Goal weight

[skinnygirl 1]

My weight goal my Dr set was 180 and I'm 5 "4.

What are some of you guys weight your dr set and how tall are u?

Just wondering cause that goal seems high to me.

[Cindy C 150]

M doctor didn't set a goal for me. He asked me what my goal was. I think 180 is way to high for you. That would still leave you with a BMI of over 30 which is still obese. To get down to a healthy BMI of 25 you need to be under 145. Judging by the progress you've made so far, I don't see any reason for you not to able to do so. Good Job!

[sweetpea61956 6]

my doctor didn't set a goal weight...it is up to me. I am 55, 5'5" and want to get between 155 and 170 last time I was 155 I was 18 and 170 I was 21.

[Mimilou2004 13]

I think you have the potential to be 145 or less!!! I am wondering if he set it so high so you could attain it then re-evaluate and choose a new goal. I have changed my goal many many times during this journey. I think it important to not only attain a goal but go through and maintain that weight for a while. I am 5'0" and my current goal is 116.....I know I can get there but don't know if I can commit to maintaining it....that is why this whole thing is a journey!!!! I wish you the best and keep posting.

Mimi

[brenda62 47]

The one thing that bothers me about the big BMI is it does not take in bone structure. I have a large bone structure and will still be considered overweight when I hit my goal of 160 (I am also 5'5) Any thinner and I will look sick, so set your own goal, you know your body and will know when you hit the weight you look and feel your best at.

[muelle 64]

My doctor and I have never discussed what my goal weight should be. I plan on speaking to him about it at my next appointment though because I am really close to the goal weight I set for myself. I am 5'5" and initially wanted to weigh 140, which would put my BMI at 23, but I think I may want to lower my goal a little. When I set the goal at 140, I honestly thought I would never get there so it seemed low to me at that time, but now that I am so close, it seems very obtainable. I guess I'll wait and see what my doctor says Good luck to you on your journey!!!

[Jess55 97]

I think my doc set a goal weight, but I'm not sure what it is. He always tells me I've lost whatever percent of my excess weight. So I assume he has a goal written down,but has never said as much to me. My goal right now would put me at the top of a normal BMI. I'll have to see how I feel as I get closer, since I've been overweight for my whole adult life and started gaining in my teenage years, I do not ever remember being that weight, so I have no idea what I will look like.

[sandiburn 23]

I am also 5" 4. I set my own goal at 140. From what I have read here that is what everyone thinks too. Its your body and your goal.

[YngGram 73]

My doc only told me what my recommened BMI was and to keep it in mind as I set my goal. I am pushing for 5'2", that would put me at 135 which I haven't seen since I left boot camp in 1978. I told him that I didn't want to look like some starving kid in Africa. I also didn't want that caught in headlights look that Star Jones has. Most importantly I didn't want to set a goal and not make it; then I would feel like I failed. I set myslef at 170 thinking I could do it. I'm about 7lbs short and they just won't go. I feel better, hate the fact that I am still obese but I'm not doing all I can to get more off. A recent fil gave me restriction for the first time. Now I just have to get my head in the game.

[kll724 3,055]

I am at goal! But, my goal was lower than my doctor's goal. He said 150, because of my age, 63. He said older woman(he by the way is around 65), look bad if they loose too much weight. I am hovering around 140-145. That keeps me in a BMI of normal. I feel great, and never thought that I would meet goal. This is the 1st time I met goal in all my weightloss programs. You need to determine what you want to loose. If you are happy at weighing 180, and still being overweight for your height, then set that as your goal. Good luck, Karen

[cakegirl 12]

My doctor didn't set a goal for me. He left it up to me. I am the same height as you, and my goal is 130.

[Melissannde 41]

Do not use the BMI as your sole measure of your goal. The BMI is not accurate for those who've been obese an extended period of time (our bones are heavier and skew the results), or athletes, or for older adults.

I would also use the metric of waist size.. it should be about half of your height and how you feel and how you look.

If I were solely going by the BMI, my goal should be 149 to be at the upper edge of normal. I'm about 163 now.. and starting to think about consulting with PS's... If I never lose another lb.. I'm happy where I am. Even if I gain a little.. (keyword.. LITTLE) I'm satisfied with my wt loss.

