Those Of You That Have Been Banded A While...

[spoiltmom 44]

HOw do you pick your goal weight? Initially I said a size 8 then I got there and said no a 6. Now at 150 pounds I'm a size 4 and to me my waist still doesn't look that small. I suppose I'm having body image issues. What's your advice?

[Charda 14]

You are....I feel that i am perfect at my size but it's no healthy so i mush change it....You need to learn to be comfortable in your own skin....no matter what size you are if your not comfortable your gonna think one more size, one more size. You need to find someone to comfide in for help...Were you always uncomfortable with the way you looked?

[spoiltmom 44]

Yes. The only time I was comfortable with the way I looked is when I was in high school and weighed 125. My surgeon said he thinks it's fine if I want to lose more but sometimes I think I should stop losing and be happy where I am.

[Holly Dolly 575]

Only you can decide what you feel comfortable with. My first goal was 160 and to wear a size 12. I am 149 and wear a 6 but still want to get to 140. I want to be within the normal weight range for my height instead of overweight.

[rebirth198 6]

Love yourself for every change. Make it fun. Find ways to see your beauty at every milestone. It helps to appreciate the process. Plus you'll always think your hot;)

[Humming Bird 275]

How tall are you? My skeletal remains will be larger than a size 4....lol. I think I'm happy with a BMI of 23-24, but I'm 47 years old and would look sick if I got back to my thinnest weight ever (age20). We all carry our weight different as well. At 150 pounds I would be a size 8.

[1shauna1 129]

I have tried in the past 15 years to get back to high school weight (which was 140 without even worrying about it)....I'm 5'10". When I was in my 20s I lost weight down to 183, and I felt & looked great. So right now my goal is 174, which puts me in a "normal" BMI. I'm hoping my body shape hasn't changed that much and that at that weight, I'll be a size 12-14. I can definitely live with that!

[spoiltmom 44]

I'm 5 foot 6 inches.

[Passionatehrt 15]

What's your bmi at 5'6" and 150 lbs? Are you in the healthy range? I have no clue what Id be comfortable at and have no time to refer back to...so for now Im going off of BMI.

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

SInce I have been heavy most of my life picking my goal weight was a difficult decision.... I picked 160 because I am 5'9" and I weighed that in high school. Now that I am closing in on that number... I should be there in 3-4 months.... I dont know if that is actually the number for me. But I am going to get there and find out.

I am shaped like a pear... so currently I am wearing a M (10-12) in most tops and a L (12-14) in skirts and leggings. The black dress in my profile pic is a size 14...compared to the 4x skirt and 3x top I am wearing in my "Before" picture I am very happy with my progress.

[kll724 3,055]

Goal wieght has a lot to do with age too! I would be way to skinny, if I got to 118 of my early 20's. At 145-150 I look and feel great and am in a 8. Any thinner, I look sickly and my face starts drooping. My surgeon's goal for me was 150. I am 63 years old. Karen

[Jachut 487]

I felt great at 130 (I'm 5ft 10) last year, but when i see pictures of me now, it looked awful, really gaunt and sadly, I did indeed look like I had cancer.

See, I like a bit of visible skeleton, lol. Sharp collarbones and such. But seeing actual veins across your chest, and every single rib is a bit much. That's what's unique about models I think, that they can actually be 20lb or more underweight and still have "shape".

At 140 to 145 though, I have thigh bulges and bits that really upset me. Now I have this nice flat tummy, I'm annoyed that I still have love handles which could have been removed with Lipo but because I had a medically necessary Tummy Tuck covered by our public health system for issues caused by other surgeries, lipo and that kind of fine tuning wasnt offered.

But one good thing about having gotten so low, I've learned that the problem bits for me are STILL there, only I dont have cheeks, or breasts or any flesh on my shoulders. So I've stopped trying to get down that low. Doesnt make me entirely happy with my body now, but I've kind of learned how to put that self doubt in its box, accept it will always be there and stick to a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight.

[sam3841 57]

I have been thinking about this for a while. I am 5'11 and according to the bmi scale my healthy range is between 135 and 179. But I do a lot of weight training. I started at 294. Right now I am at 200 and when I talked to my Dr she said I should stay around 190 to 200. I told her that I would still be considered over weight and she said they go by the bmi scale. So idk.

[Sojourner 2,446]

HOw do you pick your goal weight? Initially I said a size 8 then I got there and said no a 6. Now at 150 pounds I'm a size 4 and to me my waist still doesn't look that small. I suppose I'm having body image issues. What's your advice?

Yes, I do believe that you are having issues with your body image.

From what I have read and researched, goal weight should be determined by your BMI, taking into account your age. At age 21, when I was married, I weighed 115 and was 5'6". Now, nearly 40 years later, I am 5'4", and my goal weight is 140.

Initially, my doctor said that my goal weight should be 145, but the BMI for me then would be only 1/10 of a pound below the "obese" range. I added 5 more pounds to my weight loss goal to make it 140, a healthier range for me. I have a small frame, so a few pounds less weight should not make me look unhealthy.

This is something I would discuss with my doctor or surgeon to make a decision about...

[Pollyanna12 74]

Funny I was just thinking about this yesterday. I set my goal weight at a BMI of 30. Not because I think I need to stop there, but because I didn't want to disappoint myself. I have always been heavy (well, for 10 minutes in my 20's I got down to 160#). Like Humminbird said, my skelaton will be a size 12 or 14 - so, I don't think going below 175 is a good idea for me. WHen i look at pictures from when i go to 160, i look emaciated. The lowest I would want is 175, the highest 200. Maybe I can just hang around that range.

As of today, that's a ways off. Right now I just want to get out of bandster hell and start working out like a maniac.