Wondering about where my goal should be...

Hi, all!  You'll see if you look at my ticker that I am just about 2 pounds away from the initial goal that I set when I started on this journey.  The number of 175 was a number I chose because I can remember being at that weight at one point in my adult life and being happy with it.  So, I felt like that was a very reasonable goal to set.  However, I am just under 8 months into this and almost there, and it leaves me wondering - do I want to set a new goal?  Do I want to enter into maintenance at that weight once I get there?  I have always said "I'll figure that out when I get there."  Well, that was easy to say when it seemed like a distant set point.  Now I'm facing that decision, and I am finding myself feeling uncertain about what I really believe I should do.

I am currently able to buy clothes in sizes ranging from size 14 to 16, large to extra large, having gone from wearing a size 28 Jeans, so I am definitely enjoying that aspect of things!  If I had to say I have another goal in mind, it would be to get to the point where I am at a "normal" weight.  That would entail me losing about 20-25 more pounds.  That doesn't seem like a tremendous amount of weight considering how things have gone so far, but I don't want to sabotage myself by getting hung up on the number on the scale. 

I have a followup appointment with my surgeon's office on Friday, and I'm anxious to see how I am doing in terms of lab work, etc., but I believe I'm doing fine.  I certainly feel great!

I'm just thinking out loud here, but I'd be curious to hear from some of you who have gone through this thought process yourselves the conclusions you came to and why.

Thanks, as always, for letting me share my thoughts here and for sharing yours with me!

Paula - when I started out I was hoping to break into the 170's because I hadn't seen anything less than 180 since I was in my 20's.  Then I figured that 150 was probably a realistic weight for me.  Once I hit 145 I realized that 135 was probably do-able....so I did it.  And I'm glad I did.  I could have stopped at 145 but I'm happy I pushed through and went with the lower number.  

Now I'm working toward 125 and a lower body fat percentage.  And I care a lot more about the body composition and body fat than I do getting to the number on the scale.  

Consider your height and maybe try and get your body fat analyzed and of course consult with your doctor.  All of this will help give you a better ideal of what your "normal" will be.  

Good luck - you're doing GREAT! 

This is the hundred thousand dollar question.  My surgeon would not give me a goal.  My lowest adult weight ever was 195, so I didn't really know what to choose either.

I ended up choosing 170 b/c 174 is when I hit the top of "normal".  I am 176 today and have been bopping between 176 & 182 for the past 2-3 months.  I am super fit, thin etc.  There is a little bit of stuff on like my calfs and outter thighs, but realistically, there isn't much left.  

I have decided just not to decide what my goal weight should be.  I'm still eating to plan -- I go off a little more than before, but 95% of the time I am at 800-1100 calories / day.  This is not a tough plan for me to follow (accept when I am at a party all weekend!).  At some point, if I feel like I am too thin, I may consciously look to get more calories consistently, but for now this is working for me.  I have noticed the scale starting to trend down a bit, but much slower.  I think my body will decide where it should be.

So if you can keep going without getting tied to a number, I think that works well :)

I used ideal weight calculators and set myself an aggressive goal of 120. I'm 5'4". I figure if I'm going to do this, I'm going to shoot for the moon. 

I have a number of mini goals to hit on the way as well, since while I'm happy to have an aggressive final goal, I don't think it would be that great for it to be my only goal as it might take YEARS to reach it!  

(3/20/14) 291 - Extremely Obese BMI
(4/29/14) 269 - Fifty Lost/25% EWL
(5/17/2014) 260 - Driver's License Weight
(8/2/2014) 233 - Obese BMI
(9/12/2014) 219 - One Hundred Lost/50% EWL
199 - "Onederland"
180 - Age 18
174 - Overweight BMI/Surgeon's Goal
169 - One Hundred Fifty Lost/75% EWL
159.5 - Half the person I used to be
145 - Normal BMI
120 - 100% EWL (based on Ideal Weight calculations)

My story is similar to Tracy's. I chose 225, because that's what I weighed the last time I was in pretty good shape. My surgeon's goal was 250. Well, 225 came and went, and I kept losing. I decided to just go with it. When I hit 200 I also hit a "normal" BMI, so I started increasing calories, slowly, a little each week. I finally hit 185, and have been steady for over a year.

Just stick to a plan, and keep doing what you are doing. Everyone stops somewhere. As long as you are eating healthy, you'll know when you are done.

It never occurred to me to "stop" on purpose before I reached a healthy BMI because I was happy at a certain weight.  I've been "happy" to pass every milestone on this journey but I'm aiming for the middle of that "green zone" which for me is between 130-145 pounds at 5'6".  Goal was 145 which I reached a couple of months ago, but based on what I've heard form vets, many put a few pounds back on after reaching their lowest weight.  If that is typical, I'll take off a few more "vanity pounds" now and maybe go to 135 so I have room to wiggle around comfortably in the healthy BMI zone. Here is where I plan to stay!

Hey, it's good to see you here! I've followed your posts on MFP for a long time. You've done a fantastic job.

Thank you everyone for sharing your perspective.  I really like the concept of just keep on track and see how it ends up.  At some point, my body will set itself where it belongs.  I needed the reminder that this is NOT about a number on the scale - this is about me taking care of myself and doing the work I need to do.  If I am doing that and it means I keep losing, then wonderful.  If my body decides where I am at right now is a good set point, then that will be okay with me too.  I, too, will be interested to see how things are progressing in terms of body fat percentage, etc. when I go see the surgeon this week.  That should tell me a lot about where I am at and what else I can do to improve.  I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but it is the MAINTENANCE part of this whole thing that I am the most nervous about.  THAT is the part I have not ever been able to do before, and so I guess part of my worry comes from that.  When am I going to consider myself in "maintenance?"  And, what the heck does that mean, anyway?  How does one ACT in maintenance?  I think I'm hearing you guys say - you act the same - your body just stays in that spot at some point.  Makes sense to me!