How did you decide your goal/ideal weight?

[Caz]

I'm trying to decide what I'm going to set as my goal and was wondering how you all did it? My BMI says that 12 stone (I'm 5ft 9) is the maximum that I can be without being 'overweight' but to be honest, I don't put huge amounts of emphasis on BMI. I don't think it's all that accurate. I did the Dukan diet calculator thing and that suggested that 13st 5lbs would be my ideal maintainable weight. So I was thinking of setting my goal as 13st 5lbs and then seeing how I feel when I get there. Any goal that I set is going to be completely flexible, I'm not the kind of person who once I have a number in my head, I stick to it. I need that number for a goal post in sight, but it can move. So I don't really care if I get to 14st and go you know what, this feels comfortable for me and I stop. Or if I get to 13st 5lbs and feel I need to lose a bit more. I just think that whilst I really do need a goal post, the way that I feel in myself and in my body needs to come before that. I've always been fat since I was a kid, so I don't have anything to go by as what's normal for me. Anyway I'm rambling again, sorry!

 

[Morrigan]

I don't weigh myself so for me it is all about the size I feel comfortable at. I set a goal of reaching a size 12 at the beginning of my journey. Now I am there I feel I still have some way to go before I am happy with my body. As I am quite short this is definitely the 'bigger' end of what looks good on me so I can stand to lose a fair amount more. I do want to be healthy but I also don't want to live my life dictated by the scales. It's the first time I have tried to lose weight in this way and so far, so good!

 

[lindseydodd408]

I've gone for 11 stone to start because it's the top of healthy BMI, however this is very much open for negotiation... if I get there and I'm not happy I can lose or gain more to get to where I'm liking what I see and feel. x

 

[jayne289]

I've gone for 10 stone because it feels like a nice round number, but like you if I get to 11stone and im happy I won't push myself to lose another stone.

I set mini targets, rather than having 5 and 1/2 stone to lose hanging over my hand i set my mini goals every half a stone. Its achieveable in a well behaved month! and feels good when you reach it, much more manageable.

 

[Miss V]

I went for a mid- range healthy bmi - am now only half a stone away from my original goal but in my head the goal posts have already changed. I'm pleased with how I have done so far but still feel I could do with losing another stone! I guess i wont know until I get to my ideal weight. Still -onwards and downwards

 

[xsarahx]

My goal on my side bar is just a mini goal of getting to "overweight", then I will change it to the top end of being "healthy" then I will just see how it goes!

 

[happyhealthy]

I origionall had mine at BMI of 25, but when I got there I thought 'I've got this far, might aswell become nice and slim' so I'm not aiming for 8 stone 5lb (BMI 21)

 

[chick10]

Im aiming for maybe 9 stone, as thats what ive always wanted to be but never reached it! This time im determand to reach it!

 

[shazza87]

i'm aiming for 9 stone this is what i was before i got pregnant... and i hated the way i looked, i thought i was fat!! now i would die for my old figure!!

i think now i have been at my biggest, i look back at old photos and realise i did have a nice figure. so when i fit into another pair of my old pants (i keep trying them on every week) and don't have a muffin top, i will be happy.

Once i've reached my target weight i then want to tone up and get a toned look (god i think i will never be happy whatever size i am!)

 

[Fattack]

I picked 8 stone because it's a nice round number and it's a decent BMI for my height I did the Dukan thing after reading your post Caroline, and it says I should be 125lbs - I wonder if I'll suddenly start seeing SLOOOOW losses once I try to push past there.

Regardless, if I start finding it impossible to lose weight at any point in my "healthy" BMI range then I'll assume that that's where I should be.

 

[Elz0301]

How do I do the dukan thingy that u guys are talking about? X

 

[chick10]

Apparently on dukan my true weight is 9.1 and i will apparently reach that goal on the 28/5/11.... Dont no whether to believe all of this

 

[Caz]

chick... isn't that what your goal weight is anyway? The date that you'll get there is if you follow their diet, so I wouldn't worry about that date too much really. Not sure what their diet and it's losses are like!

Fattack... that's pretty much my thinking really.

Elz... The Dukan Diet: Diets for Quick Weight Loss, Diet menus to help you lose weight it's the pinkish box near the top right

 

[Rigby]

I started losing weight in January last year (weighing 15st 4lb), at that time working to a target of 10st. That would put me only just into the 'normal' BMI category, with a BMI of something like 24.8, and 10st seemed like a good number to aim for, although ultimately I knew I wanted to weigh less than that.

I currently weigh 12st 11lb, restarting actively trying to lose weight in April after some time off trying for various reasons, and am now working to a goal of 9st. That will put me nearer the middle of my healthy BMI category (I realise that BMI isn't everything, I'll adapt my goal when I get nearer to it if I need to).

 

[The Moog]

I'm similar to quite a few people on the thread. My first target (which my ticker goes to) is at the top end of a normal BMI for me, and the first point where I think I might look ok for my weight. 140lbs is down as an 'ultimate' goal, but it's a flexible one - I might stop at 150, 145, or even nudge a little below 140 depending on how I feel about me at the time.

I can't actually remember what I look like at the different weights, so going to very much see how it goes and make a call when I can see what it looks like.