So if you've been recording your weight for a long time, you might as well go with your heaviest weight, and say goodbye to that number forever!

I use my heaviest known weight, I am sure I was actually heavier than that but don't know what it is. I avoided the scale at my heaviest. I got the weight of 204 from some old WW info.

My highest listed weight is the weight on the day I started losing weight... for others however is their highest lifetime weight.

My weight the day I started my journey was my highest weight... I had never in fact lost weight before.

It also makes for a more dramatic story if you say your total from your highest to lowest

My highest weight I had to guesstimate a bit because I eased myself into the diet and then after about my first month on it, I weight myself for the first time and came in at 250ish, so I used 254/255 because I'm pretty sure that's the highest weight I ever got being at the doctor's office.

Just as a side note, your avatar looks extremely familiar - is it a Steinlen painting? He's my favorite artist and I love the art noveau movement

I use the starting weight of my current program. My highest ever is about 10 above that. I had just naturally floated around in a 10-15 lb range for so long, so I only wanted to track the weight I made an effort to lose.

I think it was the first day I made my commitment that I used as my highest weight. I was probably larger before but I wanted to work with the concrete evidence I had.

The moment I finally restarted. I don't think that was my heaviest, I could have easily reached 10+ more lbs at one point, but 219.8 lbs/ 101 kg was my weight when I finally had enough.