Goal Weight and the Variables ???

Goal weight variables.....  

Are there other factors involved in determining a goal weight besides the common ones we read about?  

- Age, build, BMI, body fat percentage, healthy....  

This is a very hot topic that comes up almost weekly on this forum.  

Seems that in "general", people who can make a normal BMI claim it, some who can't make a normal BMI or just don't fit say it's BS.  

What ever it is, it seems in the end it is individual.  

If your goal weight is over a normal BMI and your happy about it and your doctor deems you healthy...... claim it and own it, that's your goal weight !!!  

Here is my "observation" and no..... I don't have case studies or pier reviews for those who think they live by the numbers.  

Are there other factors????

Goal weight always seems debatable.   Are there "cop outs" for not losing the last weight?  

Often we hear the words sickly and gaunt being used as a reason not to lose to a lower weight. Not saying right or wrong.... just sayin.....      

Here is where I'm going with this...... Are there other factors that determine goal weights??????????  

- Culture

- Region

- Ethnicity  

For instance...... I weigh 150lbs. and about 15lbs. over my Ethnicity and about normal for my Region and about 15lbs. under for other parts of the Country.  

I also think Internationally that I'm a little overweight. When I'm in Asia and Europe I feel a bit puffy. Certainly not like pre-op, but were talking goal weight here.  

Here is another "non scientific" indicator.....  

When I'm casting for actors and models in different parts of the Country the "normals" can vary. California and New York tend to be thinner than some of the middle States.  

Sometimes the requests from clients are for "not to skinny real people" which fits there demographic better. Some clients deem thinner as normal to fit there product and demographic.  

These are commercial situations and not fashion accounts.  

Another one is a gay friend of mine made mention that his weight was a tough thing for him because within the gay culture, thinner was more the norm.   Are there other factors in determining a goal weight and what is "normal" and why it can vary ????  

frisco  

edited to un scramble the mess created from one machine to another.... sorry

Yes -- this will forever be debatable.  I think at the end of the day a great goal weight is where we are healthy and comfortable and this is individual for everyone.  

My goal weight or 'tentative goal weight' - b/c I didn't want to worry too much about it as I knew I would have to see as I got smaller, was 170 because it gave me a 4 lb buffer from being overweight.  I saw my therapist today for the first time in a month and her jaw dropped.  She said, "wow.  you must be below 170 now!" I said nope, I'm 184, but I'm buff!! :)  The weight is continuing to fall off, so I'm still going.  Who knows where I will land.  

I agree- there are many variables.  My initial consult - how would I feel about being 152?  Sure-I hadn't been that weight in 30 years.  I am 64 and not quite 5'2", medium build.   My weight has settled at 135.  I would like 132  which is what I weighed when I was 32.  If this is it, I can be happy as I never thought I would be this weight again.  I look normal and of course that is one goal in itself.  Sometimes when I start beating myself up about not losing more weight I try to grab on to my happiness and success.

Nancy

I think that your goal weight should be determined predominately by your health and your personal preferences.  We each have a "look" in mind and many of us can achieve it no matter what it is with this surgery.  People are beautiful and healthy in all different sizes.  My only caveat to this is that obesity is degenerative and most of us gain weight over time not lose weight.  It often takes years, but the weight has a strong tendency to come back.  This was part of my thinking when choosing a very low weight and so far it has worked for me. 

You mention age, and I do think that's a big one.  At 53 and in menopause, it's certainly harder to lose the weight than it was when I was in my 20's.  Hormones matter!  

When asked 8 years ago what my goal weight was, I didn't have an answer.  When pressed, I said size 10?  "Why", said the NUT.  "I don't remember ever being that size, so it seems reasonable", was my answer.  Now a size 6 or 8, I know that I can do better.

Here's another factor - body dysmorphia.  So many of us suffer from it in varying degrees, that even when we're at our "goal weight", we still see someone much bigger in the mirror most of the time.  I wake up feeling fat some days, and no matter how many people tell me how good I look, I'm still fat in my mind.

