How do you choose a "goal weight"?

[Sonja 16]

So, this whole concept of goal weight has me baffled. According to BMI charts, I believe they estimate that I should weight less than 179 to have a BMI of 25. That seems really low to me!! I am 347 right now, but my thinnest as an adult was 260 & I felt OK there, although there was a definite want to lose more weight. I am tall & I do have a large bone structure. My feet are a size 12. My fingers are longer than my husbands.

I know that when I get sleeved (come on insurance!! ) I will gauge my success on lots of other factors besides weight.... but it is nice to know what you are aiming for!!

How did you guys pick your goal weight??

[Rootman 1,101]

This is a dicey question, like you I looked at the BMI chart an d it said I should weigh between 160 and 190. I'm currently at 210 and look lanky and feel very comfortable. For a month or so now I've lost at most 1 or 2 pounds a week. I consider my weight loss a success and am not going to ACTIVELY lose more weight. I will watch what I eat and monitor my weight and just see how it goes.

Pick a HIGHER number and shoot for it. If you make it with no problem and still feel the need to lose more pounds then readjust your goal to a lower number. Setting it TOO low may just get your discouraged. With the sleeve it's easy but it can't do miracles and setting too low a goal that isn't reachable just won't work in so many ways.

[ILKrista 36]

I also looked at the BMI chart to pick my goal weight. Now, I haven't weighed what my goal weight is since I was in 3rd grade, so I don't know if it is realistic for me as an adult or not... my Dr's goal weight for me is 15-20 pound higher than my goal weight. I about 35 pounds from my goal. I am pretty flexible about getting to the goal or not. I realize that muscle mass effects how much you weigh. I weigh about 10 pounds more than I did in high school, but i am wearing smaller pants & shirts than I did then. Even if I don't lose another pound, I feel like I could be happy with my body (if I can get some of this loose skin removed ). Right now, I feel thick, not fat. I think another 20 off will have me looking pretty dang good. And I'll reassess whether I really need to lose that last 15. Your doctor's office can also help you come up with a good goal weight. They don't want you to start losing muscle in an effort to hit an unrealistic goal for your body type. You might ask them what their opinion is. But most important, is how you feel about yourself. As long as you can look in the mirror & be happy, then the scale shouldn't matter. Good luck!

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

http://www.healthche...weightchart.htm

The link above is from the Metropolitan Life Insurance company - it is their official height / weight tables. It lists the target weight ranges for women assuming 3 lbs of clothing wearing 1" heals. It also lists the ranges by frame size (small, medium and large). If you don't know your frame size - it also tells you how to measure and determine that - by using the distance between the two prominent bones in your elbow when your arm is bent at a 90 degree angle to your body.

So first, determine your frame size. Then, find your target weight range from the chart. Determine how much weight there is from where you started to both the top and bottom of the target weight range. That would be the high and low numbers for how much excess weight you started with. My surgeon told me a VSG sleve patient usually losing 85% of their excess weight in the first year. So take 85% of both your excess weight numbers and subtract that from your original weight. That will give you your high and low numbers for how much weight you will probably lose in the first year.

Here's an example using my numbers:

I started out weighing 253. I am 5'4 barefoot

Using the method described on the link, I measured the distance between the two bones in my elbow at 2". This means I have a small frame (hard to believe).

Going to the chart for height and weight, a 5'5" women with a small frame should weigh 117 - 130.

That means I was carrying between 122 to 136 pounds of excess weight. (253-130=122, 253-117=136)

85% of these numbers are 104 and 116 pounds projected weight loss at one year (85% *122=104, 85%*136=116 both numbers rounded up)

So my goal weight for one year is most likely between 137 and 149.

Hope this helps

[Neoteric Verve 65]

I first BURNED my BMI charts. After that I reflected on my past weights and realized that it is, was and will be my bodyfat percentage that I'll use to gauge my body composition. With that being said, I figured that I want to be in the 10-15% bodyfat range. from that I determined how feasible it is to be at certain weights. I went from 260lb and worked down to around 210lb. Now I know that at my height of 6'3" that "for me" that I'd feel too damn thin at 210lb but who knows. My current goal is to hit 260lb and re-assess my body at that point. If I could be definitively at a size I'd want to be 230lb at 12%bf.

[M2G 1,836]

My surgeon made my goal weight, and I know he based it on being in the "healthy" range on the BMI charts. Then at my 6 month appointment, he looked me up and down and tried to add +15lbs to that original goal!!!

I kept it at the original goal because it is what I would like to shoot for. I plan on re-evaluating my goal here after I lose about 30 more lbs. I will see how much skin I have, what size I am wearing and most of all how COMFORTABLE I am at that weight, and then I will decide to stop or continue down further.

