Goal: Is anyone aiming for not fat??
 

Not "fat" I guess rather than a weight. I put 160ish as my goal but actually I have no idea. I've been reading about bikinis and getting into tiny sizes and I'm not planning on doing that.

I was thinking a size 12ish, not so small that I have skin wading in puddles around my ankles and big enough that I don't have to subsist on a lettuce leaf, a boiled egg and diet soda to keep the weight down. Low enough though that my A1C stays in the lower range and that maybe I can reduce or even go off some meds and so people don't automatically see a fat person, they see me.

Is anyone else doing something like this or has done this? How did it work for you?

Inquiring minds with ketonic insomnia want to know...

Yes!!

I just want to be able to sit in one of those teeny tiny connected desk-chairs in my college comfortably...and on BOTH butt cheeks!!

But seriously, I do have an idea of a goal weight in mind, but my ultimate goal is to simply be "not fat."

Just wanted to comment on this. It's possible that you'll be able to maintain a lower weight without undue deprivation. I was ambitious in my goal this time, aiming for slim rather than not fat, and find I can maintain my current weight on 2,000 cals per day with moderate exercise -- and I'm 56. Everyone is different, of course, but there's a good chance you'll be able to eat more than you think.

Freelance

Yep, the weight I've lost I've not done by starving. I can eat a normal amount of food and not gain. Now, I mean NORMAL, not what most of us overweight folks consider normal...real normal. So it's far from impossible to lose weight and still get to eat and not be hungry.

-

Freelancemomma, MauiKai, and Sontaikle--You three have really reassured me by the fact that you are all eating normal amounts of food and maintaining. I'm still figuring this maintenance thing out--how NOT to be another statistic who regains the weight.

MovingForward - It's totally doable. It is like learning any new skill, playing an instrument, learning a new sport etc...learning to eat normally/cook healthy etc is a skill that you MUST put the effort in to. Once you get it, you see its not as hard as you feared.

I wish this were so for me. I eat normally and cook extremely healthy food. But I still find maintenance a challenge. One that I will continue to meet, certainly, but a challenge none the less.

As for the OP: my goal was never thin, but to regain my health and strength. I had a bunch of old 12s in my closet that I hoped to wear again, but that was it for size goals. I've gone past them now, into size 10s, but ever-shrinking-smaller isn't a goal for me. Maintaining what I've worked so hard for is my ongoing goal. And yeah, maybe losing a pound or two more in the process.

Honestly my goal is to be not fat, but I put an arbitrary number on it. We'll see what happens...

I am going for not fat and healthy, not skinny or the need to wear a bikini.

I also love clothes and I want to be able to look better and be able to wear more styles.

"Not fat" in terms of BMI was a major mini-goal for me. But to be honest, there are days I still psychologically feel fat, even after meeting and surpassing that goal. Mentally I know that I am at a normal, healthy size now, but I'm not completely comfortable and confident in my body yet. Weight loss is helping, but ultimately the struggle is mostly in my head.

"Not fat" is my goal, too. I think I have 150 as my "goal" (at 5'3") just to have something in mind, but really, I just want to keep going until I feel healthier, can get pregnant and don't have to spend 18 billion dollars per pair of jeans lol. :)

Honestly, the only reason I have a number goal instead of just getting into the normal BMI range is because I think it would be awesome to weigh as much as I've lost. What a surreal thought, I can hardly imagine it but I know I want to experience it!

I had a goal weight of 135 pounds. Now I don't know. I'm at 174 at the moment and my focus is more on fitness than on weight loss. I'm working on toning and strength training as well as getting back to being able to run a 5K.

I don't want to be skinny. I want to be fit and healthy. I have no desire to be a "fat skinny" person! LOL!!

Actually, I'd be quite happy with "barely obese." I don't have any "set in stone" goals. I'm focused only on "less than I weigh now."

If I ever decide to stop making new improvements to my lifestyle, that will be where my weight loss stops, whether I choose to stop because I reached a healthy weight or because I couldn't tolerate more change. Either way, I'll choose to be happy with the decision (but will also realize that no decision has to be permanent).

Yeah, that's kind of me too. :) I'd definitely like to lose a few more pounds to get out of the overweight BMI category so my doctor will stop with the lectures at every visit, but I really just want to be healthy, be able to accomplish some of the more physically-demanding goals I have, and feel good in my own skin again. I don't know where that is, but will probably know it when I feel it.

I picked my goal of 150 because it seemed like a nice number at the time lol....im between 180-190 right now, up n down, but seem to fit smaller clothes than my weight would dictate so i'm not sure....i'd like to be happy with my body though, and i'm not totally at the moment...so we'll see

Under 200 is the short term goal for now. I haven't been there since my early-mid 30s. Any subsequent weight loss attempts pretty much ground to a halt at roughly 210, with me getting tired, bored, lazy (though that descriptor normally doesn't fit me) and fed up (no pun intended) with dieting. But this time is different, feels different, looks different and what we are doing is sustainable for the long haul.

Right now I'm at an old set point area (220s) where I camped out for a number of years and it usually takes a while, gets discouraging and then boom, I'm outta there into the teens without warning. Having been fat for so long I can only imagine that I'll be happy with anything lower than 200 but my blood glucose might have other ideas and at my height 200 is still an obese BMI.

