Choosing a goal weight

[isaviolinist 11]

I've set a goal body fat percentage of 22% which is a healthy body fat percentage for a woman my age. Based on that, I will probably be somewhere between 145-160 pounds when I reach that (I currently have slightly over 140 pounds of lean mass which is quite a lot...most women my age and height have 110-115 pounds of lean mass...I'm assuming my lean mass will go down by 10-15 pounds as I lose weight...although as I've lost the last 60 pounds, I've actually gained 1/2 pound of lean mass....I'm not complaining as its burning calories for me). Currently I'm just under 29% body fat. Once I get to 22% body fat, I'll reassess and see if I can get any lower. BMI plays no role in determining my goal weight - it is a pretty worthless determinant of health and should really only be used by the companies to determine whether or not they'll pay for WLS. I love this illustration - it aptly demonstrates why BMI is so ridiculous: Silliness of BMI in an illustration

[AlienBandit 10]

A few years ago when I lost weight I made it to 150 ( 2 times) and then always gained it back. After that I was determined for my weight to be 135ish as my goal.

When I got to 160 even 150 seemed impossible so I changed my goal to 140 and now at 150 with a few tummy tucks and Lipo I am almost happy with myself so I might change my goal to 145.

I am already within a healthy bmi range so we'll see how things go.

[Jachut 487]

I agree with the body fat goal too - I think that's great, because everyone has a different body type. Now, I only know becuase of my scale, and we all know that what scales tell you about body fat and hydration can be wildly inaccurate, but going from 150lb to 135, my body fat has dropped from 22% down to 18%. My goals now are not weight related at all, but I would like to see my body fat at about 20% and my weight rise to whatever is necessary to put a bit of muscle back on my body (I've definitely dropped lean muscle in that weight loss).

Body types, hey? I look at Kim Kardashian for example and wonder how it is possible to be so wondrously curvy without being flabby. The answer is probably how much muscle her body type carries. I put any weight back on and it goes on as fat, I have two choices with my body, which is lightly boned, lightly muscled but pear shaped - I can be a healthier weight with flabby bits or I can be extremely skinny.

I also think PS has a valuable role to play becuase you can get to a healthy weight with a bit more fat coverage for your face and chest, so that you look healthy and young, but you can nip and tuck the bits below that bother you. I would look fabulous at 70kg with a fair bit of Lipo around the hips and thighs, but its just not on the cards for me, with my family needing a bigger house, and private school fees for three kids, sigh. And I've had enough brutal surgery lately, I just dont think I can face something voluntary like a Tummy Tuck.

I think your goal has to take into account your body type, but i never knew what mine was till I lost weight, I would always have called myself "big boned".