I'm scared of my goal weight :(

craft338

according to all the charts, i'm supposed to weigh 155 tops. i've never been that weight, at least not since grade school and it totally freaks me out. i've been on MFP for almost 2 months and lost almost 30lbs. it's fantastic. i really think that this time i've actually changed my lifestyle instead of just dieting. i've never been this motivated or confident while trying to lose weight.

i just changed my goal weight today from 172 to 152. even the 172 goal was pushing it for me...the lightest i've been as an adult was 184 for about 5 minutes then i gained it all back. i sort of feel like i would settle for a weight in the 180's for the rest of my life, but technically, that's still obese, so i really want to push for the 150's.

i have another 100lbs to lose, and i definitely think i can do it, but i feel like my body will never be able to maintain that weight. i mean, i honestly cannot picture myself any lighter than 180. i'm 5'6", very big boned and pretty naturally muscular, plus i've never been a normal weight in my life, so it's just hard to imagine.

i guess the fact that i changed my goal weight and am actually seriously thinking about reaching that goal is a big step for me, because a few months ago, being 152lbs was a complete fantacy.

any feedback would be awesome. i just needed to vent and hear what some of you guys have to say

PNCTink

I can sympathize. Right now I am at the weight that I have been most of my life. I gained loads of weight through two pregnancies in three years and have some health issues now. I want to get down to my healthy weight range (which is 130 for me @5'4"), but I can't remember the last time I was that light. Maybe at 12 or 13? So I wanted to let you know you're not alone, but you can do it.

susancelli928

I hate those "this is your height and your weight should be..." they forget that people have different body types and bone structures. My chart says I should be 125-130 lbs.. Please, I would look anorexic if I was that little. My goal is 150lbs, I havent seen that weight in 23 years right before I got pregnant with my son. Don't let the typical weight charts bring you down, you get to the weight where YOU know you look good and are comfortable with and tell the people who invented the chart to bite you. Good Luck

Tencie0615

mayb at first start by setting smaller reachable goals. instead of having a huge weight loss goal that seems like you will never get to break it down in smaller amounts once you reach that goal set another smaller reachable goal. before you know it you will be at your long term goal weight. don't ever give up!!!!! you can do it!!!!!

JennLifts

You're going to make it. Don't let doubt or worry stop you. We're behind you 100%!

piccolarj

Hey and congrats on your weight loss so far. It seems you are doing really well. I would suggest that yes you aim for that 152 pound mark but also realize even that number is not set in stone. As you began to lose you may change that number several times. Once you get to the 170's see how you feel there and most importantly are you healthy at that weight. If not then if you made it to 170 you can make it to 150!! Have faith in yourself and always dream BIG!! It's sometimes hard to picture ourselves smaller when we've been big for so long but it's not an unattainable goal. Keep up the good work!!

nickyb632

yea i hear ya! a couple years ago i went from 222 to 175 & thought that was great, over about 3 years (esp once i started night school) i put pretty much all of it back on, now i'm finally below 165 and i always say that i dont think i can truly be less than 160, but it's worth the try and i believe that if i do get to a healthy weight that i will be way more motivated to keep it that way. Not to mention the first time around i didn't really work out very much and now i love to exercise, so maybe that's the key

nmoreland

Being scared of the goal weight is generally not a good thing.
I don't know if this will help you, but I will tell you my plan. I need to lose a substantial amount of weight. I am setting number goals for myself for now. Once I get to roughly 130-140 (I am five ft one) I will start to look at the size of clothing that I am in as well as how I feel about myself. I also have always been heavier then "the chart" says I should be, but as long as I stay active and feel good, then I am fine with that.

