Do you set a goal weight when you set off on a weight loss journey?
I’ll share with you how I decided what weight I’d like to be, and I’d be really interested in hearing what your thoughts or ideas are on the subject. When I started on my 512th attempt to lose weight I didn’t really know where I would end up. Frankly, I wasn’t even sure I’d stick with my plan. So in the beginning, my initial goal was to: LOSE WEIGHT.
That’s right, I had no real end point because I couldn’t let myself believe that I might actually have some success. So after several weeks of steady weight loss, I began setting some small weight goals. “I’ll be so happy when I’m under 270.” Then, “What will it feel like to be 249?” And so on.
Little by little the weight came off, and even after I had lost the first 100 pounds, I still didn’t have a firm goal weight in mind. The more I lost, the more people asked me. “When are you going to stop losing weight?” Or, “Are you done yet?” I always answered them in the same way, “When I get there, I’ll know.”
Once I got under 200 pounds, there was no stopping me. I knew I was doing it, and everyone could finally tell. But when should I stop? Quite frankly, I could have stopped there. At that point I was wearing a size 16 (I’m tall) and looked about 1000% better than I had before. I think that’s why so many people kept asking me if I was done.
I began really thinking about what I wanted to accomplish with my weight loss. Should I just be satisfied with looking so much better, or should I keep going until I felt much better. I was feeling better at 199 than I had at 270, but did I feel good enough? I decided I didn’t, and still didn’t set a number goal. Over the next several months, as the weight continued to come off, I constantly reassessed how I was feeling about myself, how I felt about my appearance, and rather or not I felt done.
One day, it came. It wasn’t a certain weight on the scale, but rather a satisfaction within myself that I was happy with where I was. I was satisfied. I was done. And I stopped trying to lose more weight, and instead started learning how to maintain the loss.
If you set a goal weight, how did you decide what it should be? Or if you have chosen not to set a goal weight, why not? As always, I love to hear your thoughts and comments. Diane
I did set an actual number. I picked a number that was in the normal bmi range and was slightly higher than what I weighed out of college. I did not think the right out of college weight was realistic. And I was fully aware that the out of college ME would have thought the goal weight was fat.
When I started to get down to that goal range – I was on the wrong meds and started having a fascination with the empty feeling that was reinforced by the number feeling on the scale and restricting.
I have always understood that eating disorder behavior is eating disorder behavior – whether it is too much/wrong food – or too little food – different side of the SAME coin.
So I regained a little weight (on purpose) and then held at that level for 2 years.
I am just now going down to that original goal weight.
And I am realizing that the 2 year holding really was temporary. I did not feel DONE at that weight. but it was an excellent holding place. It taught me a lot about maintenance.
My belly fat was my primary motivation all the way down – and still is (I am an apple).
And part of my motivation is now material.
I will need new shoes (again!) and new bras (again!) and new pants (again!) when I get to goal. I am spendthrift and just plain hate waste – so I do not buy a lot of interim clothes – I make do for a long time. And as everything is very big on me right now (at the bottom end of the goal range – change happens very quickly – not like when it takes 20-50 lbs at the top end like you mentioned yesterday!).
I think that it always bothered me NOT to get to my actual goal with my first two years of losing. But I think my two years of ‘resting’ were very beneficial – I learned a lot.
.-= vickie´s last blog ..Sometimes others knock me off my path without really meaning too =-.
Sometimes I think the reason I failed was because I set a goal that was too low. After this baby is born I plan on doing as you suggest. This is what my husband has done and he is almost 30 kilos lighter this year.
.-= A Girl Running´s last blog ..7 Weeks Pregnant =-.
@Vicki – I think that’s really interesting about the two year holding weight, and how you learned about maintenance during that time. How wonderful!
