I have read a lot of threads about people dropping their goal weight, but has anyone put their up the way as they get nearer? It seems an awful lot like cheating, but then I look at how much I have changed from 26lbs and think gosh where would 35lbs come from? I can see another stone (14lbs) can easily go off me, but 35lbs seems like I would be left totally bony, even though it's comfortably in my BMI range (22.6) I'm quite a heavy person, IYSWIM. I've been that weight before as a youngster and thought it was a pretty good weight for me, but things change over time, and I just can't imagine shedding another 35lbs and not ending up skin and bones.
Or did anyone think that and then find that actually when they were panicking about where the extra weight would come from that it did just seem to come off OK, and the final result looked better than they anticipated?
Either I'm going to get less impact from the next 35lbs than from the first 26 (irritating!) or I'm going to end up a skeleton. Any experiences?
When many of us create a goal weight we have no idea what that weight is going to be like at our current age and all. That being said... even if you haven't yet reached your goal weight, but you are happy with your weightloss, your current weight and your body then you should by all means stop. Yes, I guess some may see it as cheating but that is their opinion. In my opinon if you try to cheat by upping your goal weight... you are only cheating yourself and I dont think any of us want to do that. Just as you can be unhappy with your body image if you are overweight you can also be unhappy with what you see in the mirror if you view yourself as too thin. So I guess what Im tryng to say is that you should feel free to adjust your goal as you see fit, I mean afterall it is YOUR goal not anyone elses.
I agree. If you're happy, then that's the most important thing! I think so many of us pick goals out of the air that it would be unusual for all of us to stick with what are often arbitrary numbers.
Yeah, I agree. We have no way of knowing what we will look like as we lose. I think that is why so many people re-evaluate themselves along the journey. If you are happy and healthy that's all that matters, not some number you set.
I picked my goal weight strictly because it was at the top end of the healthy BMI for my height. But it's thinner than I've ever been in my adult life and to be honest I am not sure how I'll feel about being that weight. Not to say I prefer to be fat because I don't but I also have never seen myself as "small" or "thin". If I was a horse I'd be a draft type breed not an arab. So while I intend to hit my goal I told my doctor during my physical last Fall that I may well decide 160-165 is a better weight for me. But who knows, once I clear 155 maybe I'll feel like going for the 140's.
Like you, I'm having a bit of trouble of seeing exactly where these last 40 pounds are going to come from. I've still got a bit of a belly but not 40 pounds worth.
It's all a work in progress at this point. I just want to be healthy. We're hiking the Highland Way in May 2012 and I want to be able to do that without huffing and puffing the whole way....
All of the ideas in this thread are among the reasons why I don't have a numerical goal weight. I've never been trim as an adult so I have no idea what it will look like, what it will feel like, how hard it will be to get there, etc.
I figure I'll just keep doing what I am doing and stop when it feels like time to stop. I know I'm not there yet. I won't be there in 10 pounds, and probably won't be there in 20 pounds. But 30? 35? Right now I have no idea, but picking a number now wouldn't change my behavior at the moment, so I'm fine without one.
I haven't yet but I have a feeling I might. I've never been skinny as an adult. I've been big since I started school. So 150 MAY be good for me but I'm not sure. I feel I carry my weight a lot different than most people. I feel like I could lose 50lbs and be fine... So I'm really just playing this by ear. If and when I feel I'm at a good weight I'll stop, whether or not it's my goal. I don't think that's cheating at all... It's not a game, it's not a contest with other people. If you are happy then it's not cheating.
Just like Call me Stephanie I have never been a skinny adult. I decided not to revise my goal until I have a reason to do so though... perhaps I will some day just feel content with my body. Perhaps he11 froze over the day before!
My goal I took on b/c that would mean I would be half of my heaviest weight. But I can't rmember being that small unless it was i college... check with me in a year. My first year I lost 65 pounds. I am on year two and we will see how I do. Sometimes I am just happy with each additional pound tat is lost.
I remember what I looked like at my goal weight, and It was fabulous, so thats why I picked it, but If I feel like I am fine at whatever point I am at, then i guess thats my goal. My goal isnt numerical, Its more physical. When I feel great, then thats my goal.
If you just picked it because at the time it sounded good, revision was bound to happen. If you chose something a little more specific like a BMI range cut-off, that's more specific -- but still just a range/estimate.
Unless you have a very firm reason for your goal (i.e. a doctor saying for XYZ reason you need to get below this weight), as long as you are happy revise away!
Once we are out of the range that causes drastically increased health concerns -- it's more attitude than anything else. Pick a goal that makes you happy and is maintainable.
Did anyone revise their goal *up*?
