Let's Talk about Goal Weight

I'm 5'10". My goal is 170. I set the goal for myself (the upper range of a normal BMI for my height). I have gotten down to 189 before, and I was pretty normal sized (size 10), and I was happy there. To get to 170 may actually be overdoing it for my build. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for making me think of this, Becky, because I have my 3 month follow up on Thursday, so I'll have to remember to discuss this with him. Julie 391/297/170 hoping to get to my doctor's goal of -100 pounds by my appt Thursday.

My doctor set my goal weight. Well, actually he set my goal BMI. When I asked him about what his goal for me was he said a normal BMI which is 22-25. He said anything under 22 would be malnutritious (is that a word???). That being said, my weight from that BMI is 120-130; I settled for something in the middle which is 125...reasonable it seems. I'm only 39 pounds away!!!!

Hey Becky... that's a good question. I have been thinking about that myself, and when I saw my surgeon for my 2-month check-up, I mentioned that I had been thinking about it. In the beginning he told me he would like to get me down to around the 30 BMI range but didn't give me any specific number. I am 5'4" and before surgery I lost 33 pounds (started at 333), so I weighed 300 at the time of surgery. I just decided my goal myself... the number I'm shooting for is 168 - it will put me slightly below the top of the "overweight" category (BMI of 28-29) and it will mean that I will have lost exactly 165 pounds (nice even number). I also considered how I felt the last time I lost weight and got down to 179... I felt great and I could fit into a size 12, so 168 might put me in a 10. I'd be happy with that, and my surgeon said it sounded reasonable. If I get there and I feel like I can and want to go further, then I'll go for it. I like the idea that I have less than 100 pounds to go before I reach my "goal" (I'm was at 254.6 yesterday at the Dietician). Tanja

I'm 5' 7.5" so about the same as you. I'm pretty big boned - can you say Swedish and German descent. I can almost palm a basketball and can stretch my fingers almost an octave and a half - plus I have size 12 feet - always had no matter what my weight was. Anyway, I set my goal at 160. I've never weighed that as an adult but I was 167 lbs once... for a day... back in the early 1980s. I looked pretty damn good at that weight so I figured a few extra pounds to be "sure" and voila - my goal! My surgeon said the *ideal* weight for my height was 150 but obviously he thought my 160 was a reasonable goal. Personally I'd be thrilled to be below 180. Kathy

I am 5'5" and have figured out that 147lbs is the highest I can weigh and be at a normal weight. To me, I diddnt have this surgery to remain morbidly obese, or just obese or even overweight. I havent been at a normal weight since I was 7yo and I'd love to know what it feels like as an adult. I think the last time I weighed 147lbs I was 13 or 14 and probably 5 inches shorter. I know that this may not be possible because I inherited my Dad's big bones, not to mention genetic tendancy to be obese, and it may not be possible for my body to get that light. Anyway, that is the weight I am working twards. FYI: I also cant believe I have lees than 100lb to go till my goal!! 280/220/147

My goal weight is 175. I came up with this because my mother and I have a similar body make-up. I am honestly large boned and I'm 5'8". My mom one time went on her 'uber-diets' and lost a bunch of weight and got to about 155 one time. She looked completely sick. She had the sunken, drawn look and people were starting to get concerned about her thinking she'd gotten anorexic. When she put some of the weight back on she started looking a bit better. So, that's how I came up with my goal weight. I ran it by my surgeon and he said that was good. Michelle

I am 5'9" and my doctor has my goal weight at 147 this is based on the middle weight on the chart in his office. On my work's health site they actually break it into categorys by frame (to figure your frame size take your middle finger and thumb and wrap around your wrist bone, if the fingers overlap your small, if they meet your medium and if there is a gap your large) now based on this I am a large frame. The top range is 170 so that is my personal goal, funny thing is though if you take the lowest weight on the small chart and the highest on the large chart it averages out to 147. To be honest if I can break 200 I will be happy since I started at 390 and was over 400 prior to that.

I am participating in a study at a nearby university. I was weighed underwater to determine my fat vs. lean mass (bones, muscles, organs, etc). In discussing the results with the professor doing the study, we determined that a reasonable goal for me is 150-160. That would put me at about 27% body fat which is the higher end of good. At my first weighing April 20, my lean mass was 155 (53%) and my fat mass was 137 (47%). As of July 19, my lean mass is 135 (57%) and my fat mass is 103 (43%). Excellent results if I may say so myself. I will be weighed again in January and again next July. If there is any way to have yourself weighed in this manner, I would highly recommend it. What good is it to set a goal weight of 130 if your bones, muscles & organ themselves weigh 135? You are setting yourself up for failure. Take care, J