Interestingly enough, I've stayed active over the years and can keep up with people much smaller, can out work people in their 20s but I sweat like a fat girl doing so. I swore that I'd never let fatness interfere with doing what I wanted to do, travel, sailing, enjoying the outdoors, being able to do manual labor (peasant stock) and it mostly hasn't (other than the stylish clothes thing) but the piper is coming to be paid if I don't stay serious about my weight and find the sweet spot whatever that might be.

It's more a matter of how much weight loss is enough to meet my stated goals and to keep my health from sliding into the toilet any further than it already is. I really appreciate everyone "weighing in" on this issue and if there is more out there on the subject I'd love to hear it. I've already been given some pearls of wisdom to ponder on.

'not fat' is definitely on the goal list. Normal body fat % will be my indicator of this. Right now my body fat is 45.1%, I'm aiming for 28%, which is in the middle of the 'average' range per the charts put out by the American Council on Exercise

Kinda. I know I'll probably never have the willpower to be as fit as I'd like to be. I am good with having a softer, curvy body. I have curves in all the wrong places right now though. :P

I know what you mean, OP! I've been obese my entire life, so being fit enough to wear a bikini, is unimaginable to me and probably out of my reach, even if that was what I wanted to aim for. I even suspect the high-end of a healthy BMI for my height (120) is probably unreachable as well. I've realized I need to be happy when I'm no longer big enough to be called fat by strangers, no matter what size/weight that ends up being. I'd love to be in a size 10/12 for my final goal, just so I can go into just about any store and know there will be things to fit. But if my body would let me go smaller than that without dramatic means, that would be amazing too.

Yes. LOL.

I've set a number goal just to know what I'd ideally like to be (in terms of BMI), but I really just want to be able to look in the mirror and actually like what I see.

You're quote above is both true and scary. You see, I am just getting back on the bandwagon at MRC after only 3 months and a 25 lb gain. I had surgery on May 1st, 2013. Before that time, I had successfully lost 32 lbs in the three months prior. Since that time, I have had chronic nausea and vomiting resulting in my diet consisting mostly of peanut butter crackers and ice cream. I have put on the weight back just as quick as I lost it. The one thing I have learned is that I have to concentrate on my goal to get the weight off and then work diligently on maintenance. I usually lose the weight pretty rapidly as I use a plan that is similar to the way I normally eat, but I have to give up the big quantities and the sweets. I have been on this roller coaster for all of my adult life...gain weight, lose weight, gain more weight, lose weight, etc. I just pray that I will have the willpower to stay focused and realize that I must never give up on healthy lifestyle choices. It has to be a lifetime commitment to me, or I will continue to fail.

No.

Now I have found out how my body works, I am going to take this sucker all the way.

I am going to get ripped.

Yes, I have changed my goals along the way. While my stats say size 10 is the goal; I do think I could learn to be happy at 12. Or, I may just take a little bit of maintenance break there and re-evaluate before deciding whether I need to see the perfect 10. I have been hovering at 14 for a loooong time. Most of them are now comfy and heading towards loose instead of squeezing in to them. Originally, I had my goal set at 150 which would be amazing...but, I haven't been there since college.

I want to be realistic and like you said I don't want to pick a weight that will be a contant battle to maintain. I know maintenance is hard for me and that is even true at my current weight. I can work really hard, staying on plan and logging many, many miles on the Fitbit only to stay the same sometimes for weeks at a time. So, I just want to be realistic in striking a balance. Not too fat sounds a heck of a lot better than morbidly obese.

Not fat and fit was a personal goal of mine. I focused more on fitness goals then weight loss goals and it was a much better fit for me. It worked well for me because the fitter I got the more I shrunk and it was amazing to see things like going from not being able to do girl pushups to doing tough plank variations with ease.

Throughout my entire journey I ate well although I found eating more once I hit maintenance to be a challenge as I did not want to decrease my workouts.

This is an interesting thread!

Well, my goal is to get to where I think a person my height (I'm small and with a small-medium frame so somewhere in the 110-120 range would be great for me) would look really good at, but I'd be very satisfied if I could just get back to where I was about 6-7 years ago when I was about 125-130 and wore a size 6 and looked awesome in all my pictures!

I'm also of the mind of not wanting to have to deprive myself to maintain. I am actually okay being more deprived during the week and loosening up a bit on the weekend. I like going out and getting to enjoy family get togethers without stressing out about food. And I really like a daily glass of wine. So we'll see how this all pans out!

I started out with a number goal, it's still out there, less than 20 lbs. away, but have been working the last couple of months on increasing strength and fitness and adding in fitness goals, so I keep adjusting my goals, I think our ability to adapt is what gives us the opportunity to succeed.

WW used to start out with a strict goal based on your height, age, etc. then they adapted to more of a range, then it didn't matter what your age or sex, then they changed the formula again. The last time I was there they encouraged setting mini goals (like Olehcat) to not get overwhelmed with the idea of this big goal out there that might seem unattainable.

So I still have my number goal, related to going to WW for free as a lifetime member at goal, my other number goal, related to normal bmi and my ultimate goal, to maintain this healthy lifestyle and to be fit not fat.

great thread! lots of interesting insights.

best to all :sunny: