How did you set your goal?

My surgeon set a "goal" for me of 165. I think that was based on the 80% ewl that seems to be the "average." I just shrugged at that point and agreed, secretly just hoping for a size 12 which seemed "normal" to me.

When I reached that weight and I was still losing, I reset my goal weight to 149 which was a normal bmi for my height (5'5"). I've also gone past that and I've seemed to settle somewhere between 137-140. I wear a size 10, or some 8s.

I have no idea if I'll stay here. People keep telling me I need to stop losing at work (although that's another rant....), but honestly I'm just along for the ride!

I'd thought 115-120 would be good, at 5'1", but my body stopped at 150 at 5mo out then dropped another 10lbs at 9mo out.  So at 140, I'm not a normal BMI, but I've been weight stable for 2.5+ yrs.  This was a set point for me for several years, and it's fine with me.  I wear size 9 and med/large tops.  I look and feel healthy.  No complaints and I can easily live with where my body stopped. 

 
HI there!  I'm 5' 7 1/2 " too!  I started out as a lightweight, with about 100 lbs to lose.

I pulled my goal out of the air.  All I wanted to be was in regular clothing sizes--14.  I dared not dream of a 12.  I figured I'd weight about 165 lbs, which is still overweight but was OK by me.  I got to those sizes and that weight, and I was NOT OK!  I wanted to be thinner.  I felt like I had room to lose more and still be healthy.

At about 8 months out, I saw my surgeon.  He said I was doing great.  I asked him what weight goal he set for me, and he said 140 lbs.  That's smack in the middle of the normal BMI range.  I laughed like crazy at him.  

Now, here I am at about 145.  I can assure you that it's a reasonable size, and I would love to lose those final 5 lbs to settle well into the next size lower.

I'd say set two goals, and set them based on clothing size:

1) The biggest size you'd be satisfied to live with (for me, it was 12) AND
2) The secret size of your dreams that you don't say out loud (for me, it was an 8).

Any place in between there will be great!  

I went in stages. Started @ 250 as goal, then 199, then maybe 180, then hoped I might get to 160...and that was pretty much it. I last remembered being 160 being semi normal. I had no way to fathom anything beyond that.

My DS and I kept on working together and I am goal I guess. I stay 125-128 almost all the time. It's what happen ..I didn't dictate it.

I'm a shrimp compared to you!  I'm only 5'2!  I chose 120 as a goal weight, because it's right in the middle of "normal" for my height.  I weighed 120lbs my senior year in high school, and thought I was fat.  Of course, I also had a cheerleading coach who encouraged bulemia-like behaviors, and even offered to buy us laxatives.  She put loads of negative "tapes" in our heads about our sizes.  I float between 114 and 123 for now, and I'm in a size 2 to 4, depending on the brand.  I'd like to lose another 10-15lbs, so that if I have any bounce, I'll still be comfortably in the "normal" range.

I just wanted to be at a normal BMI 24.9 or lower. I didn't want to go through all of this and still be considered overweight.

All of the statistics concerning percentage of weight lost use the difference between a normal BMI weight and the surgery weight to define "excess weight." If you are comparing yourself to that, use the weight you would be at a 24.9 BMI and don't count anything lost pre-op.

However, your goal can be whatever you want it to be. Older women and women with larger frames often look better with a little extra weight on them putting them over a normal BMI. Whatever makes you happy.

You'll be 280 in a matter of months, before you've barely started.

Thanks ladies. I think I'll set a goal of size 12 and not worry about the scale! I always did weigh more than I looked like I did. I remember my first wedding, my dress was a 14 and I weighed 200!

 Okay...now ya'll have me dreaming.....I'm five two or three, seems as though diff docs have differernt measurements for some odd reason, I weigh 323......my DREAM would be to weigh about 140, but I remember being 165 and looking and feeling good about myself.  My main objective is to get rid of the diabetes and joint pain.  If I can move, groove and boogie my big ol' arse, I'll be a happy camper!

Pre-op my personal goal was to get to 150lbs. I told the surgeon that's what I wanted my goal weight to be. It seemed like a good number, but SO far out of reach. At my last appointment, I weighed in at 192lbs, and the nutritionist told me that the 150 goal weight was too high, that I was losing so fast that she thought 130 would be better. I was astonished. I'm thinking there is NO way I can get to 130. That seems SO tiny to me! I guess we will see...it's only 62lbs away!