It's all very personal and really in the end it is YOUR body YOUR life and YOUR goal...do what is best for YOU!

[LindaS 316]

My surgeon used the BMI charts. At first, he said my goal should be 135 (the lowest on the chart). He then said 145 would be OK. I weighed 145 in high school, so I know it isn't a bad weight for me, but 135 seems too skinny at this point. For my goal weight, I went in between them.

I also have teenage daughters with healthy normal BMIs. They weigh in at 115, 130 and 145 and range between 5'4 and 5'6 in height. I'm 5'7 (and a half to be technical). I would like to be 140, but frankly anything under 170 will be gravy.

[Lisa :) 231]

My surgeon asked me what my goal weight was and I told her I refuse to have one!!! I told her that I just wanted to be healthy and to feel comfortable in my body. I have spent too many years of my life allowing the number on the scale to define how I felt about myself. Now it's more about doing the things I want to do...and being around for my kids and my partner!!! But if I had to use numbers then I would definitely use body fat %, not BMI and not weight.

[christin 54]

http://www.healthche...weightchart.htm

This means I have a small frame (hard to believe).

I do too. That seems to indicate that my high school weight of 120-125 is actually a realistic goal at 5'5". I feel almost intimidated to hope for reaching that, but it would be awesome.

[Thomas CPA 496]

My original physician recommending me told me to get to 150 lbs, weight at which I am not even overweight for someone 5 foot 8 inches. Yeah! haven't been that light since college and going up to 305 lbs changed my frame. At 198 I have a good shape, outline of ribs. My current physician and I think 180 is lowest I should go making my bmi 27. Forget the 25, you have to consider as the weight comes off what is right for your body. 150 is ridiculous, I would look like a skeleton.

[Lanette 124]

My doc calculated my goal by finding my "healthy" weight based onBMI chart,which is 155 for my height, then calculating what my "excess weight" was. His goal was for me was to lose 80% of that excess weight, which would put me at 177lb. I have exceeded that in less than 6 months and only have 17 lb to go until I reach the 100% of excess weight lost. My goal was to be in the "healthy" range with a 5lb cushion. But my other goal was to be in size 8 jeans andi did that this week.

[McKee 0]

My surgeon used the BMI charts. At first, he said my goal should be 135 (the lowest on the chart). He then said 145 would be OK. I weighed 145 in high school, so I know it isn't a bad weight for me, but 135 seems too skinny at this point. For my goal weight, I went in between them.

I also have teenage daughters with healthy normal BMIs.

They weigh in at 115, 130 and 145 and range between 5'4

and 5'6 in height. I'm 5'7 (and a half to be technical). I

would like to be 140, but frankly anything under 170 will be

gravy.

Hi Linda we are the same height and I have settled with the 140-150 range which would still be in the normal BMI.

[msdw59 11]

So, basically there is no definitive answer! Damn and blast!

About two weeks ago my PA asked where did I want to be weight wise. And, I was stumped. In my entire life, I have never set a weight goal. Maybe that's why I've had issues with my weight for 33 years (I'm 50).

I finally told the PA, If I made it under 200; for me that would be the win.

My highest weight was a whopping 377lbs.

I went on a self imposed diet and lost 70lbs on my own. Then lost 12 on the pre-op liquid diet. 50lbs off since the surgery (June 13, 2011). Naked weight is now 238 and I look good at 238.

Theoretically, I could loose the 39lbs in the upcoming 3 months and meet my goal (6 months post op).

My weight upon entering high school was 153 and I walked out the door 4 years later weighing 177 (and at 177, I felt fat and depressed as a kid) If I made it to 177, hell I might walk down the street naked! LOL (No video please)

[kellyw74 258]

BMI charts are fine for some, but are NOT a one size fits all approach. I picked the high end of the chart for my goal weight and thought I would start there. I can NOT imagine being on the low end of that scale. 140lbs would have me looking like a crackhead for sure. I am tall and weigh 170 now and I think I look healthy, fit and normal. I could lose another 10lbs, but that would be it!!

Just pick a number and then when you get there decide for yourself if you want or need to lose more. That is what I am doing and ONLY YOU know what is good for you. If you feel you have lost enough, then stop. If you need to lose more, then set it to a lower number.

Best of luck to you!!

Kelly

[RickM 1,747]

My goal weight is based on body composition, aiming to get to 15% body fat, which is on the lean side of normal for men (or middle of the "fitness" range on some charts) but still short of the athletic range. For me, that currently works out to about 190 (22 more to go!) which would still make me "overweight" on the BMI scale at 27, but as noted, BMI is fairly meaningless on an individual basis.