I tried to make it a balance between my 'ideal' weight according to BMI (http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm) and what weight I was happiest at. I was about 5/6 pounds higher than my goal about two years ago, and want to just go that little bit extra. If I'm too small for my clothes when I get to that point, no worries, cos I can put a tiny bit back on!
Either way, it's whatever you feel happy with. Sometimes mini goals help to keep things more short term, and you can always change your goal along the way.
Originally I set my goal weight for 150 lbs. It was a weight I had been fairly comfortable with in my late 20s. When I reached 150, I wasn't satisfied and the weight was still coming off so I changed my goal weight to 135 (based on a weight for my height/build). Of course, that meant I had to plateau at 140 for months! Eventually, my body seemed to decide it wanted to weigh around 127-130 and I've had a very stable weight for almost 2 years.
I've set mine for the highest weight for a 'normal' BMI for my height. If I ever get there and think I'd look better a bit slimmer I'll re-evaluate.
I think we need to be flexible about goal weights - mines changed about a dozen times so far.....
Wow Sarah Ann, you're so close to your goal do you mind if I ask how long it took you to lose that weight and which diet you are following? Apologies if you have already posted this elsewhere ff x
I set mine for the highest BMI for my height too. I did get down to 10 stone 7lbs a couple of years ago on Lighterlife, but put a lot back on. I would like to get down to that again, but taking it in small stages.
My goals have changed from a goal weight to a goal size. I did achieve it, but last summer my dad was rushed into hospital with the last stages of his prostate cancer and the shock knocked me right off track. I'd been very singleminded for a year and gone from a size 20-22 to a size 12, and was still heading down. Then my doggy died at xmas (not the one in the picture, my other one) - he was the one I went running with, and without him I daren't go running as it's very remote, here. So I dunno what I weigh but I had crept back up to a size 14. Anyway, I decided to re-lose that last bit of weight, last month and whilst I'm at it have changed my goals from weight to size. I found it too destructive as the whole of the last 6 mths, I was losing weight so painfull slowly and once I got within 2lbs of target, but then it would shoot back up 1 or 2lb, then back down again. It was excruciating and I felt my body didn't want to be the 'ideal' BMR weight no matter how hard I worked, month in month out, it stayed shy of my goal. So I have ditched the scales.
I originally aimed at around 11 and a half stone (when I started I must have been over 14). As I remembered I'd felt fine at that weight and as I'm now in my 40s and have had 5 kids, I don't think it's realistic to expect ever to get back to my pre baby size.
But after a while looking at BMI tools, I realised that wasn't 'normal'. So I changed it down to 11 st 3lb. Still haven't quite made it - those lost 10lbs have gone on and off for ages. I've always been heavy for my size. At 11 and a half stone, I have a 27" waist (am average height), so I don't look as heavy as that. Years ago, when I was a size 6-8 I weight nine and a half st or even more. So the measurements are a better guideline for me than weight. Oddly, I have a very small frame - small ankles and wrists - but despite that I'm always heavy for my size.
I'm not weighing myself anymore just aiming at getting back into size 12 (my top half is 12, bottom half bigger!)
Last edited by PhatPhoenix; 04-26-2007 at 05:12 AM.
Wow Sarah Ann, you're so close to your goal do you mind if I ask how long it took you to lose that weight and which diet you are following? Apologies if you have already posted this elsewhere ff x
Fighting Flab..... Ooohhhhh nooooooo - I am SO not the best / most successful dieting person on this forum.... I'm weak willed - I often get side tracked by a nice hunk of cheese or a cream tea... I'm a sucker for a freshly baked scone with home made jam and cream.
I started this diet at the end of October 2005! I've more or less stuck to low GI from the beginning and added in counting calories after about three months when the weight loss slowed right down. Since then I've experimented with all different things but I always come back to the low GI/restricted calorie combination, one way or another - its what suits me. I think the most important thing about losing weight is to find a way of eating and a type of exercise which keeps you interested. I can't tell you how many times I've slipped up, gained a few pounds and re-lost them all over again - in fact I'm just recovering from one of those episodes right now.
For my main target I just went for a 100lb loss because it was a nice round number and a normal BMI for my height. It was never set in stone though, and I always thought I'd revise it when I got closer (it would have been freaky if a nice round 100lb loss had actually been spot on after being chosen randomly). I expected to revise it up a bit, but actually went down.
In the end, my final goal chose me, rather than me choosing it. I've been around my current weight for over a year now, and I know what weight I feel best at. 149 is as low as I've been, and at that weight I start to feel like I really shouldn't lose any more, at 152-3 my body is pretty happy and stable, and at about 155 I start feeling a bit podgy. So now I'm just trying to keep it in that sort of range.
I am only slightly overweight but feel uncomfortable so I picked a weight which is at the lower end of my healthy BMI range.I used to weigh about 120 and was almost happy,if I could get down to 112 I think it would be ideal.
How did you decide on a target weight?
I wasnt too sure if i should set one or not, it seems such a long way away. I did come up with a nice 12 stone number from somewhere..
ff x