@Running Girl – I know you are so excited about the baby. You will lose your weight quickly I bet!
that’s such an interesting post, diane, and very timely for me:
i’ve lost 50lb and am now just 3 pounds away from the goal that i set myself a little more than a year ago. it’s a pretty arbitrary number, really, i picked it because it was within the healthy bmi range and was a nice round number. back then, i never expected to actually get there, anyway. i hadn’t weighed that little since i was 17 or so.
but now i am almost there, and i fit into size sixes and eights and mediums and smalls, and i work out a lot and eat well and feel so very good in my skin. so much better than at any point in my adult life. but you know what? i am just not sure that i am done yet. are ten more pounds less possible? what would my body look like then? i’m kinda curious, actually.
.-= miss c.´s last blog ..hey, you. [#1] =-.
even when working to lose weight I wasnt a fan of the scale.
ever.
for me it was always the clothes.
Things I KNEW I should be able to fit in to (easily. sans starving myself or exercising for hours) and those were my barometer/goal.
because I was weight training a lot Id imagine I weighed even more when I fit back into them than I did the first time around
.-= MizFit´s last blog ..NIA: neuromuscular whatwhat? =-.
For a good portion of my young adult life, I weighed 150 lbs. at 5’10″. I picked 160 lbs. as my goal weight because I figured with age it’s realistic to expect something a little higher. It’s also in the middle of the BMI index for me. What’s sad is I always thought I was fat at 150 lbs. When everyone around you is 5’4″ and 110 lbs., it’s hard not to feel like a giant. Now I know better.
.-= Amy H.´s last blog ..No Schloop Today =-.
@miss c. – Congratulations on being right on the cusp of your goal weight. And you will know when you find the weight that you feel comfortable with, and where maintenance is easy.
@MizFit – The clothes are huge for me too. Not huge on me – but hugely important!
@Amy H – You are so right. I am always amazed at how when I was so slim in early high school I felt fat. I am tall like you are, so I often felt bigger as well.
Diane, while I have a scale goal, it is not set in stone. Like you, I know that I will know when I am there. I suspect it will be somewhere close to my goal, but I won’t know that until I get there.
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..One Down =-.
Diane, I love your comment on it was when you felt happy with yourself & where you were at.
Like you, when I went to lose weight, I just wanted to lose weight. But since I was young & high school age, I was thinking that 100-105 pound range in my mind. Wasn’t that where we all wanted to be no matter how short or tall! But I just started losing & when I got in a size 4-6, I just tried to start maintaining but since I did the whole thing wrong for years, it really became irrelevant for me. I was just wrong at it until my mid 30′s & beyond.
Now, it is more about how my clothes fit & not moving out of the size I am in.
PS: Do I have to join the “luv enabled link” to get my blog post to show up when I comment?
.-= Jod – Fit at 51´s last blog ..Child Obesity-Where Do We Draw the Line? =-.
@Steve – I think you have done so well, that you must be getting close to your goal? Excellent attitude.
@Jody – You and MizFit are very similiar in your thoughts about this whole thing. Interesting how our focus shifts from one thing (numbers) to another thing (fitness) as we get older and wiser!
I set mini goals. Going from 339lb to below 160 will take a long time and I don’t want to get discouraged. I was excited when I got to 310 and set a 5% goal, then a 10% goal. Now I’m working on getting down to 250. I haven’t been there since I was a teenager. From there I will focus on each 25lbs to lose them. I think when you have a lot to lose setting smaller goals are better in the long run. I still have a figure in my mind that I would like to get to eventually, but I’m not so hung up on it that I can’t see the path that I need to take now!
.-= LoriAnn´s last blog ..Accepting Weight Loss Complements =-.
I think setting goals is a must when striving to be a better “ME”. But as for a goal weight I’ve not set mine in stone. I do have a number I want to get to but I’m not sure that will be my final end. I prefer making my goals about living, like, “I want to hike to the highest waterfall in Shenandoah”, or “I want to learn how to scuba dive”, or one that I recently conquered, “I want to wear clothes that don’t end in an X”. I think having a mission for yourself is a must but the scale is just a guide I think.
.-= Dawn´s last blog ..Thinking and letting go =-.
@LoriAnn – Setting smaller goals is absolutely necessary for most people with a lot of weight to lose. I used the same method and it really did help! Keep up your good work!!
