Deciding Goal Weights! Help!

When you have been successful with WLS how do you decide what your final goal should be. I am 7-8 pounds to a healthy BMI which is 164 and I plan to lose an additional 14 pounds from there to be 150 (This would give me a BMI of 22.8). I know the BMI charts are hogwash but humour me a bit here. For my height the healthy weight range is 122- 164 pounds. That is a huge space and I am wondering how do you decide when enough is enough when you don't' have a good concept of your own body image. We are all no strangers to some of the body-dysmorphia stuff that goes on in our heads and how psychologically it can take longer for your brain to catch up to what is actually physically happening with your body. So how do you decide when to stop. Do you go by a feeling in your gut? Do I get to 150 and assess if that feels good physically? If it doesn't do I go to 140? Is that too skinny? I plan to talk with my team at my one year follow-up appointments next week but I am always curious about the opinions of you folks too.

I'm getting a little better at seeing the "real me", although it fluctuates day to day. I figure I'll get to 150 and see what I feel like and what I want to do from there. I think I'll just know when I'm done. But I'm also trying to keep a reality check with myself too.

I have the same question -- interested in what your doctor says.  BMI is crap, I agree and then how do you calculate the excess skin??  If you weigh 164 and have 10-15 pounds of excess skin are you already at 150 -- thoughts anyone??

I'm wondering the same thing.  About 6 years ago I lost 60 lbs, and was at 170, I felt good, comfortable, BP was down, I was in a size 14, I felt good there, of course we all know I gained it all back, plus more.. that's another post.  But my PCP always told me my goal is to be comfortable and free of high BP, C-PAP, etc.  so if I was there, then that's the goal.  Fast forward to now, I started this journey at 260, and I started looking at BMI charts, and seeing how much weight others have lost and I thought..hmmm I should shoot for my a goal to match the charts, which for my small frame is 110, so that's what I'm showing for my goal, but honesty I'm waiting to discuss with my surgeon to get her thoughts, my next visit is 2/4, we haven't discussed goal yet, so I will be bringing it up then, so my goal may change, I'm undecided as I'm sure many are.

 

I think my Doctor who had many years of wisdom, you know when your comfortable and feel comfortable.. the BMI chart is the biggest BS ever...I got to it and below it and it was not me or healthy..everyone said you look sick...so screw the BMI Chart..

I read a post by one of the vets who said they knew it was time to maintain when the calorie level needed to lose weight resulted in him or her feeling super hungry all the time.  I do not know if that is a good measure for everyone, because I know some people feel hungry during weight loss, but I tucked it away in the back of my mind in case it's useful info later.

BMI is bogus.  I have a large frame (as measured by my wrist and elbow size).  I'll never be a normal BMI and don't want to be.  Go with what is healthy for you - off meds, able to meet the physical/exercise goals you want, etc.

 

My physician's goal for me was right at a healthy BMI, I wanted to go lower, have a 5 lb pad. I had trouble stopping and got down to 132 (Dr. Davidson's goal was 150, mine was 145). 132 was too low, I was looking too skinny. I did NOT see it unless I looked at a picture. The mirror just didn't do it. I gained back up to where I wanted to be. I have been maintaining at between 144 - 147 for over a year and a half. My jeans are a size 4 or 6 normally. Size M for shirts and 6's is what all my dresses are. Life is good, I feel good but I still have my husband point out women in the mall or grocery store that are my size. I don't really see me like others do. I still focus waaaay too much on food and worry about waking up fat again. The head games we play, will they ever stop? I have my doubts!!

I struggled and struggled and struggled with this.  Everyone told me "You will know when you are at goal".  I kept wondering how?  I compared it to being a teenager when people would tell you "you will know" when its right to go all the way.

They were right.

You have to learn to listen to your body.  It will tell you when its ready to stop losing.  You will feel hungry.  You will find it difficult to lose another pound.  There will be a million little signs.  They will be hard to spot because you won't trust yourself, or at least I didn't.  

I aimed for the normal BMI, then a healthy body fat percentage.  Once I declared goal, my body settled down.  I still yo-yo a little (I have about 10 lbs I play with up and down) and I am learning to keep myself in my range and trust myself to maintain my weight and to trust myself with food again.

 

I have been maintaining since July, and my self image is just starting to catch up top my actual body image.  Don't rush that either - its a real head trip!

In the big picture of "how do you deal when you don't have a good concept of body image," I don't have an answer.

But in the even bigger picture of "how do you set it?" my answer is, choose a number. Change it later. Right now choose the number that excites you, that makes you feel like you can actually accompli****

Later you may want to move it even lower.  I have a friend who found a weight she felt so comfortable at and was so easy for her to maintain, she has stayed there for two or three years, even though it's still slighly above the normal range. She couldn't be happier.

I'm barely IN the normal range. I'm only 2 pounds from my initial goal, but within a couple of weeks of setting it, I lowered it by ten pounds.  And after several months with 145 my stated goal, I decided to make it 135. 

I doubt if I'll go lower than that. We'll see if I make it. I'm not too worried about it, to tell you the truth. As long as I can lose weight easily (slowly now, but that's fine with me and by design) I figure why stop?  If I get to the point where I look bad (and believe me, my husband, doctor, friends, sister will tell me) then I will probably stop before 135 but I honestly don't expect that to happen.  I expect to be a 135 and squinting at 129... wondering, hmm. What if...?