Dunnoal how to goal

[EvenSteven]

Get it? Yea I'm funny today. See? it rhymes!


So at my heaviest I didnt weight often. Once I was 212.8 and I sorta stopped weighing myself. Why deal with it, you know.

So I thought to myself that I was going to diet and lots of dieters had "goal weights." I've been to these boards and I know its in you're friggen profile.. They encourage you to pick one. So I picked one. 180. It sounded far away and slim.

I started this seriously on January 7th. It's jsut about 2 months now and this morning I weigh in at 180. 180!

I started measuring myself towards the end of january, so I cannot be sure the total from the start, but I've lost at least 2.2 inches on my waist, 3 inches on my belly, and 30 lbs.

I feel better. My clothes are looser. I have a size 38 belt in which I was sporting the last hole possible, and now I'm on the first. Time for a new belt.

But I realize I have picked a goal out of thin air. I guess I'm gonna do some googling to figure out how to pick a realiztic, but accurate, goal. *sigh* body comp calcs.. and hieght vs weight ratios.. gah.. I hate it.

What did you guys do?

[LowCarbRob]

The "goal weight" issue for me was a tough one as well. For my height, I found answers ranging from 165 to 230 lbs. I finally decided on 210 as my first goal, using BMI as a starting point. Since BMI does not take into account muscle mass I've decided that once I get to 210 I will re-evaluate my weight goal and see if I need to continue losing to 180 (my presumed secondary goal if I have little or no muscle mass.)

Here's a website with a lot of different calculators to get you started:
www.bmi-calculator.net

I think as I get closer to my goal weight I will trust myself and my body to tell me where I should be: Do I ever feel hunger? Am I eating "properly"? Am I the size/shape I want to be?

Congratulations on surpassing your goal. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

[EvenSteven]

Thanks Rob. I found a caculator that used my height and build(rough estimate based on wrist size) to calculate:

Ideal weight range is 154 - 169.4 lbs. (70 - 77 kg.).

To me that seems pretty light.. but its something. I can always readjust it later. I've changed my goal to 165. That seems like something possible, but also something that will take alot fo work.

15 pounds to go.

[vavcon]

Congratulations, Steven!

I picked mine because I've never been below 140 in my adult life. I was 142 about 13 years ago and looked pretty fabulous (of course at the time I thought I needed to lose 10 pounds). I got married at 150 and I looked pretty darned good (ibid the pound loss). I guess at 5'6" I should shoot for 130, but that's something I'll decide when I hit 139 - that should take me a while...
Chris

[EvenSteven]

Thanks Chris. You look like you're gonna make your mini goal! Well done for you as well.

I guess Rob said it right. If you intend to eat this way for life, your body will settle to where it wants to be. You'll know whats good by how you feel. It's hard not to be obsessed by the number though.

[LowCarbRob]

I think a little obsessing is okay, if it helps get you where you want to go. Frankly, by the time I reach my goal weight I'll be so happy it won't matter if I'm 210 or 180. I will have accomplished a major goal. (Actually I'm going to shoot for 208 to make it an even 100 pounds). That's how I feel from my current weight anyway. I may feel completely different if at 210 I don't have any muscle mass and am the wrong shape. That's why I look at 210 as a preliminary goal afterwhich I'll re-evaluate my situation.

And although 165 is within reason for my height, I can't help think what a bag of bones I might look like then, but again I'll leave that decision till later.

Good luck on your new goal. I wish you well.