@Dawn – I like your goals very much – especially the one about hiking to the waterfall in Shenandoah. What a wonderful way to celebrate as you reach the number goals along the way!
In my case I knew I would only get motivated if I set a goal weight. I set one that, although seeming too far when I started, I considered to be healthy. It was at the top of the ‘normal’ BMI range, and I knew that although I wouldn’t be considered thin at that weight, at least I’d be ‘proportional’ to my height. It was only when I started getting really close to that weight that I told myself I was capable of going further, then I readjusted my goal weight. At this point I’m trying to lose another few lbs and I think I’ll be happy enough then. But I don’t really mind getting to a specific weight as much as I do about fitting in certain clothes and enjoying what I see in the mirror. That’s what’s really going to tell me I got there.
Yes, I set a goal weight. But, I’ve been at my goal weight before, so I already know that it is my “feel good” weight. That makes it easier to know what weight I should target. Having the goal weight is like a stake in the ground that I can work towards. I also get those “are you done losing yet?” questions. And I also get the “I think you’ve lost enough” comments. But I don’t really pay attention, I’m doing this for “me”, not “them”…
.-= Janet´s last blog ..Day 96 – My Arms =-.
@Ka – The readjustment part is great. It’s so good to be flexible, and not have just a number in mind, because there are so many factors that go along with the whole weight loss thing!
@Janet – You make a good point about having been at the goal weight before, and feeling satisfied with it. You keep going, and don’t listen to the naysayers!
I have done the goal weight thing soooooo long and I think that has hurt me. I don’t care anymore what it is as long as a feel good.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..My weigh in results… =-.
You bring out a very good point here. I did set a goal weight of 144 lbs. I chose that weight because I will have lost 1/2 of my body weight, which is just cool.
I realize that I may be comfortable there or at another weight, more or less than that. But for me, that’s a good starting point. Thanks for your thoughts!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Exhausted =-.
@Lisa – Great attitude, because it is about how you feel about yourself that really matters. When you feel good about yourself, you often take better care of yourself!!
@Alissa – That’s wonderful that you goal weight is half of yourself when you started. I’m a numbers person so that appeals to me too!
I’m with LoriAnn on this one – a series of mini-goals suited me better.
I started off (at c.16 stone) with a nebulous ‘desire’ to be able… one day… to squidge my flab into a size 14 (UK sizing). I had no clear end-goal as I didn’t really believe it was possible. After all, it never had been in the past (using the bad old ‘diet’, ‘lose some’, ‘call it a day’ and then ‘gain even more weight’ methods).
So I set small goals along the way and have continued to do so until recently. Some were a specific weight target (usually the nice round numbers, whether they be in lbs or kg), some were fitting into the next clothes size down and some were based on percentage weight loss. Whatever seemed an achievable target would do.
I’ve actually gone down past my size 14 wish now but, at 10 stone 10 lbs I’m officially still at an ‘overweight’ BMI, so this isn’t over ’til it’s over. There isn’t all that far to go, so I’ve finally succumbed to the siren call of an ‘end-goal’.
I’ve set this about mid way through the ‘normal’ BMI range. That’s just over another stone or so to go. If I feel ‘just right’ before I get there, then that’ll do me and I’ll be happy to learn to a) maintain and b) appreciate the changed ‘me’.
.-= Deniz´s last blog ..Progress =-.
Our experiences were so similar it’s eerie.
I didn’t pick a goal weight until I was ten pounds from it. I kept telling myself (and others) that I’d know it when I got there. And I did. 
I feel good in this weight range and even though I use the scale to keep things in check, it really is all about the feelgoods.
.-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Makeover Monday: Timing Is Everything =-.
@Deniz – Mini goals are great! It sounds like you have set some really realistic goals, both weight related and not. I think that is so wise!
@Cammy – That is funny how this weight loss journey is so similiar for so many people. Feeling good is a wonderful indicator that you are in the right place!
I can totally relate to your entry…think I also started just wanting to lose weight and slowly started setting goals, would reach them and then make the goal less and so it went till I got to my current weight and now feel totally satisfied. Now I want to tone up my body….but weight wise this is perfect for me.
