How did you decide on what your goal weight should be? BMI calculator, your lowest weight, recommendation from dr or dietician? Interested in learning… so please share.

I never chose one. I had so much weight to lose that I figured I could deal with the idea if/when I got into the neighborhood.

I didn't want to create arbitrary goals that could make losing 500+ pounds a failure.

Good luck,

Tek

This might make you roll your eyes, but I like to say that you don't choose your goal weight -- your goal weight chooses you. You can't just pick a number and will your body to get to it. I feel strongly that the non-scale victories are far more important than the number on the scale. I wanted to lose enough weight to get rid of diabetes and hypertension, to wear non-plus size clothing, to fit into a restaurant booth, to walk up a few flights of stairs without ending up winded and drenched in sweat, etc. If you get to that point and the scale says 10 pounds higher than the arbitrary number you picked, so what?

That said, when I had my psych evaluation, the psychiatrist wanted me to say my goal weight (probably just to make sure I had realistic expectations), so I went with the average weight loss for gastric bypass. There are a lot of online calculators for this, and I think I used 70% of my excess weight to arrive at a specific number (I ended up losing 100% of my excess weight). Here's another calculator that uses a lot of data from actual WLS patients to give more precise predictions based on more specific parameters:

https://mbsc.arbormetrix.com/Registry/public/calculator/uiCalculator/7?menuId=1013

I remember hearing my Mom and Aunt talking about my weight as a young girl. My cousin was a year older than me and weighed less than me but we both looked the same size. Seemed they were always comparing us. I had more muscle weight or just carried it well they said. Hence my start with weight scale numbers.

When I went to the carnival the guy who guesses your age or weight never got it right. I always weighed 20 more pounds than I looked and when I was 14, I looked 16/17. I always walked away with a prize. LOL

I never go by weight calculators because they don't take into consideration muscle mass. Mine always told me I should weigh 135 for my height but the few times I reached that goal, I looked gaunt and sickly. Because at 135 I looked like I weighed 115. But at 150, I look 130 which is just right for my 5'6" frame.

I totally agree that the NSV are MORE important, and that i cant tie myself to a number— and I KNOW that the benefits have SIGNIFICANTLY outweighed what the number on the scale is, but am wondering how do you know what a healthy weight for you is? Im getting conflicting numbers from my dietician and my GP— I was self pay in Mexico and have had to assemble a team on my own, and am wondering what other people have done. I have an appointment with Bariatric dietician (not just a regular one) but can’t get in until mid September.

Currently, I am 4.5 months out and already at the target on the outcomes link provided above, and understand that the number chooses you— my number on my ticker is what i was comfortable at years ago, and think it will be achievable. My dietician thinks it’s too low, and my GP advises an even lower number— and ideal weight/BMI calculators seem stupid. I know i started with a much lower BMI, but am trying to find that “healthy place” where i can keep the weight under control over time as well.

I went by body fat percentage, I found that a Hispanic female of my age range should have 35% body fat, so that was my goal. I’m still obese per the BMI, but if I get any smaller I’ll have a bobble head because I have a good bit of muscle

I went by body fat percentage, I found that a Hispanic female of my age range should have 35% body fat, so that was my goal. I’m still obese per the BMI, but if I get any smaller I’ll have a bobble head because I have a good bit of muscle

Sorry guys. I don’t know what I'm doing

Edited July 21, 20233 yr by Maseg
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I went by body fat percentage, I found that a Hispanic female of my age range should have 35% body fat, so that was my goal. I’m still obese per the BMI, but if I get any smaller I’ll have a bobble head because I have a good bit of muscle

My goal weight isn't a number - it's a feeling. When I can walk alot, bend over, exercise without dying and my lab numbers come back as normal ,,,, that'll be my goal weight !

When I got sleeved in 2009, I didn't have a goal weight, I had a goal size. I wanted to be a size 12 (I was a size 6X/32, 340 lbs at the time). I ended up losing 149 lbs and got down to a size 14 (at 195 lbs). Now, I'm a revision from sleeve to bypass. My weight, when I first went back to the doc for the revision, was 333, I was a size 4X/26. I thought it was weird that I was only 7 lbs less than my sleeve weight, but still 3 sizes smaller. Doc said it was probably because I had put on some muscle weight. So this time, I decided my goal weight would be 200lbs because I know that since it's a revision, I'm not going to lose like I did with the sleeve. I didn't want to be unrealistic. Also, me at 200 lb is pretty close to a size 14. If I can get back to that, I will be more than thrilled!

