So I'm having a really hard time choosing a goal weight. I know that I really should just through the number out the window and focus on how I feel and maybe what dress size I want to be. Actually it's going to have to be dress size because with the exception of some thigh and belly flub I feel FANTASTIC! Anyway, I have three numbers in my head and I should probably just evaluate at each one, but I just need a final goal...it's driving me nuts. So I think I'd really like my window to be about 138-148. So should I push myself to 128ish and give myself a cushion to 138 while I'm figuring maintenance out. Or should I go to 148 and then practice maintenance as if I weighed 138 or less and let my body slowly lose or hover in the the 138-148 range. I really need some guidence on this one. Thanks!

My personal opinion is to set a higher goal weight at first.

First, your body is going to continue to change after you reach your goal -- fat may shift, skin may tighten, and if you're working out (you better be!! ), then you may see tremendous body changes without any change on the scale.

Second, scale numbers become a lot less relevant once you're in a fairly normal weight range. Mel, mod in the Weightlifting forum, dropped two pant sizes and gained three pounds after she reached goal and started a heavy lifting program. If she had been focused on the scale, she'd be skinny fat instead of fit and tight. Many maintainers/almost maintainers shift their focus to fitness goals instead of weight goals.

Third, maintenance is hard. There isn't any reason to make it harder than necessary by picking too low of a weight goal. Remember, the lower the weight, the fewer the calories needed to sustain it. Why make maintenance harder than necessary?

Finally, you can always go lower later. Maintain for a few months and then reassess. You might surprise yourself and be perfectly happy right where you are!

You're so close, so try to shift your focus from scale numbers to other ways to measure progress, like inches, sizes, body composition and fitness goals. The scale really isn't all that relevant at this point.

Thanks Meg, your posts are always so insightful. I think like you said I'm going to start to focus on fitness. I've picked up running as a hobby so I think I'm going to start doing some 5 and 10ks. I've also finally managed to fit weight training into my routine so I know things are going to start to change quite a bit and it will take time to see what there results of that are. For now I think a good plan for me will be to get to 148 and then modify my cals to maintain as if I weighed 128-138 (give myself a little calorie window). I've looked up what I believe my maintenance calories will be for that weight based on what I'm losing at and I think that will be very sustainable for me. Then we'll see how it goes. My gut is that I will continue to lose SLOWLY and settle in at 140-145 maybe even 135-140 but really start to tone and shrink with my running and weight training. Seeing this plan in writing, I like it so I think I just need to stop overthinking it and just do it (well do it in another 11lbs)

What Meg said.

There are so many things to think about. If you want your range to be 138-148, I would suggest aiming for something around 142. That way when you start adjusting to maintenance, if you drop a few pounds or gain a few pounds, you're still in your range. It seems silly to me to lose down to 128 because you expect to gain back 10lbs -- why not just lose to a weight you can reasonably maintain? Why plan to gain weight?

Now, if you want personal stories of maintenance, I can tell you mine. I lost down to 130, then gradually dropped to about 127 while I was working out maintenance. Since I bought a new scale, I now know that my old one was 3lbs off, so I had really lost to 133 and then gradually down to 130. Over the course of the next couple years I maintained right around there, ending up around 130-133 most of the time. Then I developed hypothyroidism and my weight suddenly started skyrocketing. Over the course of the year and a half it took to determine my correct medication dosage, I gained up to 150. Once my dosage was finally sorted out, I started losing again. While I was doing that, I also started weight lifting. Now, at 138, I am pretty much the same size measurements-wise that I was when I was 130 a few years ago, so I adjusted my goal weight and maintenance range up to 135-140.

So, it is really a process. I recommend that you pick a number in the middle of the range you want to be, aim for that, then adjust as necessary. Most importantly, give yourself permission to adjust your goal!