Am popping in also to let you know I will be away for awhile, going to South Africa for a 6 week holiday with my children and grandchildren…time to refresh my spirit for the long winter that lies ahead for me in Germany.
I will be following your blog via my feedreader but not sure I can always comment as internet is so expensive back in SA…I will be updating my blog as often as I can as well…
Thanks for sharing your journey with all your up’s and down’s, am so pleased I found your blog.
.-= Marcelle´s last blog ..South African Expat Braai =-.
This is a great post! So often people say their goal weight, and I always wonder how they picked it.
For a while, I thought my “happy weight” would be the weight I was in my early twenties. However, I soon realized that that was actually not a healthy weight, even back then. And it certainly was neither healthy nor realistic for me now at almost 40.
When I gained quite a bit of weight a few years ago and then again with my second child, I set small goals, 5 lbs at a time. I didn’t really know where I was going. Now, I am at a weight that I can call my happy weight because I feel good, I exercise regularly but not too much, I eat real food, and there is room for a little treat once in a while. I can maintain this weight and it fits my life.
Had I started off with a number in mind, I would have probably picked a lower number, but I don’t think that would have been healthy, realistic, or maintainable. As always, great post!
.-= Andrea@WellnessNotes´s last blog ..Weekly Meals (8/25 – 8/28) =-.
@Marcelle – Have a wonderful trip to South Africa. I’m glad you found the blog too, because you always have good things to say! You look wonderful too!
@Andrea – I love your attitude Andrea. You set goals that were realistic, and fit within your lifestyle. I think that is so great!
I’m holding myself to 25 pound increments so as not to get too overwhelmed by the entire process. When one goal is reached, I’ll move on to the next.
.-= Gigi´s last blog ..What’s Up Doc? =-.
Do I have a goal weight? Right now I want to get under 200 but it’s strange for me to say that because I’m still getting used to being over 200. I’d just like a few pounds to come off first.
@Gigi – Excellent strategy to reduce the larger goal to one a bit more manageable. That way you have success all the way along your journey.
@Robin – I’m so glad that you are on the journey to reach your initial goal. And then you can readjust your goal as you see fit!
I was 116 when I graduated high school. Never fat at all growing up. My highest weight was 210! I am 165 now, and think I could be happy at 130. I am short, so at 165 I am still considered obese on most scales!
.-= Biz´s last blog ..Where did the time go? =-.
Yes and no.
I have goals, each of which as a weight and a deadline. They break down to my short term goal (10% of my body weight aka hit 250 by 9/15, a goal I’m now 4 pounds away from), my long term goal (not obese aka 175 by my brother’s wedding on 8/14/2010) and a long term stretch goal (not overweight aka 145 by my brother’s wedding on 8/14/2010). Once I hit my first short term goal, I’ll set up another short term goal, again with a deadline. I do this to keep motivated: by tracking the pace I can effectively compete with myself. So yes, I do have goal weights.
But I don’t have a final goal *weight* per se. I think that’s going to happen just by finding a weight where I feel right.
Right now, I’m just so far away from anything close to ideal, that it’s enough to know that the direction is “down”. When my weight gets closer to a reasonable number, it’s possible I’ll have a better idea of what I’ll feel right weighing.
.-= Hadley´s last blog ..Tuesday Weigh In =-.
@Biz – The height thing is so hard. I have a friend who is 4’11″ and she has the hardest time maintaining her weight. You have done a great job with your weight loss. Not too much further now!
@Hadley – You are a numbers person I think. Your goals seem really planned out, and I sincerely am cheering you on! How fun it will be next year at your brother’s wedding!
Scales give me horrible anxiety. When I was in college I was teetering on the brink of a full blown eating disorder using my roommates scale to weigh myself multiple times a day. Ephedrine was still legal and I was chowing it down and turning myself into skin and bones.
I don’t THAT much weight on me to lose 20-30 pounds max but my goal that started this is I want to be able to buy and wear clothes from any store I want without worrying about searching for their largest sizes. I want to be nice and comfy within the normal range of clothes instead of hoping their size 12′s run a little big. I’m just over it.
