I decided to change my GW from 132 to 140. When I reach my GW if I think I would like to lose a few more pounds I might change it. So now I have 100 Lbs to lose by next December 2012.

Vicki - I changed my goal weight after I lost 90 pound and didn't like the way my skin was starting to get too loose. I mean like clothes that are a size too big - not just too flabby. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I was stopping for a reason that was totally vain. I think now that setting a goal is absolutely necessary, but adjusting as you go is also necessary.

If we don't set a goal that puts us into a healthy range we're doing ourselves a disservice. If we get to that point and aren't happy with things, well, that can backfire in the long run.

I don't think I'd change anything about the way I approached my plan to lose 100 pounds in about a year except that I would have allowed myself the privilege of adjusting things as I went along. It was very hard mentally to stop when I knew I could keep losing and meet my goal. I'm good with my decision now that a couple months have gone by.

Good luck in meeting your goal, whatever the end number might be. Give yourself the freedom to adjust.

Lin

Good for you. Stay flexible and reevaluate. I think many of us don't have any concept of what a weight will look like when we reach it. I know I don't. We are all different heights and body types. I think it is very smart to stay flexible and reassess when we get closer to the goal. I am not at that point yet but am using my goal weight as a starting point. When I am closer, I plan to see how I look and stop early if I want to or not.

Vickie, there's nothing wrong with adjusting your goal as your process evolves. In fact, I never set a numerical goal at all. How could I? I haven't been trim since I was in high school, more than 20 years ago. For most of my process I had no idea what I would look and feel like in the 160s (or whatever) or how hard it would be to get there and maintain. My body at 40 is not at all the same as my body at 16.

There was no way I could pick a number, and more to the point - choosing a number of 150 or 160 or 170 or whatever would not make a single iota of difference to my behavior when my weight was 200 or 230 or 270. And behavior is what really matters to this process.

So I decided not to waste any energy on choosing a numeric goal. I have always said, I'll know I'm there either when I am happy with how I look, or when the amount of work it takes to get lower is more than I am willing and able to do.

Nothing wrong with that. My goal is vaguely somewhere between 155-140lbs. I haven't been there in so long I really don't know what it will look like on me. All i know is that right now I definitely still have at least 14lbs to lose. From there we'll have to see.

I have a size in my head but even that's hard to tell exactly because sizes have changed so much over the years. Mostly I just want to reach a healthy weight where I'm happy at. Oh, and hopefully my stomach decides to go down some in the process!!!

I'm the same height and I originally started with a goal of 140, moved it down to 134 then back up to 140 - I've decided once I hit 140 I'll let my body tell me where I need to be, because honestlly the last time I was that thin I was still 5'4 but I was a teenager and my body was still changing.