If you think you will need or want Plastic surgery, you may want to leave a little wiggle room.

JMO.

[elcee 3,340]

I would love to know how having been obese for a while makes your bones heavier?

There is a lot of scope within a normal BMI. There is no way that at the top end of that range that a person would look skinny, gaunt or like a starving refugee!

You have to aim for a couple of things.

A weight that is healthy.

A weight that makes you happy.

A weight that makes you look good.

Having said that though to not aim for a normal BMI after going through the process of being banded is selling yourself short - I think fear is what keeps many people from achieving this goal. I believe that a lot of the people that say they will be too skinny don't really think or feel that - they just don't think that they will be able to achieve it.

Mimi , you are the same height as me - I am sure that you can get to your goal. Rest assured that maintaining with a band is really a lot easier than you think. I have been on an extended overseas holiday where I didn't worry too much about what I was eating. I came home weighing the same as when I left. Yes my weight does fluctuate but not much. It seems to go up and down within a 1kg(2.2lb) range.

[TracyW2 137]

I'm 5'9" and my dr had a goal of 160-190. I'm sitting between 175-180 and am quite happy with where I am. I have a lot of hanging skin around my belly that would need surgery to fix. So I'm sure once that is gone, I will be down a little more.

[Jachut 487]

If my metric waist size was half my height, I would fall into the category of being high risk for heart disease, as it would be over 80cm!

And if I had a waist size as large as 80cm, I would also have a double chin, a fat arse and cellulite. Healthy shmealth!!!y. I wanted to look good. And I dont look good at 180lb! I'm 5ft 10 and 140lb at the moment and I like that MUCH better. The stupid nutritionist I saw told me I'd never get to 154, I was being totally unrealistic. My doctor never mentioned a goal. I guess your goal depends whether you're a "I just want to be healthy" type or a "I want to be hot" type. I was/am way more the second type and I dont believe age has anything to do it, as I'm 44.

The only thing I noticed, I got a bit thinner after chemo, and was down to a BMI of 19/20. This is not actually underweight, its the very bottom of my healthy range though. My fill doctor (not my surgeon) was really funny about it, she wouldnt give me my fill back after being totally empty for the surgery, she really wanted me to gain weight. WTF is with everyone being so afraid of not having meat on your bones? If I'd dropped even lower, sure, once you're underweight you do need to gain. But what was wrong with wanting to stay at a BMI of 20? I couldnt by the way, once chemo finished and I regained some health, I gained 10lb pretty quick even WITH Fluid in my band.

Let your doctor set you a goal if you like, then if you're anythign like me, just ignore it and do whatever the hell you want. I know the difference between medical advice I need to listen to and medical "opinion" that I can ignore if I choose. You can weigh whatever you want. Dont be afraid to shoot for a low weight if you really want to, you dont know till you get there whether its maintainable, or whether it will look good. I feel a bit yuck because I've gone back to 140lb from 130 - but heck, I'm 5ft 10, it was pretty darn skinny. But I'd rather feel a bit fat and flabby from having gained so much weight, lol, than to have never experienced it. I know now its not maintainable for me, its too hard and takes sacrifices I'm not willing to make. And that $300 pair of jeans in my cupboard that fit me for 5 minutes can go on ebay where they wont mock me!

Likewise if you want to remain a bit heavier in the technically overweight cateogory, then remember there's a lot more to health than your actual weight. You've added years and years onto your life and improved your quality of life by losing the bulk of that weight. You may not feel the need to wear a bikini or designer jeans. You may think you look better a bit heavier and believe me, I look older at this low weight than I did when I had more padding on my face. To make my bum the size I want it, I have such a scrawny chest and shoulders that those shoestring tops I always wanted to wear dont look that great on me, I tend to cover and disguise THAT part of me now. So getting thin is not the be all and end all of anything either and trying to stay at a BMI of 20 for me was getting scarily into eating disorder category. It was all I thought about, obsessed about, I was pushing my body to run for hours whilst undergoing chemo, it was truly stupid. Your mental healt and ease with your lifestyle is every bit as important as what you actually weigh.