Goal Weights

[earthshrimp 1]

I've recently joined the forum and I was adding my details and it asked for a goal weight.

I've never really discussed exactly what the endgoal should be so I wondered - is there a way to work out what a healthy goal weight should be? And specifics aside, it is useful to create multiple goals for as you go along or just stick with one 'endgoal'?

Just interested to hear opinions on this and also any advice on how to work out what a healthy goal is would be appreciated.

[catwoman7 11,220]

I changed mine a few times as I met them - 200, then 175, then 150. I never dreamed I'd make it to 150, but my surgeon didn't bat an eye when I originally said "200", because I never thought I'd make it there, either.

[summerseeker 2,241]

I had no idea how far this surgery would take me. I also didn't want to dream too high. I had crashed and burned to many times before. I thought that if I lost 60lbs then that would equal what I managed to loose once with Slimming World and again with Weight Watchers and again under my doctor. I smashed through that target very quickly. Then 100lbs came and went. I used to watch the Greatest looser and always wanted to say I was in onderland as I don't ever remember being that weight. My scales clunked down to that dream target too.

Now, I am in a place that I am happy in my body. I could happily stop loosing but very occasionally the scales go very slowly down.

I posed your question to this forum a while ago. Many answered and told me that my body would tell me when it was at the right weight. It seems like it will.

BTW, My NHS doctor wants me under 140lbs but the NHS here will not remove my loose skin so they can go fish . My surgeon and his team are over the moon with my progress. I know I paid for my own surgery but they could have turned me away, I was very unfit. I will always be grateful to them.

Good luck at achieving any weight you decide on

[BabySpoons 617]

Calculators are a way to get a good general idea of how much you should weigh based on height, sex and age, What it doesn't do is take into account bodyfat percentages or muscle mass. But gives you a generalized weight reference to go by.

Ideal Weight Calculator

A better determinate is bodyfat measurement. My bariatric team weighs me using a bodyfat scale. Between the two types of formulas, it should give you a good idea where you need to be.

I only ever had one goal because I knew before I ever gained weight what I should weigh so 150 has always been it. But the number to me isn't as important than being in a healthy range and no longer considered obese. So it's subject to change.

GL @earthshrimp and congrats on your weight loss so far!!

[Arabesque 7,417]

Some use the BMI as a guide. Sometimes your surgeon will suggest a weight you might achieve. For some it’s just a number they pick for no real reason except maybe it sounded like an okay weight. You may chose not to even have a goal weight. I chose a weight I had bounced up from & down to most of my adult life. It would put me in the healthy BMI range (23) but knowing it was a weight I felt good was more important. My surgeon agreed & thought it was achievable.

Whatever weight you choose as your goal (as a final weight or as goals along the way), remember it may not be the weight you end up at. Some people discover they feel better at a different weight, it’s easier to maintain at a different weight (set point), or a different weight better complements their lifestyle & how they want to live their life. Factors like genetics, metabolism, medications, health issues & most importantly what your body’s new set point is (the weight your body is happiest at & is easiest to maintain) have a great influence on your final weight. It’s okay if you don’t reach your goal. Achieving a specific number on the scales isn’t nearly as important as the other benefits of your weight loss.

All the best.

[Fred in Pa 234]

There is a lot of good information above and, as you’ll see, see it varies.

My doctor gave me several.

For me, the first one was based on getting out of the “obese”category of BMI, that was 240 pounds. The second, which I just hit, was getting out of the “overweight” category of BMI which was 200 pounds. The last I think is 187 pounds based on healthy weight.

You’ll find yourself gravitating towards weights that you may have hit in the past as you lose, but you’ll know what to strive for as you start getting closer to them on the scale.

I do suggest setting several as you go down rather than one large, low weight. It helps to hit the mini goals as you go.

[Spinoza 1,453]

I picked a goal weight right in the middle of my healthy (hahahaha what even IS that?) BMI range. I had many many times lost weight and got there by various means previously. My surgeon and dietician thought it might be too ambitious given the average loss with a sleeve, so I was prepared to lose MUCH less.

You can do it any way you like OP! Perhaps pick a weight that you have been comfortable at before. OR a weight/BMI that you really want to reach, for whatever reason. Or lick a finger and hold it up into the wind.

Turns out my team's advice meant virtually nothing. I got to my goal weight and then lost some more. I didn't need to try or do anything specific - just stuck to my plan.

I wish you the best of luck.

[The Greater Fool 2,054]

Personally, I never much cared about a goal weight. I had quite a bit of weight to lose and I could decide on a goal when I got there.

A less obvious reason was in how my mind works. Not reaching a goal weight could have turned a 500+ pound weight loss into a failure. Just part of the joy of having OCD.

Many folks make the mistake of thinking that getting back to the nice weight they were at several years ago is a reasonable goal. It's not. After obesity, mileage and years our bodies are different. You may end up looking very much as you did and still have many more pounds than before.

My goals were about how I felt, my health, my happiness. These also happened to be what my surgeon asked me about. The actual number on a scale was never a topic unless I brought it up.

Good luck,

Tek

[pintsizedmallrat 473]

I think it's very hard to determine how you think you'll look or feel at a certain weight, especially if you've been heavy your entire life and the last time you weighed that little you were a child (True story; I currently weigh the least I have weighed since I was 14 years old, and I look much thinner now than I did then because I have more muscle as an adult).

Be flexible, be realistic, and expect the number to change as you and your body evolve.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,651]

Ok, so my "healthy weight" is 145-155. Well, back when I weighed that in high school, people thought I had an eating disorder because I looked sickly. When I weighed 160, it was better, but I always thought I looked my best between 170-180. But I didn't dare dream I could get there, so I made my goal 200, which still seemed low, but at least seemed possible. Now I'm eyeballing that 180 and thinking I might actually be able to get there. It's ok to change your goal. Nobody said once you choose it, it's set in stone

[Tomo 1,194]

Although BMI is just a guide, unfortunately it's a guide many Doctors go by. So what I did was make each category my next goal under I got to normal BMI. If anything, so I don't have to hear my pcp(s) tell me I'm overweight as if I wasn't already aware of it.

[Arendiva 23]

I'd like to get to 150 because I need to be under 155 to have a "healthy" BMI.

[Clueless_girl 18]

On 9/29/2023 at 8:23 PM, catwoman7 said:

I changed mine a few times as I met them - 200, then 175, then 150. I never dreamed I'd make it to 150, but my surgeon didn't bat an eye when I originally said "200", because I never thought I'd make it there, either.

It looks like we're the same height and I had the goal weight of 150 too. How did you know or decide to change your goal?