Just wondering what made you decide your goal weight? How many times have you changed it? Im curious to know what everyone has to say, Ive had trouble deciding what my goal weight should be.

I had only said that when I got to 190 that would be enought. I look at my fitday and saw that that was still overweight so I went down to 175. Thats how I got my goal..

i based my goal weight on when i remeber being comfortable in my body. and for my height and age. in 2002 i was 133 lbs...i was happy at that weight. i have since gained 35lbs...that took me to about 168lbs...joined weight watchers in 2004 and lost about 20 lbs....which took me down to 148....gained back close to 10 since then which leads me to about now...i dont know my actual weight because it fluctates between 152 to 157 all the time. not sure where that darn 5 pounds keeps coming from...i eat right and excersice...so i am stumped! last night before i went to bed i was 157.. this morning i am 153??? what the heck? i lost 4 freaking pounds over night? i just posted a on the forum about this..alot of replys saying it could be from retaining water....and that you always weigh less in the am because while your sleeping your body is hybernating...

I was a size 12 at 170 so many years ago. At 5'9", that's a nice size on me. That's where I want to get back to, but really, anything under 200 works!

El

1. Past experience: My lowest adult weight was 130 (back when I was 18) and I knew I could still stand to lose a few then.

2. People I know: My mother has weighed 110 lbs all my life (and has looked pretty good) and is 2 inches shorter than I am.

3. BMI (Body Mass Index): I probably should have listed this one first. It's not the best indicator of what you should weigh, but it's a good start if you need an initial guide of what a healthy weight should be.

4. People I don't know: There are statistics online of what celebrities weigh. Keep in mind, these are of models and actresses, so they represent one side of extremes and not goals necessarily. But they do make for an interesting comparison. I found that Jenifer Lopez (I focused on her because I'm also Puerto Rican, and we're not really meant to be as skinny as "the white girls" as my mother would call them) is 5'6" and weighs 120 lbs. So I figured that I'm 2 inches shorter than she is, but I'm a "normal person" so it would be ok to weigh a bit more.

5. Reevaluation: Once I reach my goal, I'll determine whether or not I feel comfortable at that weight and then I'll decide whether I could lose a few more or just work on maintaining.

I used the calculator at the Self Magazine website to determine my "ideal weight," which I then adjusted to be my goal weight. Once I reach that goal I may want to go ahead and get rid of 10 more pounds or so, but I'm playing it be ear!!

~jess~

Right now, I'm just aiming to get into ONEderland. I haven't been there since like.. late elementary/early junior high school which is like over 10 years ago. After that, I'll see how I look and more importantly how I feel.

I have a goal of losing 100 lbs. I'm pretty sure I won't want to go lower, but I may go a bit higher. It all depends on what my body wants to do once it gets in the 160s.

After my first pregnancy I was in the 170's...and I was pretty comfortable there. I am hoping with having exercise on my side this time it will translate to smaller sizes. BUt if you take BMI I need to get into the 140"s. I am going to see how I feel and what DH says. He does not want me to get too skinny...would like to see me at what I was 6yrs ago.

Side note~I have not been in the 140's since grammer school.

That's what I did

Actually I've gone ABOVE what I used to be. I was around 125. But that was years ago and your body changes and I don't think I'd look good at 125 anymore because even now, even though I still want to lose a few more pounds, I think my face is too thin.

It’s always interesting to hear what people have to say about their goal weight. Mine is 140, I guess that’s kind of based on what a healthy BMI would be for me and my frame size because I don’t have much history of being anywhere near a healthy weight. During my sophomore year in high school I did get to be a bit under 160 after a particularly grueling swim training season, maybe 155? I was undoubtedly not quite as fat as I still imagined myself to be at that time but I think I could stand to go quite a bit under that. I remember being around 150 when I was 12 and almost the same height I am now, so past that this is pretty much uncharted territory. I suppose it will all be up for revision when I get closer to that range and see how I look/feel.

BTW, the scale can be one mystifying sometimes. This bit from the hackers diet http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/signalnoise.html really helped me get a grip on what those numbers on the scale mean. It’s a bit long and involved, but interesting and very helpful info for all who feel like the scale is toying with their emotions on a daily basis.

Not only did I think about the size my body would be comfortable with, but how active at the certain weight I would be. For example, my christmas high was 130, and I remember feeling so weighed down I didn't move an inch.

I haven't decided yet. For now, I am sticking to small goals.

I looked at my BMI chart and just picked 130. But who knows how I'll feel when I get there.

I have an ideal range (135 to 145) instead of a set number. It's based on where my natural weight falls when I exercise regularly, eat healthy foods and don't deprive myself. By "deprive myself" I mean setting rigid calorie goals and feeling chronic hunger. I don't consider avoiding brownies and Butterfingers deprivation as those are foods that trigger in me an evil cycle of over/undereating.