Setting a Goal Weight

[Colls 0]

Hello All,

I was wondering how to set a goal weight. I was banded on the 20th and went for my follow up appointment yesterday and I forgot to ask the doctor. I want to be realistic, but I also do not want to underestimate myself.

The calculators that you find on the web basically say that a healthy weight for my height is between 101-136 lbs. Anything under 130 just sounds really low - but maybe that's because I can't imagine being in the 100's - I have been over 200 lbs for as long as I can remember.

Once I figure out my ultimate goal, I will be able to set my mini goals. I believe in mini goals - ultimate goals can be overwhelming :thumbdown:

Thanks in advance for any advise out there

[happy2lose 0]

Hello,

I totally agree with you about setting mini goals. I want to lose 150 pounds but that number has always seemed just tooooo overwhelming. This is why I set my first weight loss goal at 50 pounds. My second goal was 75, my third 100 and my final is 150. By setting these mini goals I have not ever felt overwhelmed and I have now made it to my second goal.

I think those weight charts that tell you where to be at your height are crap. Not everybody is healthy when they look like a twig and I have never been a twig. For this reason I set my goal at a realistic weight that I feel I will be able to maintain.

Best of luck to you! You can do it!

Donna

[lamber2299 0]

I played with a BMI calculator online until I found what the highest weight considered "average" for my height and age. I am 37 and 5'4" so for me it is 150.

[2Flyguys 13]

i NEVER set mini-goals for myself...i was afraid i would get frustrated and discouraged....like i used to on conventential diets...when i didnt reach the goals i set...i would just give up...i did had an over-all weight i wanted to get achive...which i did without setting mini goals or weighting myself constantly...i only weighted in at my dr.s appointments and was always pleased and excited...when people ask me my opinion (which i know ur not )...i always tell them goals can be a good thing or a bad thing....i personally think u should take ur journey day by day...relax...follow the rules....exercise and enjoy ur loss!!!!!!!!!

[Jachut 487]

Setting smaller goals seems to make sense, but to me, there's no way if I need to lose 150lb that I can take my eyes off THAT prize and aim for 50, its just not the way my head works. i'd be saying "yes, I'll try to lose 50, but of course I'm going way past that".

so I just set a low goal weight and went for it. No smaller goals along the way.

that said, I did have other, non weight goals and that really really helped. I focussed equally as much on becoming a runner, running longer distances etc. and the weight kind of came off as a side effect.

We can all weigh healthy weights, it sounds low and its really really common to think you'd look sick at that weight but you wont.

[happy2lose 0]

Since we are all very different, I feel it is important to find what will work for our individual needs and stick with it.

During past diets I would keep my eye on the prize and fail every time. I want this time to be different and I want to succeed and this is what is working for me so far. Mini goals is what works for me!

Best of luck to you,

Donna

Donna

[LollyMoe 1]

I set a overall goal of 150 but my mini goals are 1-2 pounds a week. As long as I am doing that I feel I'll reach the overall goal eventually. I weigh each Wednesday morning on my scale and don't weigh on any other scale. So far it's good.

[Humming Bird 275]

I set my final goal weight at a weight I was very comfortable at in the past. In my life I have seen skinny, chubby, & obese. I was a chubby child, very thin in some of my teen years, and the classic Yo-Yo dieter as an adult (skinny, fat, skinny, fat). I am 5'7" and I felt most comfortable at 150 pounds. I have a long way to go before I see that weight again, so I take it day by day.

My final goal is to maintain that weight of 150 and that is so far in the future, I can not obcess over it. That is where I hope the band will be different from all the other things I have tried.

[carbgrl 0]

Like Humming Bird, I too have been a yo-yo dieter...skinny,fat,skinny fat... I'm 5'4 and felt the most comfortable in the past at 145 lbs. It's on the high side of the healthy range, for my height but, for me, if I go below that weight people say I look to skinny. I agree it's a personal decision and believe you should do what's best for you. I bet there are some who don't choose a goal weight at all. Their goal is to get to a healthy weight range.

[vonhelzing 3]

I had set my goal at 106lbs to put me at 150lbs but 1 year later today and 90lbs lighter i feel and look great so don't get hung up on the numbers.

[gatorgal 0]

I think it's an individual decision. My primary care doctor and I discussed a do-able weight for me, and my surgeon agreed that it was attainable for me. It's at the high end of normal, but I'm also 45 years old and don't have the skin of a a 20-year-old.

While I set an overall goal for weight loss, I did NOT set a time goal for when that weight has to be off. This would really defeat me. Instead, for each 10 pounds I lose, I Celebrate in a non-food way: pedicure, new pair of shoes, facial, etc. Again, I don't set a certain time for myself to lose the weight, but the little "woo hoo" celebrations keep me focused.

Hope this helps! I'd make sure to talk to your doctor so that you can be realistic.

[Moxi 0]

Keep in mind that your goal weight is not set in stone. If you set it on the higher side of normal and when you attain it you think you'd be better off if you lost more, then you can go for it. If you set it too low and can't quite get there, then you can stop when you are at a good healthy weight. I think it can be difficult sometimes to pick a "perfect" weight when you are so far away from it at the time. Good luck. :Yawn:

[nkara 0]

Well my doctor asked me what I wanted to get down to and I told him 150. I am 5'2 1/2" and 41 years old. My start weight is 232 (give or take) :Yawn: He told me that was fine. I know on my chart I should probably be less but I don't think that's realistic for me. I couldn't tell you when I was down that low.. probably when I was 12!

Any direction in the downward direction is good for me.

[jms462001 9]

i NEVER set mini-goals for myself...i was afraid i would get frustrated and discouraged....like i used to on conventential diets...when i didnt reach the goals i set...i would just give up...i did had an over-all weight i wanted to get achive...which i did without setting mini goals or weighting myself constantly...i only weighted in at my dr.s appointments and was always pleased and excited...when people ask me my opinion (which i know ur not )...i always tell them goals can be a good thing or a bad thing....i personally think u should take ur journey day by day...relax...follow the rules....exercise and enjoy ur loss!!!!!!!!!

I agree with you!!