I have a number in my mind that I’d like to get close to, but the truth is, I haven’t been under 200 pounds since high school, so it’s hard to know what my healthy goal weight should be! I’m shooting for 160 (I’m 5’7″, large-boned, and quite muscular). I may settle-in at 170 and feel great. Or I may get to 160 and decide to keep going. Like you, I will make that decision as I go along based on how I feel, how I look, and my overall fitness level. Either way, I can’t wait to get back under 200!
.-= SeattleRunnerGirl´s last blog ..Struggling… =-.
@Leslie – It sounds like college was a tough time for you. I hope that you have had some help working through that time in your life if you needed it. Weight loss is great, but staying healthy is vital too isn’t it? I understand the clothes goals – I had very similiar ones.
@SeattleRunnerGirl – I’m rooting for you to get under 200. The day I hit 199 is one I will never forget! I think it’s good to just wait until you get closer to where you think you might want to be before you decide what number you feel comfortable with!
I set a goal of losing 100 pounds (which would put me at 161), and for me that was a weight I had been at my lowest in high school, and I knew I didn’t want to go too much higher than that because even 161 puts me above the healthy BMI range. But now I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll get there. I’ve been stuck in the high 180s all summer. UGH.
.-= erin´s last blog ..Will You Be My Friend? Check Yes or No =-.
I had a goal to lose 100 pounds and I did it. The problem was I never looked at it as a lifetime thing and just gained it all back. Now I’m trying to do it again but this time without an “end”. I’d like to get to where I feel good and then maintain.
@erin – You will get there! You have done so well, and you really are close! Don’t get discouraged, just keep pushing forward.
@Tina – Oh, how frustrating that must be. Although I never lost that much at one time before, I’d lose and gain the same 20 pounds over and over. I never made a lifestyle change either, until the last time!
No, I never have set a goal weight, except perhaps when I wrestled in college and had to make weight for a match.
.-= Dr. J´s last blog ..British dispatches: Waiting longer to seek weight loss help, overweight Ireland and criticizing the PM =-.
I do have a goal weight in mind for myself. I calculated it based on the principles in a book I read called Protein Power. Basically, it takes some data (waist, hip measurements, age and height) and comes up with the ratio of lean body mass to fat. Based on your age/height you should have a certain percentage of body fat…and everyone’s lean body mass is different.
I picked the mid of my range using this calculation.
) WHICH I will say is a lot more realistic that those BMI matrixes I see.
My friend and I are only 1 inch apart (she’s taller) but her goal weight is at least 10 pounds more than mine because her lean body weight is more than mine. She kept telling me that X weight was too small for her and I finally understood why.
But, with all this said, I totally understand what you are saying. I think your body will eventually settle in a place that is good for it. Bottom line, I want to be healthy, fit and strong — not just skinny.
.-= Lola´s last blog ..1st Day of School =-.
@Dr. J – I can totally picture you as a wrestler in high school!
@Lola – Fabulous! Healthy, fit and strong. Those three adjectives should be branded on our brains, whether we are trying to lose weight or not!!
I’ve set quite a wide range… I have no idea where I’ll end up, since at some point it will be about my body and not the scale. I want to be toned and muscular, so common sense tells me I’ll be heavier than my previous ideal weight. But honestly, it’s still far in the future… I’m more interested in my next milestone.
.-= Hanlie´s last blog ..Upgrading My Code =-.
Yes, I do have a goal weight, which is not particularly low, given my short stature, but is 5-6 pounds less than the weight that I spent a number of years at–a weight that I always felt was a bit too high. To be honest though, when I get down to that “a bit high” weight I will re-assess.
.-= NewMe´s last blog ..Slowly, Ma’am, Step Away From the Scale =-.
@Hanlie – You have such a great attitude. You will know when you get there because your body will tell you. And the wonderful thing is, you will hear it talk!
@NewMe – It’s good to be open to reassessment, because things may change along the way. I think you are very wise.
Hi Diane!
