Goals

I am just wondering how people are determining their goal weights?

This didn't come up in any of my appointments and my surgery is already booked.

If I go by my height/age/BMI calculation I think that's too low! I am one of those 'big-boned' people - so I would never look good in the 125 - 164lb weight range.

I am seeing my regular doctor today to change my birth control - so maybe I can discuss it with her.

Just wanting to hear everyone's oppinion.

lol you may be surprised by the "size of your bones" mine are much smaller now that they're not covered up so much.

my goal is the upper range of normal BMI for my height, which puts me at 160.

My regular bmi is kinda scary and exciting and damn it I am going to go for it... I am 5 feet so low end is 93 lbs and high end is like 115... I am aiming for the high end 115.... and I will be happy with anything under 130 lbs.

I don't know if that is a good goal or a bad one... but its kinda where I will aim.

i think that's an awesome goal.

When I started my journey I just wanted to NOT be grossly obese.  I figured if I lost 100 pounds
I'd be like most middle aged guys.. and that was fine with me..
St. Joes NEVER gave me a goal, athough they mentioned that with successful surgery you
should loose 3/4 of your excess weight.
I just kept loosing... I followed the plan with no deviation and I became much more active. I still hated going to a gym but just general movement became so effortless that I found myself doing stuff that I'd never do before.. biking, hiking, taking stairs instead of elevators etc.
I too claimed I was big boned.. I'd been fat my entire life.. I was surprised to learn that I'm not
actually big boned. After getting my rings and watch resized.. I realized I've got pretty skinny wrists when they aren't padded with an extra 150 pounds.
When I reached 165 people told me I was too thin (gawd.. did ya ever think you'd hear those words)
I started eating a few more carbs.. and have stayed in the range of 165-175 for over a year now

I once went to a doctor supervised weight loss clinic. The doctor said that as long as you are overweight, you are predisposed to GAIN weight and until you reach a normal BMI you will have trouble maintaining your weight..  I don't know if there is any truth to that theory except that now
I pretty much eat what ever I want and my weight seems to stay the same.

Sometimes GOALS set you up for disappointment. Enjoy the ride.. Why not see where your body takes you.. Follow the guidelines, keep active and see where your weight loss stops.. Even when you think you are done.. you may still loose some more albeit slowly. 

Sometimes struggling to loose an additional 10 pounds sets us up for disappointment and gets
us back on that dreadful diet train again.. where food becomes an obsession.  Life is so much better when I don't have to think about what I'm allowed but simply just eat within the guidelines we are given after surgery.. and most importantly Listen to my stomach and STOP when I am full.

You will be surprised to learn that there is no such thing as "big boned" That is what I was told in guelph.  The fat is not just in places like legs or stomach...it is everywhere! Making your bones look big I have found out.  I thought I had wide shoulders well -46 pounds and they are not so big anymore, and my face is thinning out.  I would like my stomach to but in time it should....

You will shrink everywhere, even your feet.  It is amazing.  Read the book "The real skinny on Weightloss surgery" Very informative and funny at the same time!  They go over everything, really good book!

Melissa!

Melissa, respectfully, it IS possible to be "big boned" - it just isn't as common as some people might think. But yes, bone/skeletal/frame size does vary, and that's part of the reason why the number on the scale and even BMI numbers aren't a great indicator of what a specific person's "goal" should be.

For example, the normal BMI weight range for a woman who is 5'10" (like me) is 130-166 lbs.

When I was a teenager being seen at CCENC (Chedoke Children's Exercise and Nutrition Centre) they did a number of tests (include water weighing etc.) to determine body mass make-up, and I was told that my bone mass was 125 lbs (I was 15, so not even an adult - I'm guessing it's likely higher now).

A BMI of 130 for me would actually be physically impossible, and at 166 I'd still be well below a "healthy" weight for me, which would be more like 180 lbs.

An exceptionally large frame is just as possible as an exceptionally small one, which is why I think your goal weight needs to be something you consider with all factors in mind - not just what appears on the BMI index.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm sure as the next year goes by I will be pleasantly suprised by how my bones look - but with a size 11.5 men's size shoe - I'm sure they're big enough.

I think I will just come up with my own goal and if I beat it and get in my corrent BMI range - it'll just be another pleasant surprise!