Just out of curiosity, what size were you when you reached 'goal' that you were happy with?

I realize that everyone's body shape/frame is different, but am honestly having a bit of a tough time determining what my actual 'goal' should be. Having recently started up a new exercise regimen (brand new), the scale isn't quite as useful as it once was. It's bouncing around a lot these past two weeks, but the end result is pretty much 'the same'. (give or take a pound or two).

So anyway - I'm wanting to try the 'test pants' way of gauging my progress, but don't have any smaller clothes I could use right now. I'm kinda tempted to go and buy some smaller-sized pants for this fun new experiment.

Thing is - what size should that be? One size smaller, two sizes smaller? The whole 'vanity sizing' going on isn't helping, and neither is the lack of consistency in clothing manufacturer's "idea" of a particular size.

What was your 'happy size' when you got to goal?

Thanks

I wish I could help you, but I cannot.

The first time I got to to a size I was happy with, it all depended on who made the pants. I was anywhere from a size 7 to an 11 depending on who made them, and if they were junior sizes.

I know, it drives me crazy how sizes can be so different! They should just have one basic size across the board. A size 8 should be a size 8, no matter who makes them.

What are you talking about with the "vanity sizes"?

I have not shopped for clothes in a while since I put the weight back on. I am due to soon though. So are you saying that what was once a size 16 is now an 8, lol?

No, not quite that bad - just that the sizes 'seem' a wee bit bigger than they were 10 years or more ago. Which is nice for us

Seems the inconsistency thing is more annoying though.

Thanks for the feedback on your 'happy size', so to speak. Much appreciated.

I guess the whole thing is a little different for me since I am a man since our clothes sizes are usually pretty reliably similar throughout different brands. But I was happy reaching a 34 inch waisted pan size, and a large size shirt. What I now ended up as after maintaining for quite a long time is a 32 inch waisted pant, and a medium shirt.

Hey Citruskiss,

I think this is a tough one. I am trying to come to terms with the size thing, since I always wear a bigger size than I "look". There are a lot of 18's that are too small for me at 180, so I know being a 4-6-8 is just not on the horizon, even if I got very small. This did influence me to set a much lower goal weight (at the lower end of BMI) but I have no idea if I will ever get anywhere near there. I've been training and gaining weight, but I fit smaller clothes now than I did when I was five pounds smaller (into a size 16 in the major lines instead of 18)

Janine

Oy...this is a tough one. I'll give it a try though.

When I hit 160, I was a solid size 12. I was ecstatic!! But I had been just as ecstatic when I hit 170 and 180 and I was wearing regular sizes for the first time in 15 years!!

It was all new and wonderful.

But as time has gone by, now more than 3 years and more like 4 years since the I lost the largest amount of my weight, my body keeps shifting. My size 12s are now my fat clothes. You know, for those days when you just feel fat. I wear size 10 bottoms now, sometimes an 8 depending on the cut. My butt and hips are very, very ample!!

You should also know that I don't wear career clothing any longer as I wear Levis daily for my work. I wore a dress for the first time a few weeks ago...it was a Kenneth Cole markdown and a size medium, which is about a 6-8.

Because of my age, I don't want to lose any more weight as it shows up way too much on my face....yuk!! I'm very OK being a solid size 10.

I don't weight myself at all. I get to obsessed with the scale and found out several years ago that I do better going by the fit of my clothing. I am not super trim by any means, but overall I am comfortable at the size I am and am accepting that I will probably never be smaller. I am 5'11"and wear a small twelve/large ten, if that makes sense. I too was THRILLED to get into a size twelve, even more so a size 10.I spent a long time in too tight 24's. I am grateful every day not to be heavy anymore.

Good for you!!
If you don't mind my saying....5'11" at 160 sounds perfect to me!!

hi-
I didn't have a size goal or a weight goal- I put the 150 in my stats because that was what I weighed when I joined this board - my goal was realized when I felt "NORMAL" on LC and when my health improved. My goal for maintaining is just that- what weight is easy to stay around without lots of effort. Let's face it, being on LC for real and for the long haul does take all kinds of effort, but I wanted to be at a weight where it is not deprivation and hardship. My body just seems to do okay here, and though I have more weight I could lose I am just not interested. SO my goals were not weight or size of clothes but my health improvement and being able to maintain my LC life and weight longterm.
HTH-
E

First of all, HELLO ENO!!
I've been back on a couple of days and been looking for you. You are one of my favorite people on this board.

I've talked about goal weight before because it is so confusing. I used 140 as my original goal. It sounded so reasonable. Not too thin, but when I got there I really was a little too thin for life. I decided that 148 was really best for me. I was small enough and still had breasts.

I have been off low carb for 15-16 months and my weight creeped up 10 pounds since I left. My size did more than that. Size 10 became tight. My arms and thighs got bigger. Now mind you that I am farther along into menopause and all of my thin friends are battling the same thing.

