How did you choose your goal? Have you picked mini goals as well? Do you give yourself deadlines for your goals?

I chose my goals based off of what is considered a "Normal" weight for my height, I might adjust it when I get there though. My mini goal that I set for myself was just my first 30lbs since joining 3fc. I don't like giving myself deadlines because I think its too much pressure If by some chance you don't make it by then. Just chose a goal that you want to accomplish could be being "normal" could be to be a certain weight you were when you were younger. Good luck!

For me I find that goals and timelines don't work - plus they make me so much more aware of how long something is taking.

When I did the GI diet I dropped 60lbs in six months and I felt amazing (fell off the wagon and need to get back on) but I didn't weigh myself or anything unless I was at the doctors. I dropped two dress sizes but only knew because all of a sudden I looked like I was wearing clown pants and had to go buy new ones (they're in a box ready for that day when they fit again!).

My mum tried to 'motivate' me by buying me nice lingerie when I first gained all the weight and telling me I'd 'shrink in to it'....not helpful for me at all.

I try to go by the one day at a time thing..if I can have one day of eating right, then that's cool. If those days add up to a week, then ok. I find that's more manageable. Then if I do have a day where I fall off the wagon, it's only one day lost, and not a pyschological failure.

Based on healthy BMI for my height. Once I get there, I'll reevaluate.

I tend not to set time-based goals because I find it's easy for me to slip into unhealthy, disordered eating behavior to "hit my goal."

I am new to dieting and this is my first attempt. When I was diagnosed with diabetes (type 2), my initial goal was to control my blood glucose. Part of that goal was and still is weight loss. My doctor originally said for me to get down to 200 lbs. So that became my original weight loss goal. After joining 3FC and reading some of the success stories, I decided that I could shoot for the stars and modified my goal to be less than 150 lbs. This would be a normal BMI weight for my height. Strangely enough, my dietitian and personal trainer have decided that I may want to set 180 lbs as my long term goal. This is the weight I was at when I was 18 yrs old. I have always been overweight my whole life and I would very much like to at least try and get down to a "normal" weight to see what it's like. As for my mini goals, they sort of just happen. Just this week, I found out I was able to fit into my old 2XL clothing. I did not consciously make this a mini goal, but it was definitely an encouraging milestone. I don't really put a deadline on any of my goals, just rough estimates. For instance, I would very much like to ski and snowboard again. To that end, I have given myself a year to be able to get ready for the next ski season. This winter is just too soon.

I chose a weight in the middle of my healthy weight range for my height, and then I subtracted ten lbs from that because I know I have a habit of almost-but-not-quite finishing things. My mini goals are all 10 lbs each and instead of giving myself deadlines, I give myself rewards to work toward. But the rewards are things that will give me a jumpstart on my next mini-goal, like new shoes, new workout clothes, a trial weekend at a fancy-schmancy gym in Manhattan, etc.

My main goal or ideal weight was determined by 2 things. #1 I was 130 lbs 8 yrs ago and felt it was a healthy normal weight. #2 its also what every "Ideal weight" calculators say I should be at.
My mini goals were: First goal was my prepregnancy weight. The following ones are seperated by 10 lbs. I don't do time lines, though I do hope to reach my main goal by mid Dec. but I'm not holding to that. If it goes over, so be it as long as I get there.
I don't do food as rewards. I prefer rewarding myself with a mani/pedi either both or one, doesn't matter. I missed my last reward but I'm close to my next mini goal so it doesn't matter.

I chose my goal because it's a good round number just within my healthy weight range. I don't want to be ridiculously skinny but I want to be within the HWR.

I picked my goal weight because it's 5 pounds under what I weighed a few years ago when I felt and looked great but wanted to lose 5 more pounds. For some reason after that I starting slowing shooting up and never got it under control.

I don't put time lines on my losses because I don't like to feel like I "failed" at something. If I want to lose 10 pounds in a month and I only lose 8, that's not a failure unless I define it as such.

For my long-term goal, I originally picked 140lbs, but can't remember why.

A little bit later someone here on 3fc posted a link to this table and I changed my goal to 153lbs, simply because it appears there as the "target weight" for my height.

However, that's not set in stone. It could be that my body's happy at 153lbs, or at 160lbs, or at 140lbs. I'll figure that out when I get there.

For more short-term goals, I'm taking part in the Valentines Vixen Challenge, which aims to get me to 183 by Valentine's Day. Don't tell anyone this, but if I don't get to that weight by that date...I'm not so fussed. It's a way of keeping me on track for a nice mid-term-kind-of-goal-thingy.

Because a 50lbs loss (which is my VV goal) is still a bit big, I've split it up into mini-goals of 10lbs each. These I can focus on more easily

My primary goal is to get to 199 lbs. I've already reached most of my interim goals, which were all clothing related. I lost a lot of weight 1999-2000 then even more in 2003 and got down to the 190s, size 14/16. Right now I am too small for all my pre-2003 clothes and can fit into almost all of my 2003 goals, minus a few very small size 16 pants and 2 size 14 sweaters. And I weigh 35 lbs more than I did back then! Muscle is very heavy, I've built a lot of it.

I will be a solid size 14 by Christmas. I should hit 199 sometime early next year I think. And I may decide to stop there, or I may keep going. That probably sounds very heavy for my height (I'm only 5'8) but I have an enormous frame so theoretically I should be a perfectly average size by then. In contrast I have a friend who's also 5'8 and if she weighs more than 140 she is pudgy and looks overweight. She has tiny hands and feet, and a delicate bone structure. Mine is massive. So,we'll see.

mine is based on what I was told to weigh, but 20lbs. My gyno wanted me at 140, but I'm 5'9" and just a big girl; i honestly feel I would weight too little and be too thin there. So i evaluated with my mother and what I felt comfortable with weight and set a goal of 160 based off that.
I figure I can reevaluate once I get closer.

I set mini-goals that I kinda keep track of in my head. Mostly, i'm trying for 8-10lbs loss a month, which is a little high but its just a goal. I'm not upset if I don't make it because I know I am honestly trying and thats enough.

I picked mine because I know that's what I weighed when I got married and I have pictures around that show me that I looked pretty good at that weight.

Here is a sticky in the maintenance forum with some answers from our maintainers

I started with my goal at 165, which is the top of the normal BMI for my height, but decided I didn't like the idea of one indulgent meal putting me back at overweight, so I lowered it to 155 to put me firmly in the normal range. But I'll feel it out as I get closer. I've never been even close to goal in my teen or adult life, so it's going to take getting close for me to get an idea of where I should really be.

I set mini goals. The first was to lose 10% (the standard WW first goal). My next goal is 245, just a number I picked really, and set a goal to reach it by halloween. But I try not to get to caught up in the date because I lose slowely and don't want to get too upset if I miss the deadline. So it's more like "it would be great if I got there by halloween, but if I don't, well, I'll get there eventually." My next goal after that will be 222lbs because that's 1 pound below my previous low weight. After that will be 196lbs, which is the top end of the "overweight" BMI for me.