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<><