And family.  My brother had gastric bypass several years ago, and lost a lot of weight, fast.  His doc told him that he should be in the 160-170 weight range, which is reasonable for his height.  But my mother, bless her soul, told him that he looked gaunt and skinny and should gain some weight.  So he did.  He's back to about 260 pounds, and still uses our mother as his excuse 9 years after her death.

Sustainability of a goal weight. I see some people reach their goal, usually their dream weight, but can't sustain or maintain that weight for very long. It might be more practical in some cir****tances to aim for a goal maybe 5-10 lbs more if it means staying at a stable weight vs constantly up and down. 

This is the one area where we disagree.  You know I love you Allison, and I used to see it the same way you do, so I hope you know that I can disagree with you without being disagreeable.  :)

I have tried in the past to maintain at 140 lbs., at 120 lbs., once, I maintained for a while at 160 lbs.  I can tell you that no weight was any easier to maintain than any other for me.  I struggle with maintenance at every weight.  The general trajectory is always up.  I can keep 105 just as easily as I could 160 lbs.  The moment I stop paying attention, the weight starts to creep back at any weight.  

I just threw it out there as a variable. It applies to some but not others. I'm not sure I will ever be blessed with your iron grip on your weight but I know for me maintenance will be a lot more bouncing around than Id like. I hit the 180s and stayed there for a hot minute. But Ive been maintaining around 210-215 range for 18 months with a litte spike in there. I personally dont want to settle and will see what I can do to reach a normal BMI and keep it, but who knows. I do know that if someone granted me a magic wish and I woud never gain another lb from today, I'd be okay forever at 210 lbs. WL is extremely taxing on my mental strength more than anything sooooo I'd be happy to never think about it again. I guess that's why I threw that out there. 

Interesting topic.. I have to agree with Allison, sustainability, plus lifestyle (as in enjoyment, without added stress) trump for me. Yo-yoing is very bad for our health, mental and physical.. and if in order to maintain a goal weight that is significantly lower than the weight you can comfortably hold onto means periodically slipping into the "must lose it fast, by any means.." that eventually will backfire after it wears you down mentally. 

I stay within a normal BMI, but certainly on the higher side.. part is several lbs of excess skin, but much is I just hate the idea of going back to the yo-yo cycle. Body dysmorphia is also a biggie.. when I was down in the mid-130's and many very trusted loved ones were pointing out that I did not look as well as I had 10-15lbs prior, I was blowing it off and pursuing a lower goal.. until I started getting signs of significant hormone disruption. I had indeed gotten too low, despite being in the middle of the BMI chart. Gaunt and sickly weren't cop-outs, they were just fact. By region/culture, I was certainly skinny, but put me in So Cal and I would be normal, if not a bit over I'd imagine.. however, cultivating an attitude of not giving two ****s what others think of me (and my body for that matter!) and only what's really important (my own comfort, health and well-being) certainly brings me back to reality fast. When I start caring more about outside influences, that too is a sign something is amiss.

For me, and only me.. "normal" means a place where I feel comfortable, look good, feel great, and maintain without much added thought.. If I'm yo-yoing, I'm doing something wrong, or I've set an unreasonable goal.. Normal is great health, mental and physical, and the ability to enjoy my life to the fullest.. without stressing over food or trying to make myself do things I seriously dislike to maintain, whether that entails restricting food, or forcing myself to engage in unenjoyable exercise just for the sake of "sweating it off."

Sustainability is something I wasn't ever able to achieve before.. I could and did lose 150 lbs and down to nearly the same weight I am now before VSG, but I didn't have the mental maturity and knowledge of myself to keep it off. I am a work in progress to make sure I don't fall into my own personal traps that got me before..

I don't know that I'll ever understand why so many people on this site care about what other people think about their goal weight?   

I don't know what I want my goal to be anymore. Would I like it to be in a "normal" BMI? Absolutely. But, I'm no dummy... losing at least another 20 lbs in order to do so will take a lot of focus and hard work - something I don't have the motivation to do at the moment. Maybe that line of thinking is a mistake? Who knows! What I do know is that 250 lbs lost is good enough for now and I own it... I own my lack of motivation/focus and I own my content for the way I look/feel in this moment! lol

I have no idea what the point of my post is here... just random thoughts!