How can I determine realistic "goal" weight?

great idea!  I have to admit that I try on his jeans when he's at work!  hahahahahahah!!!!

I totally agree with what ATL Gadget Grrl said.

I set a "rough" estimate of normal BMI to begin with.  When I got within 20 lbs of that I had a bod-pod body fat % done, and then set my final goal weight based on that... i now have some sort of BF % done every 3-4 months.  I work out a lot, so I'm at the top end of BMI or even over into "overweight" but my BF % is low - between 11-15% - which is definitely better than "normal."

BMI is pretty bogus as your fitness level has a lot to do with where you fit in the ranges.  Weightlifters who have 6% body fat are often classified as obese according to BMI measures...

Our motto should be - we want to lose fat, not weight... the only real way to measure that is Body fat.

There are 3 good ways to do that - Hydrostatic weighing, DEXA Scan, and Bod Pod.  They all have plusses and minuses.

Tom

Thanks Tom!  I had never heard of any of those tests!  I'll ask at my next doc appt.  :)  These are great tools to know about!!

YES!!  Want to lose fat, not weight makes a great deal more sense!!  Thanks for the info and motivation!!!