Just in case you didn’t know, the last blog feature on this site and others goes to the generic calorielab news column, not my column. I am one of several writers for calorielab. If I wrote the whole thing, I wouldn’t have time to be a doctor
.-= Dr. J´s last blog ..FDA looking into safety of weight-loss drug sold OTC as Alli =-.
I don’t think about my goal weight much because I can’t imagine myself that small yet. Since you asked, here’s my general plan and thoughts.
My first goal was simply to lose some weight, because I couldn’t imagine even getting to a real goal weight. Then, when I saw that I was actually getting serious about things and losing some weight I decided to set small goals and set a tentative final goal.
My small goals are (A) 199 (just to break 200), then (B) 170 (what I weighed when I got married and a weight I have been down to only once since then) and finally my tentative lowest weight goal is 140.
I figured out this final number by looking at healthy weight ranges on various sites. I trust the Weight Watchers site and this is 6 pounds under the highest healthy weight they show for my age (33) and height (5’4″). I figure that gives me about 5 pounds to play with.
However, if I get to 150 (approx.) and am comfortable and can’t seem to lose more with starving/over exercising myself, then I’ll stop there. Or…(I really can’t imagine this now) if I get to 140 and I’m not feeling like that’s where I should stop, then I’ll go down a little more. Since I haven’t weighed near that since high school I can’t even think that far ahead yet.
I find it interesting that you didn’t set any goals. We think differently that way. Somehow I have always felt the need for a “goal weight”. Now I find myself wondering why that is, especially when I seem to beat myself up if I don’t reach it in a certain amount of time or at all. hhmm… You’ve got me thinking now, Diane. Sometimes this is all so interesting…why can’t we just live and not think about goal weights? Hm….
.-= Leah´s last blog ..Consistency =-.
When I lost weight, I did set a goal weight. Unfortunately, it’s something I never achieved. My “happy weight” is roughly 5-10 lbs above where I originally thought I wanted to be, and I’ve finally become okay with that. Of course I wish the number was lower…but then I realize that’s silly. I look good, I Feel good, and most importantly, I’m healthy.
.-= Lainie´s last blog ..Flatout Awesome =-.
@Leah I don’t know Leah, why we can’t just live and not think about goal weights. I wonder if it’s because we are wired to succeed, and part of our success is reaching for something better than what we have. Food for thought as I head off for the evening. By the way, I like your thought process with regards to setting your goals! Very wise and thoughtful.
@Lainie – Isn’t it interesting how even though no one in the world (pretty much) knows our weight, but we still sometimes aren’t entirely satisifed. Even if like you said, “I look good, I feel good, and I’m healthy” Thanks for the great comment!
I like how you approached your goal weight. I have a ultimate weight that I’d like to get to. However, if I am under the weight range which is considered healthy for my height then I would consider any weight lost after that a bonus..does that make sense. Sometimes getting ‘stuck’ on a certain number isn’t the greatest thing. So doing what you’ve done, in setting small obtainable goals on the way down is such a great idea.
My new goal: under 190.
Thanks,
Michelle
My original goal is the weight at which my BMI = 24.9, which is 148. I’m very close to that, but nowhere near done. When I get there, I’ll probably keep going, haven’t decided whether to bother setting a new goal, or just seeing where I end up.
.-= julie´s last blog ..Honesty sucks. =-.
@Michelle – Make sure that your weight doesn’t go under the healthy range! You want to be healthy, and look great! I can’t wait to hear when you reach that next goal. How exciting!
@Julie – I think that is really a good idea to look at the BMI as a way to help you set a goal. And then you can assess where you are at that point. Great!
I think if I didn’t have a goal weight, I’d quit right where I am. It isn’t set in stone, as so many have also said. I picked a weight in the upper lever of my healthy BMI range. But I know that if I need to I can lose a little more. I’m 5’8″ and my goal is 150. I’m 10 lbs from goal right now.
.-= Ida´s last blog ..Today was a success =-.
