I know similar questions have been asked, but thought I'd get more specific and ask the question in one thread for your opinions.
I have a question about the goal weight. I don't ever remember being anything below 150 in my adult life and that was THE LOWEST ever after returning from a deployment. My average adult weight was about 155-60. I have seen some of you post that you are at a weight that is the smallest you've ever been.. etc. So, I'm wondering if it's reasonable to think I can get to 135 or even lower. I know I have a long time and I realize 1-2 lbs a week is the healthy way and I'm doing just that.
Would love to hear from anyone who managed to lose even lower than their lowest 'average' weight or what anybody thinks is the possibility of this.
Thanks in advance for your insightful answers!!
It completely depends on your body composition. If you have lots of muscle, you'll be heavier but look smaller. I weight 143 and am 5'6. I wear a size 11 and have lots of fat and not much muscle. However, there are women who are 160, same height, and wear a size 6 because they have much more muscle than I do.
What I recommend is choosing a pant size for a goal, and as you get closer to your goal weight, you will know if you need to drop it anymore.
I agree, a lot depends on your body shape and your genes. However, I do believe it's possible to lose lower than your lowest weight point if you are committed to it, I don't see why not. Then again, some people aren't happy about their body no matter how much they lose. I'm one of those people, because I feel like I'm weirdly shaped: thin legs and wide hips. So I think you should focus less on numbers and more on working out and shaping your body through exercising. It's great that you're losing weight the healthy way, btw, congrats for that!
I'm 5'11". I'd say my average adult weight has been 165 pounds. Last year I lost 50 pounds, from 195 to 145. I always thought I had wide hips, but at this weight I no longer do. So far it hasn't been a struggle to maintain, but I'm open to revisiting my goal weight if it does become a struggle.
Freelance
Last edited by freelancemomma; 03-01-2012 at 10:32 PM.
It's reasonable to set your goal weight at 135, if you feel committed to that.
It's also reasonable to decide somewhere along the way to change your goal- up, down, whatever.
I set my goal at 160, which I am very close to, because I felt it was achievable-anything more was too daunting- and I really had no idea how I'd look. I've been that weight before, sure, but not while exercising and being the age I am now. I've already mentally calculated my next goal, but for now I'm just focusing on hitting this one. For me, having an achievable goal worked better than trying to hit some number that seemed out of reach to me. And now, the number/size that used to seem like a pipe dream is something I know I CAN do.
I wouldn't get too hung up on a goal, really- choose one for whatever reason it calls out to you, and change as needed. The only real goal, I think, for most of us, is to get to a size/fitness level that we feel happy with and will choose to maintain. Nothing wrong with having short term/long term goals simultaneously, or refiguring your goal as you go along. Whatever will help you keep your focus is the best way to do it.
Ahh, I knew I'd get some good advice from you gals Thanks so much. I have set small goals along the way and recently hit my first real goal of 25 pounds and it had me thinking. If I could that, maybe I CAN get to 135. I'm totally committed to it, but never really considered going as low as 135 or 40 and wasn't really sure if my body would allow it, like was I just destined to be around 160? I liked my body at 150 though, but since kids, who knows what it'll look like now at that weight Thanks for the support and congrats to you guys doing so well on your weight loss !!!
Your goal weight isn't set in stone! You can always change it It's especially hard if you've never been down that low because you won't know how you look, but there's no rule saying if you set a number as your goal that you have to meet it nor is there a rule saying you have to stop there.
FWIW, my goal was 140. I have never been a normal weight in my life so I wouldn't know how I look. I just kept going and...here I am.
I'm with those who advise to shoot for a goal, but keep it flexible. I set my goal at just inside the normal BMI for my height when I began, but honestly? I never really thought I could or would get there. My lowest adult weight was something around 180-190, and I really thought that if I got to 170 or so I'd be thrilled. And I was thrilled at that weight, but knew I could definitely still lose more. Over the last 20 lbs I've been thinking about re-setting my goal to the 135-140 range, which seemed do-able... but now I've been stuck in the 150s for 2 months, and while I think that's most likely due to some medical treatments I've been undergoing (I've been on high doses of hormones) it could also be that my body just wants to stay at the weight it is now and not go lower. I'm going to keep trying and see where I get over the next month or so now that I'm on a temporary break from the hormones, but below 150 just may not be in the cards for me. I'm pretty happy with the way I look, and definitely happy with the way I feel... so if this is where my body wants to stay weight-wise, I'm just going to have to be ok with that.
You might consider measurement goals rather than weight goals... but 135 is definitely attainable for your height if the number matters to you. Just keep in mind your body will possibly experience a plateau in the 150s for up to a couple months because that's the lowest it's used to, and that if you do go below that you'll have to be especially careful with your diet for a while to ensure any further loss is sustained until the body re-regulates itself at the new smaller size. With patience and diligence it shouldn't be too hard at all :-)
Goal weight question
nor is there a rule saying you have to stop there. 