2 hours ago, Sigh said:

I totally agree that the NSV are MORE important, and that i cant tie myself to a number— and I KNOW that the benefits have SIGNIFICANTLY outweighed what the number on the scale is, but am wondering how do you know what a healthy weight for you is?

You don't need to fixate on a specific number. Look at where you are now and figure out if this is the right weight or if you want to weigh less or more than your current weight.

There are a lot of things to consider, but to generalize, how do you feel and look at your current weight, and how sustainable is it? If everything is good now, congratulations! This is your goal weight. It's probably not that simple because it can be a bit of a balancing act, but figure out, overall, if you'd be better off losing more weight or staying where you are.

• Are you physically comfortable, able to be as active as you'd like to be, and have good mobility? (Of course, there are factors other than your weight that affect these things, but consider whether losing more weight would improve these things.)
• Are you satisfied with how you look, what size clothes you wear, how people perceive you? Do you look healthy or do people often ask you if you're sick (which may indicate that further weight loss would be a negative for your appearance)?
• How easy or difficult is it for you to stick with your current calorie level for the long term? If you're hungry all the time and struggle to stick to your plan, you may be setting yourself up to fall off the wagon and regain. If you're satisfied with what and how much you're eating and exercising to maintain your weight, it's sustainable for the long term.
• How are your health metrics? How's your blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, etc., and would losing more weight be likely to improve anything? Do you have any vitamin deficiencies that indicate that you're not eating enough (or not taking the right supplements)?

3 hours ago, Sigh said:

Im getting conflicting numbers from my dietician and my GP— I was self pay in Mexico and have had to assemble a team on my own, and am wondering what other people have done. I have an appointment with Bariatric dietician (not just a regular one) but can’t get in until mid September.

I would take the numbers from your dietitian and GP with a grain of salt because bariatric surgery patients are different from their average patients, and without specialized training, they may not understand the nuances and may be basing their advice off the good old BMI chart. In my opinion, if they are giving you a specific number as a goal weight, or telling you that your weight is "too high" or "too low" based solely on your height and weight rather than your actual health metrics, they probably don't have great knowledge in this area. The bariatric dietitian will probably be more helpful. I know you have to wait a couple of months, but you seem to be doing fine for now, so unless you have major problems, you can probably just keep on doing what you're doing until then.

I disagree with the idea that goal weights aren't important. If having a goal weight motivates you, go for it.

I had three goal weights. My first was to get to "overweight" BMI. My second was to get to "healthy" BMI. My final was to get to Ideal Body Weight. I ultimately achieved all three and got down to 146.5.

Now, in maintenance, my goal is to stay under 150. So far so good.

Having an ambitious goal weight really pushed me during the final months when the weight loss slowed and it would have been easy to back off.

Edited July 21, 20233 yr by losinglosinglosing

My goal weight shifted a few times. I want to preface all of this by stating I am very short statured, so these numbers are going to sound extremely low. I had a BMI of 46 when I started the process and weighed 245 pounds.

I chose 120 at first, then found out I would still be considered overweight, so I lowered it to 110, which is dead-center of a healthy weight range according to the BMI scale. Ironically my posture has improved since my surgery and I am an inch taller now, and 120 would have been fine all along (for a woman my size it's between 94 and 124 pounds).

Edited July 21, 20233 yr by pintsizedmallrat

My surgeon set my goal weight at 80kg. My personal goal weight was 75kg, because my aim was to be the same size I was when at my smallest back in 1997, which I vaguely recalled being around 75-78kg. When I hit that goal I then had a new goal of 65kg, so I have a buffer in case of the common regain a couple of years post-surgery. I like having a weight goal, it's motivating and I find it useful. I also take what size I am and how my clothes fit into account.

Thank you all so much for your replies, gives me quite a bit to think about- wrestling with the issue.

I love that NSV are very life changing, and I dont think im wrong picking a number either- just trying to wrap my mind around the difference between advisors and what is sustainable. i too am very short- and have lived most of my life overweight. Im motivated by the numbers, but just as an indicator on how im doing - and i do feel really good. Still no labs pulled, but have plans for them to be pulled in August, prior to the Bariatric nutritionist. At 4.5 months post op, i know i still have a bit to go, but am trying to shift my thinking towards the maintenance phases. Not there yet, but i could accept it if I my body decided this is my stable weight.

Edited July 22, 20233 yr by Sigh