It was a long time before I chose a goal weight…I had so much to lose that if I had set a number, I think it would have depressed me, seeing just how far I was from it. Instead I concentrated on losing. But now that I’m a lot closer to goal, I chose a higher range for my height – I want to maintain comfortably, not struggle to keep my weight down. I’m 5’1 1/2″ and my goal range is 135 – 140.
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Walking Through the Park and Reminiscing* =-.
@Ida – Congratulations on being so close to your goal weight! You must be very excited. It’s a good point you make about needing to set a number goal to keep yourself motivated. Thanks for saying that!
@Shelley B – I did feel the same way about the huge amount of weight I had to lose. I’d look at the 150 pounds I needed to lose and think, “No way.” You are very wise in the selection of your goal range. Maintenance is the key after all. The weight loss is just the beginning, the maintenance is what matters after that!
I have a vague number in my head, but no set number. It scares me. I can’t say why, but counting down makes me nervous, so going by how I feel is so much easier. And this way, there is no pressure to make it to 170 by Christmas 2010
.-= MackAttack´s last blog ..still smurf-like, but less so =-.
As long as I remember, it has been my heart’s desire to be under 110lbs. I’m short (5′ 2″) and of Asian descent, so I will still be in a healthy range at that weight.
I’ve always been a chubby, overweight girl ever since I reached puberty. But I HAVE been at my dream weight at one time in my twenties, albeit through a crash diet. Having spent all my teenage years and early adulthood feeling so fat and ugly, it was a whole new experience being a slim girl for the first time in my life.
This time, I’m committed to a permanent life-style change, slowly losing 1-2 pounds in a month through proper nutrition and exercise regimen. And although I’m undoubtedly happy that I am no longer considered overweight by BMI standards, deep inside I know that I’ll never be truly satisfied with my body until I reach my dream weight again.
From a lurking reader
I set a goal weight of 180 (I’m 5’10). It won’t make me skinny….it will give me the curves that I want to keep because I think that’s more attractive…however, it WILL make me healthy. I read a chart in Dr. Phil’s book about ideal weights for tall, large-boned women. The high end was 178. For right now, I’m cool with 180. If I get there and want to keep going…then I will. Nothing should ever be set in stone.
.-= Tammy´s last blog ..Better Than Ever =-.
Goals are good… as Napoleon Hill once said; a ship without a course does not get anywhere (paraphrasing). Wow you’ve come a long way. Congrats!
.-= John W. Zimmer´s last blog ..Has Beef gotten a Bad Rap? Its what I Eat for Dinner! =-.
You have a Lovely Blog Award waiting for you at my site. Thanks for your blog – I really enjoy reading it.
.-= Francesca´s last blog ..Award Ceremony =-.
Hmm, tough one. I dont like feeling pressured to choosing a number. My initial goal was 65 kgs. But then I joined JC and decided 99 would be great (I was 117). So I hit 99, left JC and am now at WW. And again, have to choose a goal. I have absolutely no idea what. The cards all show I need to choose something between 59 and 74 kgs for my height. That’s 15 kgs to play with! Is there an answer to this? I like what you said – it should just feel right! I’m hoping that my body will tell me when its enough by stopping its loss…??
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When I first started I also did not have a goal. I was doing a fairly large amount of gym activities and got down to 150 and a size 4/6. I stopped the exercise and while – satyed the same weight, I lost the tone and size went up, so I went back to gym and got to 138 which I thought I looked ill at-turns out I was, so after 3 summers of surgeries, I’m in the 155 range but, to me, I look bigger due to no muscle.
So, since I’m now working back up in the exercise, I have a goal of muscle tone and about 145-not what the hysterectomy will alow-it will be a journey!
So glad I found you thru Vickie, I love your thoughts.
Again, we think a lot alike. I have a goal weight at the moment as Weight Watchers gives me one. It’s not necessarily one I’ll stick with. We are allowed, with a doctor’s note, to have whatever goal weight we and our doctors deem fit. So, I, like you, have decided that when I get there I’ll know and if it’s not within WW paramaters, I’ll go to the doc and discuss it with her and get a note if she thinks that’s right. I know I’m not there yet, but I know I’ll get there.
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