WashingtonGrown

I hate those "this is your height and your weight should be..." they forget that people have different body types and bone structures. My chart says I should be 125-130 lbs.. Please, I would look anorexic if I was that little. My goal is 150lbs, I havent seen that weight in 23 years right before I got pregnant with my son. Don't let the typical weight charts bring you down, you get to the weight where YOU know you look good and are comfortable with and tell the people who invented the chart to bite you. Good Luck

I 100% agree, it's not unlike parenting...your kid more than likely won't fall into what a book tells you so neither will your body! My "Ideal weight" is 104-141, my goal is 140. So technically I would barely be in the "healthy" range...even though I am already at 145 and in a size 5/6. I haven't weight 104lbs since I was probably 12 years old. I'm in no way a big person, my natural size is 2/4 and around 130-140. I won't ever drip below that, because frankly I think it's too skinny.
Set goals with yourself that make you comfortable, and that you feel are attainable. Don't put yourself in a "category" because you aren't everyone else! Good luck! Keep up the fantastic work!

tigerblue

Don't doubt yourself. You are learning new, healthier habits as you lose, and by the time you reach your goal, they should be a way of life for you. You can do it!!!

Maintaining for 5 months now!!! I'm on the lifetime plan. I'll be logging forever. . . . and doing all those other things I learned along the way.

BunnyDVP

If I were you I would try for a weight that you are comfortable with and can maintain. According to the charts ( I am 5' 4" ) I should weight around 130lbs for a healthy weight. I had gastric bypass surgery in January of 2010 and am down to 146 lbs.

I have people tell me all of the time that I am beginning to look anorexic and I tend to agree. Unfortunately due to the surgery I probably won't gain more weight and I still lose a few pounds a month.

Everyone has a different body type. For me I am "top heavy" with broad shoulders and my poor legs look like Olive Oil's. LOL

Depending on where you lose your weight it is just as important to exercise and tone up your muscles so that your body will look well porportioned.

Just do what feels right for you because we are all different and our bodies have different requirements.

Good luck to you on your new journey in life to become healthier by choosing to lose those extra poounds.

:flowerforyou:

Bunny

t_rog

AGREE with the woman above saying to do what feels comfortable to you. Those charts are BS, in my opinion. It says i'm supposed to be around 125 lbs, at 5'4", but I can honestly say I haven't been that small since middle school. And I HONESTLY think it would look horrible on me now. I'm shooting for around 150-155, even though that would be technically "overweight" for my height. Screw those charts, what we're doing is for us!

tscott10

I have the same fears... When I was in college I weighted in at 135 and in the best shape of my life running 2 to 3 mile a day. But on the charts I was still over weight since I am only 5'4''. Two years ago I was at my highest weight of 196 pounds which was 2 years after the birth of my second son. So two years ago we did a "Biggest Loser" at work and this started my transformation from 196 pounds. I stopped at 170 pounds and started living healthier again but still fluctuating with about 10 pounds . This January I dedicated my self to losing another 30 pounds, the 10 pounds that I fluctuate plus 20 more. This still puts me above my what is considered a healthy weight for me but I will be comfortable!

Spitfirex007

Those charts are worthless. I don't much attention to what they say.

SammieGetsFit

I agree with the comments that the charts are crap. BUT, I also understand that a lot of what you're going through may be mental. It's that exact same way for me. I was one of those girls who was taller than all the boys until high school and people thought my parents weren't feeding me at home I was so skinny. Then puberty hit and BLAM, I went from a size 16 girls to a size 9 in juniors in the course of one school year. Since then the weight has just crept up and up until I got to where I was two weeks ago. It's hard for me to fathom being under 185 (my lowest known weight), but I'm pretty sure that's exactly it -- a lack of imagination. I've seen some incredible weight loss stories on here (with pictures). It's amazing what the body can do when treated right.

Personally, I'm shooting for 175 as a primary final goal. When I get there, I'll reassess and see what feels like it's realistic based on what's going on then. I just feel too ill-equipped to make that call now. I'm slowly realizing that me thinking that I "can't" get below a size 8 (US), that a size 8 is even aiming high, probably has more to do with me than my body. I think there are parts of me that honestly don't think I deserve to be hotter than that. And those are the parts I am hunting down with a vengeance.

Basically, I've been using the "I'm big-boned. It runs in my family" excuses to keep me overweight. It's not unreasonable that saying those same things about a goal weight is the exact same thing. And I'm not letting those excuses stop me from doing anything anymore. Plus, if this is truly a lifetime change for you, then you can reach your 175 goal and then "maintain" and if you keep dropping, obviously your body an handle it.

Those are just my 1 million cents. Sorry it ran so long winded... :blushing: