How did you decide your "goal"

When propel ask me what my goal weight is, I have no idea! I don't know how to answer this question, even when my doctor asks me. I don't know what I will look or feel like at 135, that is my magic # in my head! but I really have no clue. Currently I am at 162' but I'm not sure how to set my goal. 

I don't really have my own goal other than the next ten pounds....I know folks look to healthy BMI charts, or percentages of weight, or getting "back" to a certain weight in life- I have never been a "normal" weight- so that one is out for me:) All along my journey I have set, and so far met several goals.  I am 83 pounds down, and have my next goal fro 100 pounds- when i get there I will set the next goal until I feel right and or my body tells me it is done.....I remain more enthusiastic and focused when my goal does not seem so far off...

My surgeon's goal for me was under 200, which put me in the "overweight" BMI category.

My first personal goal was completely compelled by vanity and bragging rights:  to weigh less than half of my highest recorded weight.

Once I achieved my first personal goal I saw that I could keep going, so I decided to set my ultimate goal to be a weight in the "normal" BMI category.

Since I don't plan to have plastics -- well, maybe a panniculectomy, but not until I've maintained for a while -- I am going to stop there and try to stay below 170 for the rest of my life.

FWIW I am 5' 8" tall and 55.5yo.

Hope this helps!  It's a very personal decision, for sure.

I have a vague idea that I would like to be a size 10 and get my body fat percentage under 30. I came to that idea by looking at pictures of women my height on http://www.mybodygallery.com/. I have never been anything approaching a normal BMI my entire adult life (well, entire life actually) so I don't have anything to look back on and say, "I looked good at that weight" or "I was healthy at that weight" so for now I'm more concerned with size and body fat percentage than weight. I've got a ways to go so we'll see how it works out. Right now I am most focused on getting under 200 lbs - I'm close!

You go girl! That's awesome! 

I am 5"3'. I have been different weights in the past, I was around 115 when I got married, but I'm not sure  at 40 it would be the same as when I was 18. 

Look for the BMI that puts you in the "normal" zone. That should be your goal. The difference between that number and where you started is your "excess weight". Most docs will tell you that you will lose 60%-70% of the excess weight. Don't believe them. You can lose 100% if you are truly committed. They get their numbers by averaging out the people that aren't committed. If you are committed, you can make goal of a normal BMI. Hope that helps.

My first goal was to make it into the normal BMI range. Then I subtracted another 10-15 pounds to get me more solidly in that range. I never dreamed or wanted to get down to 125 pounds, but that's where I'm sitting at most days now. I don't think I necessarily look bad at this weight, but I feel I'm just a little too thin now and definitely don't want to lose any more weight.

It changes.  I did mine for 150, which put me a little into the healthy BMI range and was about where I was when I got married.  It was a doable goal for me, a weight I thought I looked great at, and it seemed like I could maintain.  I got there at 8 months and wanted to keep going.  I arbitrarily decided to get to 133.5lbs because it would put me at having lost half of my body weight, got to 137 and decided I didn't need to be smaller.  I've been maintaining since about 9.5 months, which isn't that long since I'm only 14 months out.  You can change your goal multiple times.  It's really up to you, how you feel at a given weight, how much you exercise, your frame, etc.  I like 137.  I'm a size 4, never thought that would EVER be the case, I figured size 8 was the smallest I'd ever be.  I wear smalls and sometimes extra smalls because I'm pretty small on top.  I know when I've gone lower than 137, I start looking sickly.  It's not a good look, and although I like my bones, I don't like having my entire rib cage visible.  And honestly, the places on my body that I'm not thrilled about are just deflated skin from weight loss and pregnancy.  Nothing but surgery is going to get rid of them.  For reference, I'm almost 5'7 and 32 years old.

Thank you so much for sharing your story.  I am about your starting weight right now. I am going to have VSG.  137 is my goal because it puts me in "normal" BMI.  Did you believe when you started this that you could ever get down to this weight?  What do you think has made you the most successful?