Goal weight, how do you decide?

I think you need to pick a realistic number for you. If they disagree just take their advise and do what your body tells you. I am 5'6" and 62 years old. My original goal was 160. I was quite happy their. Due to illness not related to wls I lost another 20 lbs. I have maintained this for 8 months now and it seems to be the weight that works for me. We all have different body shapes and structures. You have to find what works for you

Wow! It takes courage to make this change.  I just turned 50 and I'm so nervous about this.  When I see a post like yours, it gives me courage!

I am probably one of the very few people that never choose an actual number .

 I allowed myself a range and then always had a (gain limit) in mind, which at almost 5 years post-op I have maintained.  I didn't want to be one of those people who lost (x) amount of weight only to gain back 20, 30, 40+ lbs and for ME....I knew that being realistic was extremely important.

 

You are on the right path. I met with my surgeon at 5 weeks and he asked the same question. I told him 170 as I felt comfortable there and he told me 190 would be more realistic so...I'm going to see if I can get to 150.  8 weeks out and down 36 lbs. I picked my goal weight from the last time I felt good in my own skin at 5' 4".

Are you down 36lbs since opti fast or is this just your après surgery,

I'm 36lbs down since Opti fast It would be 8 week for me.

I'm just wondering if I'm losing at a good rate.

I am down from surgery alone. I was only on Opti fast for 3 days. I had surgery October 9th.

Remember that with massive weight loss there is extra skin and that weighs too.  So it might be that you will weigh more than you prefer due to weight of skin.

 

Your goal weight is not the lowest weight you might obtain after surgery.  It should be a weight that puts you at a normal BMI of about 25.  That is where you desire to end up after the surgery weight loss is over and the regain period has ended.

So you might set a goal of 150, then lose down to 120 or 130.  You can then decide if that lower weight is what you want to work to maintain or you can attempt to remain at your goal weight. 

Weight loss surgery involves a fairly massive weight loss right off the bat that generally slows down after about six months.  There is still weight loss or at least effortless maintenance until the surgery honeymoon ends.   Some people look very skinny and somewhat sick during that part of the journey. Then there is generally about twenty pounds of regain as the body readjusts. 

Your true goal weight is what you weight after that process ends.

Remember that many people never get to what is considered a "normal" weight. Looking at the BMI isn't really a good thing and I have always been told to look at non scale successes (off medication, able to walk, etc.)

I think we get too caught up with getting down to a normal weight and then you feel like a failure when you don't get there.

I love that Ottawa WMC because they never discuss a goal weight and only emphasis medical issues and overall feeling of health.

 

(I used to be so obsessed with getting down to 145 (which would be a normal weight for me) so I totally get it.

 

Agree with those that have said not to get hung up on numbers or BMI. I don't know too many people who have actually "chosen" when to stop losing weight - it is exceptionally difficult to predict. Not to mention that BMI is a terrible measure of health at a personal level. Aiming for a "normal" BMI is a meaningless exercise.  You should aim to be as healthy as possible, which varies considerably depending on where you came from. And you should aim to develop sustainable habits that you enjoy and can keep up for the rest of your life. If the difference between 160 lbs and 170 lbs is an extra 6 hours a week in the gym, and you hate the gym...  

Also just want to comment on those who think the surgeons are only interested in their success rates. They don't ask you the question just to pad their statistics.  In fact your personal goal has nothing to do with how they measure their success. They only look at your start and finish numbers, along with improvements in your co-morbidities. That's it!  When they ask about personal goals, they just want to know if your expectations are in line with typical results. If your starting weight is 300 lbs and your goal is 150, it's unrealistic. Impossible? No. But statistically highly unlikely. And how many people can relate to the experience of getting frustrated and eventually giving up after not seeing the success they'd envisioned when first embarking on a weight loss plan? They simply don't want to over promise because it's impossible to predict.  They set you an average goal because average is average :)