How did you pick your goal weight?

I don't ever remember being a healthy weight, so I feel like I'm picking a number out of thin air when I talk about my goal weight. I'm 5' 6" and I guess I have a medium build. (Compared to what? I don't know...) I'm just a little over 2 weeks, so I've got a ways to go, but I'm just curious as to how you all approached this. 

I picked a goal weight that put me right in the middle of "normal" BMI. I just played with the BMI calculators until I found the magic goal weight.

--gina 

I went by what was the middle of my normal BMI range as well.

I started with a goal weight that I had been before and was happy with and held for a while.  140.  When I blew past that, I thought getting to normal BMI would be great, 125.  Then my body kept going and I ended up at 111.  I have settled around 129, which actually put me overweight in terms of BMI but my last 2 body scans have me at 19% fat, which is under fat.  Who would have ever thought I would be underfat but I do weights and yoga and walk and am one tough old broad, lol.  So I'm ok with it.

Right now my goal is a couple pounds above the top of my BMI.  I was afraid to pick the top of my bmi which is 141.  But actually I am actually hanging around that weight now.  I am thinking abot making my official goal 140.

Anne

I kept lowering mine as I would make it to the goal.  It can be flexible.  My first goal was the drs at 162 and most recently 130, which I touch and bounce around for the last 6 months.  I am now at BMI of 22 which is mid range normal :)

At first my Dr wouldn't give me a goal weight and asked me where I wanted to be.  Like Price, I was happy at 150 in my younger days... he gave me a funny look about that but didn't say anything. When I was about 135 we talked goal weights and he said "115 - I said "let's compromise at 125" - and lo and behold - when I hit 125 i STOPPED losing... a few months later I lost 2 more lbs I kept off for about 1.5 years, then started my "bounce up".  I'm at 135 now...

Moral of the story - don't let a number dictate how low you go... there's many that aren't used to seeing them selves "skinny" and have lots of people tell them they are too skinny.  Give your body time to readjust (and it does).  Go as low as you can and be prepared for "bounce back".  It's real... (for most of us anyway!)

I didn't know anything about the BMI calculator when I decided on my Goal number.  I had lost 60 pounds at one point in my life which put me at about 125 so I made that my goal.  I hit that in about 8 months and thought OK I did it, every ones telling my I'm too thin, DH is driving me crazy because he thinks I'm not eating etc. etc.  I increased my calories to 1000 by adding Protein Drinks and the scales shocked me the next few months dropping 10 lbs. (firm believer in Protein Drinks from that point on). Then dropped down to 106 which even I admitted I didn't look healthy.  With increased calories and bounce back I have settled in the 118-120 range which is in the normal BMI range for me. 

If I had it to do over again I would probably pick the middle of my BMI like some of the others have done but continued lower if my body took me there.  Bounce back is for REAL!!!!

I'm one that was constantly either losing weight or gaining it before (and even after my first) WLS.  I had lost 100 lbs more times then I can remember so I had a bit to go on.  My first goal was a normal BMI, right around 140.  My second goal was around 120 because that was half of my highest weight.  After I hit that I kept going down, too low, and then bounced up a bit to where I am now, right around 110.  I seem to be staying here without too much effort or sacrifice on my part so I am calling it goal for now.  From the past I know that I got the most positive feedback from people right around 130-135, I look proportionate up to about 150 and in the past I was able to maintain around 120 (for a few minutes anyway).  What if funny is that in spite of what looks like a low weight, all the scales I have been on that measure body fat put me right around 25%.  I don't really exercise and I have heard that 25% body fat is pretty good for a woman in her 50's.

All great advice! Thank you everyone for taking the time to write me. I'm terrified of bounce-back, but even more terrified of not being able to get to goal before the bounce-bac****urs! I've NEVER been successful at eating right before and even with this great tool, worry I'm not committed enough to develop good habits this time either. My recovery has been almost too easy! I'm already having to talk myself out of eating things I shouldn't and I didn't want to have to worry about this for a long time. I'm not trying to sound pessimistic, but I am trying to be realistic. (I hope that makes sense.) I'm meeting with a nutritionist this afternoon and I am going to REALLY try hard at making good choices and fight head hunger. I'm down 20 pounds since March 1 (when I started pre-op diet) and know that I would never have been able to do it on my own. So glad we have this board for a resource. Thanks again!