Setting a realistic goal weight...

[dawg 0]

I'm doing great on my unbanded diet and I am now approaching my 'goal' weight.

I set my goal weight at 225 pounds. Not unreasonable by any means given that I started at 307.

Then I ran my BMI at 220 pounds. According to the Center for Disease Control - my goal weight, is overweight.

Not just a bit overweight mind you, 21 pounds overweight. That is quite a significant number by anyone's standards.

So this has led me to ask you all a question. Are people setting realistic goals, or are the "official" goal weights unrealistic?

I'd love to stop being 'overweight", but it certainly seems inplausible from my current weght!

[DonnaB 3]

Interesting question Dawg.

My goal weight is 150. I know from past experience that 150 is very trim for my height and body type. Very trim. Notice I don't say skinny - I'd have to get to 148 to be skinny. *eyeroll* Even so, 150 is smack dab in the middle of my "ideal" weight according to the BMI chart. So . . .

I think our perspective of what our ideal weight should be, is what has changed, thanks in part to changes in clothing sizing, IMO. I guess what I'm saying is modern skinny isn't what skinny was 25 years ago.

Why do you think an additional 21 pound weight loss for yourself is inplausible? Before you started this journey with your wife, I imagine you might have thought an 82 pound weight loss in 6 months was inplausible too, right?

So what am I trying to say? Hell, I don't know. Just rattling I guess.

Good question though.

[Tricia K. 0]

My goal weight is 160, which is 17 pounds above the top number of my "ideal" weight. This still has me in the "slightly overweight" category but I'm perfectly fine with that. I have never wanted to be skinny but rather healthy. Plus, I like my curves and don't ever want to lose them.

[DonnaB 3]

Ya Dawg! You don't want to lose your curves! (hee hee hee)

[dawg 0]

Ya Dawg! You don't want to lose your curves! (hee hee hee)

... I... don't??

Actually I think losing another 21 is implausible simply because I'm starting to look 'thin' already. I need to suck in what I have with muscle.

I also wonder if the "BMI" scale takes all that extra skin into account. Skin is actually heavy stuff.

Blech.

Anyway, I've decided to say "screw it" to the "goal". I'm just going to see where I get to!

[Elisabethsew 50]

Why let a number dictate what you should weigh? Do it the other way, look in the mirror and decide if you like what you see. If the answer is yes, step on the scale and see what you weigh. THAT is YOUR ideal goal weight.

[Dianechef 3]

I agree. I am going to get where I get & see how it feels once I'm there!! My goal is supposed to be 150. Heck, I weighed 172 when I was married & I thought I looked HOT!! I can't even begin to imagine myself at 150!!!!!

People are telling me all the time that I must have hit goal weight & I am still far from it!! I think we all hold our weight differently & you truly can't compare yourself to someone else even if they're the same height & build. We're all just DIFFERENT!!

Now that I've written this, I am really considering changing my goal weight to 172 on my ticker. I think I am just setting myself up for failure by aiming to weight 150. Okay Dawg, now you got me really thinkin' about this. Hmmmmm............. :tired

[mousecrazy 2]

I originally had 150 as my goal weight (I'm about 5'8"), but I had a long talk with myself and thought that might not be the best weight for me. I changed my goal to 180, which is a weight I remember being happy with long, long ago. I'm losing so slow, that loose skin isn't a big issue, thankfully, and I don't want it to be, either...at 150, it might be. I'm just going to go where I go. I chose 180 as a target just for the sake of having a target.

[Dianechef 3]

I changed my new goal to be 172 - my wedding day weight. HOLY COW!! :rant: That means I am now only 25 lbs. away from goal. That seems so much more attainable. I CAN DO THIS!!

Gee, I think I've lost a lb. just by the excitement of it all.

This is liberating!! Ever feel like you lost 22 lbs in one day?? :biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1:

[Tricia K. 0]

Yay, Diane! I'm currently 32 pounds away from my goal and it seems so surreal. I could just imagine what it's going to feel like being 22 pounds away. :rant: :hug:

[cashley 0]

The BMI guidelines are still very flawed since they do not take into account your bone stucture or the amount of lean muscle mass. My husband will always be considered overweight and over BMI since he's a weight lifter and has a great deal of muscle. He holds world records in powerlifting but has problems with getting decent rates on life insurance due to his BMI.

I'd like to see a new standard for BMI that took more factors beside just height and weight.

[NJChick 3]

Dawg your 6'4" ? IMHO 225 lbs at that height is perfect. My brothers are all very tall like you, the biggest 6'6" I can't imagine them being at 200 lbs, they are big boned and would look awful that thin.

My doc wants me to weigh 165.... I'll be happy at 175.

When I was 150 people told me I was to thin and looked sickly. IMHO it depends on your bone structure.

[j.s. 0]

I agree with that bone structure stuff. When I did a "diet" many years ago my goal weight was 125 (I'm 5'3"). When I got down to 135 lb my doc had me stop. I didnt look good, worse tho was... I did not feel good. So my goal weight is 150. That was where I looked the best and felt the best (was a size 8). If the numbers dont match the "ideal weight" that is just gonna have to be too bad.

[Marimaru 7]

BMI is a flawed measurement when thinking about 'ideal weight' in my mind. It's good for an average 'guideline', but I'm not even sure they should be using it to determine who is a candidate for WLS. I mean, if you power lift and you have 50lbs of fat on your body, chances are you are 'obese', or even 'severely obese', and by BMI you might qualify for surgery even though you don't need it. I think they should do something like body fat percentage or something. Then at the same time doctors could say "Your goal body fat percentage should be ___", instead of a scale number.

My original goal was 145, which is well within "normal" of the BMI scale. I've since changed it to 155, which I believe is JUST inside "normal", but I didn't choose it because of that. I remember being on diets at 165, and I was shorter then than I am now, and I didn't have all that much to lose, so I think 155 would be very good for me. Of course, I'll probably cry when I get to 165 anyway.

[FunnyDuddies 6]

I know people give me flack about my goal weight, but when I was at that goal I did not look unhealthy. I used to weigh between 95 and 100 pounds. 120 looks a bit "full" on me. I have thin bone structure, even though i have wide hips. I have a naturally tiny waist line. (20" waist) and the skinny women in my family all look best around 100-110. My goal is 120 cause I know I will have a lot of fat. But I would kill to get back the body I had when I was a young adult.

Rob just hit his goal of 185. He is 6 foot. But he has been doing absolutely no working out excpet walking. He wanted to lose the fat before gaining muscle. Now that he is at goal he is going to start adding the muscle back on. I notice he has lost muscle mass. He can't wait to get it back. And he really is excited about getting all buff and macho. So am I.:eyebrows: :dance: :nod::bounce: