Setting a goal?

Hi all, I am new to the site and so glad I found it.  I just got my surgery date July 13th!!! I am struggling with setting a realistic goal, and am wondering how you all came up with your numbers.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Current stats are 5ft. 4 inches, female, 132 lbs. I'm 52 years old.  I would love to put down a goal of 130, but am afraid I may be setting myself up for failure and wonder if 150 isn't more realistic.

You can reach any goal you set your mind to.  I am assuming your 132 was a typo and you are starting at 232?  It is completely possible to reach your goal of 130 with hard work and determination.  

Thank you Kat, yes definitely a typo should read 232....

Hi there,

my doctor set my goal.  She set it for 150 pounds.  I said i would like to go to 135 pounds.  She said she would support that.  I am 5'2'.  I will try to get down to 125 pounds due to the 10 pound regain that i have read about.

That can depend on your body frame, body build, and muscle tone now and later on. 

I am 5'4" and ... Big frame ( shoe size10). ..

When I dropped to 145 - I got to size 4... Too small for my frame. Very low body fat %.

That may look good on a young person, but for me, it was too low. (50 y) 

Now I maintain at 160- 165.. With size 6-8 bottom, 10-12 top..

My friend.. -same age, is 30 lbs ligher, wears size 10-12... She is build differently. 

Yous and up at120, or 155, 160... Depends where your body would take you if you follow the Path. 

My doctor will not even set a goal. He said he wants people to get down to what they can. He don't say for example he wants you to loss 120 lbs and you only loss 110. He thinks that makes people feel like they have failed because they didn't loss the whole 120 BUT look they did loss 110 and that is a wonderful. I have a great doctor. I set my goal to be at least what my PCP set for me when I reached my WW goal. She did say when we get older we don't always get down to what WW thinks we should. My goal in 2011 was 11 lbs higher than what WW said was in the normal range for me. Now my height says I am 1" shorter than I though so my goal should be lower. I am just working to get down to at least the Goal  had I 2011...which I felt good at....but if I can get down another 10-20 lbs I would love it.

Change your goal from a number to how you're feeling.  I know that's hard to do because we're so focused on the scale and what we weigh, have lost, etc.

At this stage, enjoy the process of losing weight and enjoying your healthy lifestyle.  You'll find bones you never knew existed, wear clothes you might never have imagined you could, have more energy than you know what to do with.  Those are the fun goals - much more than a number.  For now, have a goal that is within your normal BMI.  Check out the Post-Op Planner with your info.

Congrats on your surgery date!

My goal is 136 but my surgeon told me to go 10, 20, or even 30 pounds lower to allow for bounceback.

I set mini-goals for myself to avoid disappointment. My surgeon sent an overall goal which was to lose 80% of my excess weight. I started at 288, my first goal was to be below 250, then it was to be below 200, then it was to hit my surgeons goal of 180, then it was to get down to 170, 160 etc... as I got closer I decided I wanted to be closer to 100 than 200 so I chose under 150... I hit 145 and found I was able to maintain that weight and has stuck there.