My goal is 148 this time, but I have no idea what will manifest in my body. I was smaller than my weight showed last time.....wearing size 4. I don't care to work hard enough to keep that size. Six-eights are great for me. I don't even care about the courtesy sizing. All manufacturers are different. I am even seeing that with my darling granddaughter. (Yes! I am a grandmother now.) Who would have thought six months would vary so.

The thing that bugs me is concept that ideal weights should be so low. According to charts 140 is overweight for a 5'4" woman. Most of my doctors don't think so. I recently had to have back surgery (a whole other saga). My neurosurgeon thinks my weight now is good. He just doesn't want me going much higher (me neither).

I wonder if the weight charts actually foster obesity. I mean when I was 210 (and a mess) the thought of having to get down to 125 would have been discouraging. I look back on the journals I kept when I was young and foolish had me a 140 and feeling huge....feeling like I was supposed to get to the low 120's. I spent years on the dieting cycle and even went through a bout of bulimia trying to obtain it and punishing myself for inadequacy. C-R-A-Z-Y.

Obesity is considred a "epidemic" in the U.S. It is part of the mess in our current health care system. I'm an early elementary teacher and see so much childhood obesity. Some scary stuff. I think the people around me are frustrated and would rather turn a blind eye than change because the change in their lifestyle would be more painful than living with their excess weight.

Goal weight is so relative. I wish doctors--and the rest of us-- spent less time on the arbitrary "ideal weight" and more on what we as individuals choose as our best weight.
Sara<><

Glad you weighed in on this Sara!

That's *exactly* what happened - it was my doctor who suggested 120 as a good goal weight for me. I was pretty upset, thinking it's gonna take me forever and some kind of super-draconian regimen to get me there.

While that 'goal' is still in my stats - I'm keeping an open mind. Thinking more in terms of a nice size/shape, rather than any particular number on the scale. I just recently took up a brand new weight training routine (I'm very much a newbie at this), hoping that this'll help with 're-shaping' etc. I have a high proportion of body fat to muscle ratio, which is why I don't feel like I'm 'there' yet.

I really appreciate hearing back from everyone on this.

"I wonder if the weight charts actually foster obesity. I mean when I was 210 (and a mess) the thought of having to get down to 125 would have been discouraging. I look back on the journals I kept when I was young and foolish had me a 140 and feeling huge....feeling like I was supposed to get to the low 120's. I spent years on the dieting cycle and even went through a bout of bulimia trying to obtain it and punishing myself for inadequacy. C-R-A-Z-Y. "

I think you're right. When I was merely 7 pounds overweight in high school, I'd already lost and was constantly harrassed for it. I got a lot of flack on the street, too, for being "fat". Why bother?

I've been thinking alot about this as well lately. I have a friend I've known forever whom I always "aspired" to...She was always healthy looking, not skinny just fit. She was strong, had stamina and strength. I set my original goal at 175 and then adjusted it to 160. I'm down to 172 right now and finally asked her what her measurements and weight are....it turns out that although I weigh 14 pounds more than she does we're the same height and my measurements are smaller than hers. I think it finally sunk in that I'm "there" already. Now I just have to complete wrapping my head around that!

I'm so glad I found this thread. i had a goal weight of 160 set. I'm at 174 today, and I think I'm going to set 170 as my goal. It still sounds like alot to me, but I've had 3 people today tell me not to lose anymore weight, and I'm pretty sure my boyfriend doesn't want me to lose anymore. My 10's fit loose now, and alot of 8's fit. I'm scared to death to move into maintenance, though. I do want to get to 170, but I think 160 will be too thin for my frame (I'm a large boned Scandinavian).

I guess, how do you know? Take the advice of others that insist you are "THIN", though you don't feel it? Or keep going, knowing in your heart you'll probably never feel good enough or thin enough. I like being a bit curvy. It's a quandry.

Just wasting time this afternoon and I happened upon this thread (yes, i realize it is an older thread). It is funny because I just sat down with myself and had a really long & hard talk.
Along my journey I stalled out at 145 lbs. Just about the time that I shrugged my shoulders and said ok, wll 145 isn't too bad, I can live with that my weight slid down to 135. I weigh daily and I'd run anywhere from 132 to 137, but never really any higher or lower. Had a tummy tuck and still maintained for a year.
BAM!!!! My weight shot up to 140. Some people said it was muscle. Others said not to worry about it. Others were totally unsympathetic as it seemed petty those 5 lbs (and to someone who has more than 100 lbs to lose it does seem petty), but to me they were HUGE! I much preferred maintaining to gaining, but I still had my goal set to 125.

I recently hit 135 again! A miracle, I'm sure. I changed my stats and called 135 my goal. My pant size varies, as does every other womans, but I wear between a 4 and an 8 on the bottom. Medium or large shirts. I'll take it. This has been a weird and wacky journey. Now if I can just continue to maintain this.